Accurate information must be collected to calculate the tension of the conveyor belt.
Conveyor belt tension adjustment is critical to keeping the system running smoothly. The belt must fit the crown of any pulley present and be slip-resistant, even in the most difficult outdoor conditions. To accurately calculate conveyor belt tension, start by gathering all the information you need and entering it into a form. You need to calculate the maximum amount of tension you can apply to the webbing system, which can be calculated using several specific formulas.
The conveyor system itself needs to be “trained”, which means that the belt needs to be adjusted so that it does not run off the track.
First, collect information about the working environment and the special conditions in which the system must operate, for example, the load rate in tons per hour, the diameter of the pulley and the transport rollers used. Take into account the speed of the belt, the width of the belt and the vertical difference between the rear and front pulleys. In addition to height, belt length and transmission data are also important in calculating conveyor belt tension. It’s easy to calculate the operating voltage, or TO, also called allowable working voltage, once you have all the data at hand.
Proper conveyor belt tension is important to machine operation and efficiency.
The first factor to calculate when determining conveyor belt tension is the tension required to move the empty belt, or TC. You will need to know the weight of the conveyor components, or CW, the length of the belt, or L, and the friction factor for normal empty belt operation, or F1. F1 is normally 0.035 and the formula to calculate TC is TC = F1 x L x CW or TC = 0.035 x L x CW.
The tension required to move materials on the belt horizontally, or TL, is the next step in calculating conveyor belt tension. You will need to know the weight of the material in pounds, or MW, and multiply it by the length of the belt and the typical friction factor required to move a load horizontally, or F2. F2 is normally 0.04 and the formula to calculate TL is TL = MW x L x F2 or MW x L x 0.04.
TH is the voltage required to lift the load, and this is found by multiplying MW with the difference in elevation of the end pulleys, or H. The equation for TH is TH = MW x H. Once you have these three factors , you can calculate the effective belt tension, or TE. The formula is TE = TC + TL + TH. It is also necessary to take into account the slack side tension, or TS, that is required to prevent belt slippage. So, TS = D x TE, where D represents the driving factor.
Finally, you can find out the total operating tension, or TO, knowing the width of the belt in inches, or W, TS, and TE. The formula for TO is TO = TE + TS/W. Over the life of the conveyor system, it may be necessary to re-tension the belt. A contaminant can enter between the pulley surface and the conveyor belt surface, and as a result, the relative coefficient of friction can change. Cleaning all surfaces will usually solve the problem, but if this is impossible due to external conditions, it may be necessary to increase the tension on the conveyor belt.