Gates Corporation, a global, diversified manufacturer of industrial and automotive products, offers a new white paper, "How Belt Drives Impact Overhung Load." The educational piece explains what overhung load (OHL) is, how it is calculated and the negative impact it has on shafts and bearings. The white paper also provides designers with solutions for reducing OHL and increasing belt drive efficiency and service life. "Overhung load can be easily overlooked in new belt drive system designs and roller chain drive conversions," said Dan Parsons, Gates product application engineer. "This white paper presents overhung load in simple terms so designers can account for it appropriately. This will improve overall system reliability and the longevity of all related drive components." The white paper, which can be downloaded for free from Gates Ridiculously Powerful Belts page, defines OHL as "a force exerted perpendicular to a shaft beyond the outermost bearing." When belt drives exceed maximum OHL ratings, shafts and bearings wear out faster than normal, prompting costly downtime for replacement and maintenance. According to the white paper, if a belt drive produces an OHL level above recommended limits, the drive needs to be re-designed using narrower belts and larger diameter sprockets mounted as close as possible to the outermost bearing on the shaft. Gates Poly Chain GT Carbon synchronous belt drives can generate low overhung loads due to their very narrow widths.