CEMA Guide No 01 System Mistracking Allowances Guide O4zjzw

CEMA Guide 01 - 2023
Approved: February 2023
CEMA Guide 01
CEMA's System Mistracking
Allowance Guide
Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association, Inc.

CEMA's System Mistracking Allowance Guide
DISCLAIMER
The information provided herein is advisory only.
These recommendations provided by CEMA are general in nature and are not intended as a substitute for
professional advice. Users should seek the advice, supervision, and/or consultation of qualified engineers, safety
consultants, and other qualified professionals.
Any use of this publication, any information contained herein, or any other CEMA publication is made with the
agreement and understanding that the user and the user’s company assume full responsibility for the designs,
safety, specifications, suitability, and adequacy of any conveyor system, a system component, mechanical or
electrical device designed or manufactured using this information.
The user and the user’s company understand and agree that CEMA, its member companies, its officers, agents
and employees are not and shall not be liable in any manner under any theory of liability to anyone for reliance
on or use of this information. The user and the user’s companies agree to release, hold harmless and indemnify
and defend CEMA, its member companies, successors, assigns, officers, agents and employees from any and
all claims of liability, costs, fees (including attorney’s fees), or damages arising in any way out of the use of this
information.
CEMA and its member companies, successors, assigns, officers, agents and employees make no representations
or warranties whatsoever, either expressed or implied, about the information contained herein, including, but
not limited to, representations or warranties that the information contained herein conform to any federal, state
or local laws, regulations, guidelines or ordinances.
ISBN: 978-1-891171-68-0
Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association, Inc. (CEMA)

