FENNER launches new range of ultra high strength Wedge belts for tough applications

June 23, 2011 - PRLog -- Designed specifically for use in heavy duty and harsh conditions, the global launch of the FENNER Ultra PLUS 140 range of wedge belts follows field testing in tough mining applications in Australia. The Fenner Ultra PLUS 140 is available in two cross section sizes, SPB (16 x 13 mm) and SPC (22 x 18 mm), and in a range of lengths from 2.8m to 10m. Both belt sections employ the very latest in materials and construction technology, bringing what is essentially a 60 year old design right up-to-date.

The belts are named due to their enhanced transmission capacity, offering 140 percent of the power rating of regular FENNER Power Plus PB wedge belts. The inner load bearing cords are made from aramid fibre. This is the same incredibly strong material used by DuPont to create Kevlar ®.The aramid cords are surrounded by chloroprene rubber (CR) which provides greater wear life than regular compounds, and is more resistant to heat, oils and chemical exposure. This material also provides improved electrostatic conductivity performance and, similar to other belt drive systems, affords a degree of protection from shock loading.

The belts are double wrapped in a hard wearing woven polyester-cotton fabric impregnated with CR. The fabric weave has been woven at a specially developed angle of warp vs. weft rather than the traditional 90 degree weave. This innovative weave pattern gives the belt greater bending flexibility, maintaining drive efficiency whilst protecting the internal working components of the belt.

This added flexibility results in drives using these belts offering a fully tested drive efficiency of up to 96%, far higher than most gear or chain drives would be expected to deliver in heavy duty applications. The high efficiency figure relies on the belts being fitted to the correct dimension cast iron pulleys, aligned correctly, and tension adjusted to within recommended operating limits.

Fitting the new belts correctly can be achieved more easily using the FENNER installation and alignment kit, which includes a pulley groove wear gauge, a tension gauge to help install correct tension, and an alignment cord for simple, effective pulley alignment. Laser alignment tools are also available separately. Ultra PLUS 140 wedge belts are designed to be used in 3,4,5,6 or 8 groove pulley drives, as a new installation or as replacements. In new installations the belts can contribute to reduced drive costs, due to their higher power rating which allows the use of fewer belts, yet delivering the same effective drive life.

For existing drives, fewer belts need to be purchased and fitted to existing pulleys. Either way there is a significant cost saving. Best Practice recommends that the pulleys are changed every other time the belts are replaced under heavy wear conditions. This keeps pulley grooves in optimum condition, contributing immensely to maintaining drive efficiency. Normal wear conditions for the Ultra PLUS 140 are, however, expected to be considerably longer than for conventional belts with one layer of wrapping, which typically have natural rubber based cores and lower strength polyester cord materials. Individual FENNER Ultra PLUS 140 belts are rated at 22kW and above, but in multiples have been used to provide power transmission for systems up to 900kW.

These new, larger section FENNER wrapped wedge belts are designed to drive large rotating plant such as pumps, conveyors, fans, crushers and separators, typically used in quarrying, mining, processing, aggregates, the power industry and waste recycling sectors. As is to be expected from one of the world’s longest established and most successful Power Transmission belt brands, the application experience and general technical support available both from FENNER Authorised Distributors and licensed distributors is second to none.

The benefits of mature technology, with its associated dependability of design and application, combined with the latest materials science, longer wear-life and added strength of the latest designs makes the new range difficult to beat in its target application areas.

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