Lengthen the life span of your pulley belt with these hacks
Posted on: 26 September 2018
A pulley, in its most basic form, is a machine that is used to lift heavy objects by reducing the amount of force required to lift the load. They make work (meaning the effort needed to achieve a particular objective) much more manageable. Pulleys are usually made of a wheel, which has grooves into which belts are wrapped around. Pulleys are heavily reliant on the belts to perform; without the belts, a pulley cannot function as it draws its power from pulling the belts. However, because of the friction between the surface of the wheel and the surface of the belt, you will need to constantly replace the rope so that the level of output is not reduced. However, purchasing belts of high quality and consequently ensuring proper use of the belts can extend the life of the belt. Below are some of the ways in which you can prevent downtime performance of your pulley system.
Alignment of the pulley
A well-aligned pulley will ensure that your belt lasts a long time. Misaligned pulleys will wear down your belt especially because of the excess pressure that you will be subjecting it to. Therefore, it is critical that you ensure your pulley is well aligned and that you look out for signs of misalignment. Some of the signs are noise, especially a chirping sound. Chirps will be a short-lived, high-pitched noise that will become faint as the speed of the belt increases. Moreover, unusual vibrations and too much wearing of the edges of the belt are indicators that your pulley is misaligned. A misaligned pulley will not only damage your belt but will also affect other components of the pulley.
Proper maintenance of the pulley
Worn-out pulleys will wear out your belt at a much faster rate compared to new pulleys. Signs that your pulley is worn-out include the pulley resisting rotation or emitting squeaking noises when in use. Before using the belts, ensure that you check the condition of the pulley, especially at the groove of the wheel. When you want to install a new belt, clean the groove to make sure that there is no debris or contaminants that might affect the functionality of the belt.
Employing proper tension
Another way of increasing the life span of the belt is by ensuring that you use the right tension. Tension, in this sense, refers to the force that will be exerted on the belt when it is pulled. When setting up your pulley, make sure that there is no under-tension or over-tension. Either of these problems will wear your belt at a much faster rate.
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