www.cemanet.org
Copyright © 2023
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Introduction 1
Purpose 2
Definitions 2
Potential Causes of Belt Mistracking 4
Recommended System Tracking Design and Maintenance Allowances 5
Measuring Mistracking
Safety Note 9
Suggestions on How to Measure Mistracking 9
iii
INTRODUCTION
Engineering, installation, and maintenance are not and cannot be mutually exclusive. No amount of engineering
can take the place of proper installation and maintenance. No amount of installation and maintenance can take the
place of proper engineering. All three must work together to create an effective and efficiently operated system.
Oxford Language defines a system as "a set of things working together as part of a mechanism or an interconnecting
network". With this definition in mind, we must consider a conveyor as a system, not as individual components.
There are many factors in this system that can positively or negatively contribute to the tracking of the conveyor
belt as it travels along its path. Engineering installation/construction, maintenance, component manufacturing
tolerances, the operational environment, and intended or unintended physical changes to these items during
the life of the system are not and cannot be considered mutually exclusive. They are all part of the system that
influences the belt as it travels along the conveyor.
The tolerances in this document are intended to communicate expectations to both the design
engineer as well as the installation and maintenance personnel for a conveyor system utilizing
standard CEMA components.
Actions for correcting mistracking are not discussed in this guide. Contact a CEMA member for corrective action
assistance.
Bulk material handling conveyors, operated under varying conditions, will typically have some variation in the
belt path. This variation in the path, commonly called mistracking, can be affected by manufacturing tolerances,
installation tolerances, varying loading conditions, as well as environmental factors such as wind and precipitation.
In addition, operating and maintenance practices can have a positive or negative influence on belt tracking. Belt
mistracking beyond what is considered acceptable often manifests itself as belt edge damage, product spillage,
or burn marks on chutes.
Some movement of the belt will still occur even when a belt is running on a correctly aligned, operated, and
maintained system. Belts operating under normal conditions (see definition below) should not incur damage nor
spill properly loaded material. Nevertheless, operators are encouraged to reduce mistracking to a minimal level.
Mistracking tolerance can be broken into three categories: Allowable, Actionable, and Critical. See the definitions
below for a description of these categories.
It is common to treat the symptoms of mistracking rather than address the root causes. Treating
the symptoms often just changes the system impact on the belt from edge damage to another
form such as increased wear of the bottom cover from knocking idlers or damage to the carcass
from over tensioning.
Before placing blame on components, individuals, or companies, and before adding training idlers and/or other
forced adjustment components, a proper root cause analysis should be performed to determine the actual reason
or reasons for the mistracking.
1
PURPOSE
The purpose of this document is to provide mistracking design and maintenance allowances on fixed-in-place
heavy-duty (> 28 N/mm (160 PIW)) bulk material handling troughed conveyors. The allowances are applicable to
CEMA standard troughed conveyors with fabric or steel cord belts. The belt may be unidirectional or reversing. The
allowances are not applicable to horizontal curve portions of troughed conveyors. In addition, the allowances are
not applicable to non-troughed/flat belt conveyors and/or specialty-type belt conveyors such as sidewall conveyors.
The amount of project-specified or site-specific conveyor belt mistracking allowance directly affects the design
of the conveyor structure and selection of components. If there are no project or site-specific requirements, the
recommendations in this document represent reasonable assumptions for a conveyor designed and operated
according to CEMA design guides and standards.
Conveyor systems can be designed to accept wider tolerances. However, wider tolerances than recommended in
this document would require the design engineer to consider either components based on the next belt width
wider, or non-standard CEMA components as well as review the effects of the wider tolerance with proper loading
onto the conveyor. Refer to a CEMA member company for tolerance recommendations for conveyor types not
covered by this document.
Refer to a CEMA member company for mistracking tolerance recommendations for conveyor
types not covered by this document.
DEFINITIONS
Abnormal Conditions - Systems that are not designed or operated to CEMA design guides and standards. There
are three primary categories for abnormal conditions:
1. Specialty conveyors,
2. Conveyors that cannot be maintained or operated within CEMA guidelines, and
3. Conveyors that are not maintained or operated within CEMA guidelines. Systems in these categories will
likely result in special requirements for establishing a mistracking allowance.
• Examples of specialty conveyors and conveyors that cannot be maintained or operated within
CEMA guidelines include but are not limited to: Suspended conveyors, mobile conveyors, flexible
conveyors, conveyors handling difficult materials, and extreme weather conditions.
• Examples of conveyors that are not maintained or operated within CEMA guidelines include but
are not limited to: Belts running on a poorly aligned structure, off-center loaded belts, overloaded
belts, conveyors with frozen idlers, and spillage that is allowed to build up to the point that it affects
the conveyor belt.
Actionable Mistracking - This is a first-level fault. Belts operating in this range are at risk of incurring damage or
spilling material. Typically, belt damage will not be severe initially, so immediate stoppage is not required unless the
mistracking leads to unsafe conditions. However, prompt action to restore centralized tracking is strongly advised.
2
Allowable Mistracking - This is the allowable amount of mistracking under normal conditions.
Carry Side Mistracking - Belt mistracking on the open carry side of the conveyor can have a reasonably greater
mistracking tolerance than other areas since there are typically fewer obstructions that belt can contact. Spillage
is still a concern outside of the Load Zone on the carry side.
Critical Mistracking - This is a second-level fault. Belts operating in this range are at serious risk of substantial
damage. Material spillage is imminent if not already occurring. Belt stoppage is advised, and immediate tracking
remediation is recommended before returning the belt to production
Design Mistracking Allowance - The mistracking allowance is the maximum ± deviation from the theoretical
centerline of the conveyor system path along which the conveyor was designed to be operated, assuming CEMA
installation tolerances, as well as proper maintenance and operating practices, are followed.
Load Zone Sealing Allowance - Skirtboard areas designed to CEMA guides and standards, assume inside skirtboard
steel without liners is 2/3 X Belt Width. Since the belt should not be allowed to wander out from under the edge
seal, the allowance may need to be adjusted based on the thickness of the sealing system. Belt mistracking in the
skirtboard/load zones is constrained both by the amount of movement before the skirtboard seal is no longer
effective and by limiting movement to achieve proper center loading which often leads to a tighter tolerance for
this location.
Normal Conditions - Systems that are designed to CEMA design guides and standards, and are properly loaded,
unloaded, cleaned, maintained, and operated. Under these normal conditions, some movement of the belt will
still occur. However, belts operating in this range should not incur damage nor spill properly loaded material.
Return Side Mistracking - The mistracking on the return side of the conveyor is constrained by the structure and
idler hanger brackets typically resulting in the need for a narrower misalignment tolerance on the return run.
Troughed Conveyor – A belt conveyor with the conveyor belt edges elevated on the carrying run to form a trough
by conforming to the shape of the troughed carrying idlers or other supporting surfaces.
Proper Operation – The Operation of the conveyor system to function as intended within the parameters
established in the design criteria including but not limited to: operating safely, loading in the center of the troughed
belt, running at or below design capacity, handling the bulk material that the conveyor was designed to handle.
Proper Maintenance – Any action necessary to keep the conveyor system in proper working condition, so that
the system will continue to comply with the design criteria to prevent safety hazards and prevent the failure of
the conveyor system to function as intended. Maintenance includes working safely, repair and adjustment of
components according to the manufacturer’s recommendations and other activities identified in the manufacturer’s
recommendations, good housekeeping, treating root causes and not symptoms, and using predictive or
preventative maintenance strategies.
3
POTENTIAL CAUSES OF BELT MISTRACKING

