Belt vs. Chain drive 3

[zpiderman]

I am currently fitting a horizontal blender with a 60HP motor and gearbox. The output of the gearbox is 120 RPM and the blender will be approx. 25 RPM. I have 2 options to drive the blender:

Option 1: Sprockets (39.4" dia (60 teeth) & 9.3" dia (13 teeth)) and Chain (#160)

Option 2: Pulley (39.3" dia (224 teeth) & 8.8" dia. (50 teeth) and HTD belt (125 mm wide)

Considering this to be severe duty operation, what are the advantages and disadvantages of one option vs. the other in terms of application and long term maintenance? I am not very experienced in this field so any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ruble3]

Here's my $0.02:

Belt drives- advantages: no lubrication required;minimal maintenance;sudden shocks dampened;quiet;smooth;sheaves(pulleys) generally less expensive & wear over long periods
-disadvantages:slippage can occur;wear reduces tension;severe environment can damage belts

Chain drives: advantages:no slippage;no stretch;long operating life expectancy( assuming proper lubrication);operate in hotile environments;long shelf life ( metal won't deteriorate)
-disdvantages: noisier (generally);can elongate due to wear of chain/teeth;sprockets need replacing when chain worn

If its severe duty then I assume its not a 'food'grade application & lubrication not an issue
Remember that either system needs adequate guarding - In my experience a problem on the driven side in a belt system will burn the belts, but in a chain drive, if the chain doesn't braek the key & shaft are damaged

 

[dvd]

I would recommend Gates PolyChain 2 instead of HTD. PolyChain doesn't slip or stretch and they run quietly without any lubrication requirements. The downside to PolyChain is that they require a fairly high initial tension, much more than a chain. This will require a larger driven shaft and bearings and in some instances the overhung load will necessitate a larger gearbox than that required just to transmit the torque. But once in place the drive should be trouble-free for quite some time.

 

[dvd]

Some additional thoughts that just occurred to me. If the mixer has a high starting inertia or is subject to jamming your choice of the chain or cogged belt is probably not that great since there won't be any slippage allowed with either system. The old standby of a v-belt drive will allow slippage. You might want to consider soft start on a vfd or a fluid coupling and some form of shear pin device or torque limiting on your drive.

 

[mirekp]

The analysis you can find on the web page:

http://www.mitcalc.com/doc/help/en/c_transmission_choice.htm

mirekp

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