Some of the maintenance folks we are working with prefer to use the V-belts that can be built up from individual links. Often these are thought of as temporary or emergency belts, but some manufacturers are now touting them as superior to conventional V-belts for long-term use.

See the website for one such manufacturer: Fenner PowerTwist Plus

My concerns include the need to pry these belts over the existing sheaves, potential vibration issues and resonance excitation due to the many elements in the belt, etc. Does anyone have any specific experience with these belts and the impact on vibration and machinery reliability, or general thoughts on some of the advantages and disadvantages of adopting these type belts for routine long-term use in belt-driven equipment.

Thanks,

Rich Wurzbach

rwurzbach@mrgcorp.com
Maintenance Reliability Group