The following list is not comprehensive but includes some of the more common causes of belt mistracking.
Common causes of belt mistracking:

• Damaged, non-level or misaligned structures, idlers, or pulleys.
• Reversing belts with misaligned components.
• Non-centered material loading or multiple load points.
• Belt splice that isn’t square.
• Material spillage “holding” the belt off center.
• Uneven wear on pulleys or pulley lagging.
• Uneven skirtboard rubber seal pressure.
• Worn or frozen idlers or bearings.
• Material, ice, or snow buildup on idlers, pulleys, or belts.
• Uneven belt tensioning from adjusting manual takeups.
• Loose gravity takeup guides or uneven distribution of takeup mass.
Less frequent but still common causes of belt mistracking:

• Belt cut from wider belt causing one edge to be thicker than the other. (Example: A 84 inches (2000 mm)
wide belt could be cut into two sections of 42 inches (1000 mm) wide belt) Improper splicing of multiple
rolls of belting when the belt is cut from a wider belt.
• Belt that is too rigid for the trough and can’t properly seat into the idlers.
• Belting with a horizontal bow due to uneven tensioning during manufacture (rare, but it can happen).
• Improper belt storage resulting in permanent deformation of one side or sections of the belt.
• Environmental issues such as wind, solar, and precipitation.
• Degradation of the belt carcass or covers causing poor idler contact.
• “Upgrading” capacity or belt without considering effects of increased tension or center loading changes.
• Forward tilted idlers installed in the wrong direction.
Refer to CEMA Member Company for questions, support, or training on how to correct mistracking issues.
4
RECOMMENDED SYSTEM TRACKING DESIGN AND MAINTENANCE ALLOWANCES

The mistracking design tolerance varies depending on the section of the conveyor. On narrow belt widths, tighter
tolerances in the loading zone are usually required to assist in center loading and to affect proper sealing to
minimize fugitive dust and spillage. Structural width will vary according to chute wall to pulley clearances and the
standard mounting dimensions of components. Care must be taken that the belt cannot contact the structure or
component mounting brackets. In addition, to protect the belt from damage, the belt should never be allowed
to track beyond the edge of the pulleys or idlers under normal operating conditions.
The selection of the pulley face width, return idler width and bracket-style, head chute width, skirtboard width,
and structural clearances in the design phase have a direct effect on the allowable mistracking tolerances.
Absent a design specification, the actionable mistracking allowances in the tables below can be
used as a guide for establishing a system utilizing standard CEMA components.
On specialty conveyors, conveyors that cannot be maintained or operated within CEMA guidelines, and projects
where the facility requests larger mistracking tolerances, the following are some options that could be considered
during the design phase.
• Wider structures and discharge/head chutes.
• Wider pulley faces.
• Narrower skirtboards.
• Wider idler mounting brackets and/or overall wider idlers.
• Trough angle of idler rolls (Example: 45 deg vs. typical 35 deg), number of idler rolls (Example: 5 roll idler
vs. typical 3 roll idler), and/or width of rollers per idler.
• Allowance for additional tracking devices.
Refer to CEMA Member Company for questions, support, and/or recommendations for these special cases.
The metric belt width conversions were changed to match Table 4.1 from the 7th edition belt book that lists
conversions for belt widths used in the book.
5
Table 1. Carry Side Mistracking Tolerances: Allowable, Actionable, Critical for Normal Conditions
Standard Belt Width Allowable Mistracking Actionable Mistracking Critical Mistracking
in (mm) in (mm) in (mm) in (mm)
Up to and including Over +/- 0.5 (12) Over
24 to 30 (600 to 800)
+/- 0.5 (12) Up to and including +/- 1.5625 (40) +/- 1.5625 (40)
Up to and including Over +/- 1 (25) Over
36 to 60 (1000 to 1600)
+/- 1 (25) Up to and including +/- 5% of Belt Width +/- 5% of Belt Width
72 to 120 (1800 to 3000)
+/- 1.5 (40) Up to and including +/- 3.0 (75) +/- 3 (75)
For Reference - ISO Standard Belt Widths (mm)

