Analysis of common failure causes of rubber wide-angle belts: preventive measures from breakage to slippage

1. Failure forms and root causes of rubber wide-angle belts

Belt body breakage

Typical manifestations:

Transverse/longitudinal tearing, serrated edges

The belt core layer (polyester cord or steel cable) is exposed

Main causes:

Overload operation: exceeding the design power (such as sudden start-up impact of the motor)

Pulley misalignment: parallelism deviation >1°/100mm, resulting in unilateral stress concentration

Aging cracks: long-term action of ozone/ultraviolet rays makes rubber brittle (more common in outdoor equipment)

Tooth surface wear and block drop

Typical manifestations:

Tooth top wears into a plane, tooth root rubber peels off

Accompanied by "creaking" noise during transmission

Main causes:

Lubrication pollution: grease penetrates into the belt teeth, accelerating rubber swelling (chloroprene rubber is particularly sensitive)

Pulley tooth shape mismatch: ISO standard teeth and JIS standard teeth are mixed

Frequent start and stop: instantaneous friction generates high temperature (>120℃) leading to rubber carbonization

Side wear and delamination

Typical manifestations:

The side of the belt is shiny, and the edge material falls off

Peeling occurs between the multi-layer structure

Main reasons:

Wear of the pulley baffle: the gap is greater than 3mm, causing the belt to deviate

Insufficient tension: the sag exceeds 1.6% of the center distance

Chemical corrosion: contact with acid/alkali liquids (such as fertilizer plant equipment)

Slippage and reduced efficiency

Typical manifestations:

The speed fluctuation of the passive wheel is greater than 5%

The belt body heats up significantly (hot to the touch)

Main reasons:

Oil contamination: oil leakage from the reducer contaminates the belt surface

Improper initial tension: the new belt is not pre-stretched according to the standard (usually it needs to exceed the working tension by 10% and run for 24 hours)

Humid environment: water film reduces the friction coefficient

Early fatigue failure

Typical manifestations:

Cracks on the belt surface, no signs of mechanical damage

Usage time is less than 30% of the nominal life

Main reasons:

Vibration exceeds the standard: the equipment foundation is loose or the dynamic balance is poor (vibration speed > 4.5mm/s)

Low-temperature hardening: the rubber loses elasticity when running below -15℃

Poor-quality materials: cheap products with recycled rubber content > 20%

2. Preventive measures and solutions

• Installation and commissioning specifications

Pulley calibration:

Use laser alignment instrument to adjust parallelism (deviation ≤ 0.1mm/m)

Ensure the baffle gap is 1-2mm

• Operation and maintenance points

Cleaning management:

Wipe the belt body with isopropyl alcohol every month to remove oil/dust

Do not use wire brush to clean the tooth groove

Condition monitoring:

Infrared thermometer monitors operating temperature (＞90℃ requires shutdown inspection)

Regularly record belt elongation (exceeding 3% requires replacement)

• Replacement standards

Immediate replacement is required in the following situations:

Tooth height wear ＞30% (measured with caliper)

Transverse crack depth ＞2mm

Belt body twists and cannot be restored to straightness

3. Rubber Wide Angle Belt FAQ: All answers to common questions

Q1: How to properly tension during installation?

A: Three steps:

Initial tension: Press the middle of the belt, the droop should be 1.6% of the center distance

Running-in adjustment: Re-tighten after 24 hours of operation to eliminate initial elongation

Requirements for multiple belts: The length difference of the same group of belts is ≤0.5%, otherwise the load will be uneven

Q2: How to extend the life of the wide-angle belt?

Daily maintenance: Clean the belt surface with isopropyl alcohol every month, and wire brushes are prohibited

Storage requirements: Hang in a cool place to avoid overlapping deformation

Replacement standard: Tooth height wear > 30% or transverse crack depth > 2mm needs to be replaced immediately

Q3: Can the wide-angle belt replace the synchronous belt?

A: It needs to be selected according to the scene:

Choose a wide-angle belt: Buffer transmission that allows slight slippage (such as fans, conveyors)

Choose a synchronous belt: Precision transmission that requires strict synchronization (such as CNC machine tools)