TekBulletin

June 2011 Issue 6 Page 1

Conveyor Belt Tensioning Systems

The conveyor belt distance of the conveyor and the
type of belt (see calculation).
tensioning system
The screw take-up on shorter
or take-up device is belts is normally located at the
a vital component in tail end. Tracking of the belt with
the screw take-up should only be
ensuring optimium performed as a last resort as it may
belt performance. cause permanent belt stretch.
associated tracking problems.
The GTU performs best located The GTU should be protected
The role of the take-up device close to the drive drum. The GTU with a return belt plough and
is to create and maintain bend pulleys will have a minimum must be adequately guarded.
adequate pre-tension to allow diameter based on the belt
the conveyor drive pulley to specification. Movement of the GTU
drive the belt under all running on both the vertical and horizontal
conditions (empty or loaded). axis should be limited to 10mm
to avoid excessive movement and
Generally there are two main
types of take-up. The fixed type
(normally refered to as a screw
take-up STU) and the automatic
or Gravity take-up (GTU).
The screw take-up is normally used
on short conveyors up to a length
of 50m. Over 50m an automatic
take-up system should be used
to ensure constant pre-tension.
The length of the take-up
depends on the both the centre

TekTip The GTU length can store spare belt to ConveyorTek Limited
facilitate the replacement of a vulcanised Unit 1 Ballinderry Industrial Estate
2a Glenavy Road
splice without the need for additional belting Upper Ballinderry
Lisburn, County Antrim, BT28 2EU

Tel UK: 028 92 652666 Tel ROI: 048 92 652666 Email: sales@conveyortek.com
Fax UK: 028 92 652555 Fax ROI: 048 92 652555

www.conveyortek.com
Appointed conveyor belt distributors for

A MEMBER OF THE SEMPERIT-GROUP

 TekBulletin
June 2011 Issue 6 Page 2

Conveyor Belt Tensioning Systems

For fabric belts the following calculation may be
used to estimate the length of take-up required.
Recommended minimum take-up distance:

*Ltu = L x 1.5% Where

Ltu = Take-up length
100 L = Centre distance
*For conveyors L< 10m add approximately 100-200mm to Ltu

The possibility of adjusting the
belt tension under normal running
conditions should be around 0.8% to
1.2%. This is important in estimating
the position of the take-up especially
during the installation of a new belt.
For example, a conveyor with a
centre distance length of 120m
would have a minimum conveyor
take-up length (Ltu) of 1.8m from
the calculation above. Therefore
adequate provision should be made
for an adjustment of 0.96m-1.44m
(0.8-1.2%) when positioning the GTU.
GTU Weight and Belt Sag (q/s)
The weight of the GTU should
maintain a constant belt sag
between the idlers (normally q/s
= 1- 2%) hence calculating the
correct weight is important.
A GTU underweight will lead
to excessive belt sag thus
increasing belt bend resistance
and reducing overall belt and
idler life. A GTU overweight will
lead to excessive belt tension
resulting in belt and joint stretch.

To calculate the correct

weight please contact your
Belt Sag q/s= 1-2% Top Run Idlers ConveyorTek Engineer.

TekTip Ensure all take-up ConveyorTek Limited

Unit 1 Ballinderry Industrial Estate
devices are adequately guarded. 2a Glenavy Road
Upper Ballinderry
Lisburn, County Antrim, BT28 2EU

Tel UK: 028 92 652666 Tel ROI: 048 92 652666 Email: sales@conveyortek.com
Fax UK: 028 92 652555 Fax ROI: 048 92 652555

www.conveyortek.com
Appointed conveyor belt distributors for

A MEMBER OF THE SEMPERIT-GROUP