In 1911, a 32-year-old mining engineer by the name of Charles Gates decided to channel his skills into componentry manufacturing, purchasing a humble business called The Colorado Tire and Leather Company. Six years later, his brother John Gates invented the V-belt – a piece of technology that would revolutionise automotive power transmission and the mining industry for good.
Come the 1950s, the family-owned business had made significant progress developing synchronous belts and hoses, and the re-named Gates Rubber Company – based in Denver – made moves to establish production facilities across the ocean in Europe. Since then, the Gates brand has become a staple for miners across Australia, synonymous with premium quality to content with the country’s rugged operations.
While Gates no doubt leverages on a rich heritage of innovation, it is their future-proofing and continual research and development that renders them a solutions-focused provider for today’s industrial landscape. ‘Driven by possibility,’ the global company’s ever-expanding portfolio seeks to combat every-day challenges faced by equipment operators, pushing the boundaries of materials science to help customers achieve greater efficiencies at every stage.
Eliminate the need for re-tensioning on drive systems
Periodic re-tensioning of V-belts can eat up time and labour costs on any mining site. But can there really be such a thing as maintenance-free belts? The answer is yes – Gates new generation of V-belts has been meticulously designed to maintain stable tension over the entire product lifetime.
Correct belt tension is critical to the overall machine performance. Poorly tensioned V-belts can eventuate in inefficient power transmission, on top of premature wear and failure. The Quad-Power™ 4 belts from Gates harness an innovative minimal-stretch cord, which results in a bandless, zero-maintenance V-belt solution. Miraculously, they require no run-in period or re-tensioning throughout the service life, outperforming all similarly sized belts available in the market.
Reducing energy consumption with compact assemblies
Saving on energy consumption through more efficient motion systems can have a positive impact both financially and environmentally. The Quad-Power™ 4 boasts a higher power density than classical V-belts, allowing a smaller drive width, weight and cost while still operating at optimal capacity.
It’s precisely engineered moulded notches serve to reduce bending stress, allowing for increased performance on smaller pulley sizes. These bending properties are supplemented by state-of-the-art profiling technology, which guarantees a 98 percent energy efficiency rating, raising the industry benchmark to new heights.
Going the distance in unforgiving conditions
In the harsh landscape of remote Australia, V-belts must content with the pressing risk of cracking due to high temperatures. The Quad-Power™ 4 EPDM material has the widest temperature resistance of any locally available V-belt, maintaining exceptional performance in temperatures up to +130°C, an impressive 70° over the industry standard.
Raw edge V-belts: Layer by layer
• Stable tension over the belt’s lifetime is achieved with minimal-elongation polyester tensile cords
• A blue adhesion layer offers superior bonding of the tensile cords and rubber compound
• The notch form is optimised to reduce stress caused by bending
• Gates’ new generation EPDM rubber compound provides extended wear life and resistance to extreme temperatures
