REDUCED life of V-belts operating in the heating, cooling and airconditioning (HVAC) sector, is, is a major concern to the industry, despite users implementing rigorous system inspection programmes, according to BMG.
BMG specialists recommend that replacing conventional rubber V-belts used on air handling units (AHUs) with Fenner High Performance Composite (HPC) V-belts is a dependable solution that offers many benefits, including higher drive efficiency, greater comfort, reduced downtime and extended service life.
“BMG’s Fenner HPC V-belts have been proven to maintain 100% of their belt life at 80°C, in comparison with only 25% belt life from a rubber belt at the same temperature,” explains Westnar van der Westhuizen, product manager, power transmission division, BMG. “As the internal operating temperature of a rubber V-belt surpasses 30°C, adhesion between the rubber and reinforcing cords begins to break down, delamination and flex fatigue occurs and the rubber compound deteriorates and cracks, causing premature belt failure.
“BMG’s range of Fenner HPC V-belts includes the PowerTwist Plus and NuTLink V-belts for classical section drives and SuperTLink V-belts for applications using metric wedge SP rated belts. While simple in concept, these composite V-belts deliver exceptional performance, solving many of the field problems associated with conventional rubber V-belts.
“This range is manufactured from custom reinforced polyurethane elastomers, with multiple plies of polyester fabric, that offer excellent resistance to high operating temperatures. The effective link design results in belt constructions which limit flex induced heat build-up and ensures a greater surface area that dissipates any heat generated more effectively, compared to a solid construction rubber V-belt.
“Another important benefit of upgrading from rubber to HPC V-belts is reduced belt installation time. It is easy for users to make an HPC V-belt to the required size by hand and roll it onto an AHU drive, just like a bicycle chain, with no tools required.”