600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2200 2400 2800 3000
±4.0 ±100
±3.5 ±90
±3.0
Mistracking (mm)
±75
Mistracking (in)
±2.5
±60
±2.0 ±50
±1.5 ±40
±1.0 ±25
±0.5 ±12
24 30 36 42 48 54 60 72 84 96 108 120
CEMA Standard Belt Widths (in)
Allowable Actionable Critical
Figure 1. Carrying Side Mistracking Tolerances

(Heavy Duty Troughed Belts - PIW > 160 (28 N/mm))
6
Table 2. Return Side Mistracking Tolerances: Allowable, Actionable, Critical for Normal Conditions
24 to 30 (600 to 800)
36 to 48 (1000 to 1200)
+/- 1 (25) Up to and including +/- 5% of Belt Width +/- 5% of Belt Width
54 to 60 (1400 to 1600)
+/- 1 (25) Up to and including +/- 2.5 (60) +/- 2.5 (60)
72 (1800)
84 to 120 (2000 to 3000)
+/- 1.5 (40) Up to and including +/- 3 (75) +/- 3 (75)

600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2200 2400 2800 3000
±4.0 ±100
±3.5 ±90
±3.0
Mistracking (mm)
±75
Mistracking (in)
±2.5
±60
±2.0 ±50
±1.5 ±40
±1.0 ±25
±0.5 ±12
24 30 36 42 48 54 60 72 84 96 108 120
Figure 2. Return Side Mistracking Tolerances
7
Table 3. Mistracking Tolerances at Pulleys: Allowable, Actionable, Critical for Normal Conditions
24 to 30 (600 to 800)
36 to 42 (1000)
+/- 1 (25) Up to and including +/- 1.5625 (40) +/- 1.5625 (40)
48 to 60 (1200 to 1600)
+/- 1 (25) Up to and including +/- 2 (50) +/- 2 (50)
72 to 120 (1800 to 3000)
+/- 1.5 (40) Up to and including +/- 3 (75) +/- 3 (75)

600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2200 2400 2800 3000
±4.0 ±100
±3.5 ±90
±3.0
Mistracking (mm)
±75
Mistracking (in)
±2.5
±60
±2.0 ±50
±1.5 ±40
±1.0 ±25
±0.5 ±12
24 30 36 42 48 54 60 72 84 96 108 120
Figure 3. Mistracking Tolerances at Pulleys

8
MEASURING MISTRACKING
Safety Note
Measuring a moving belt can result in serious injury or death. If an accurate measurement is required, the belt
must be locked out, tagged out, and blocked out before accessing the measuring points.
If adjustments are to be made to components to correct mistracking, the belt must be locked out, tagged out,
and blocked out before work is begun.
OSHA and MSHA do allow for minor service adjustments on operating conveyor systems if the person is aware
of the hazard(s) and trained to perform the work.
Suggestions on How to Measure Mistracking

• Mistracking is stated as the absolute value of belt movement off of the intended centerline of the conveyor
system.
• Some options for delineating the centerline: laser, piano wire, 100 pounds test fishing line.
• For belts less than 200 feet center to center of terminal pulleys, set the centerline based on the center to
center of the terminal pulleys.
• For belts longer than 200 feet center to center of terminal pulleys, set the centerline at least 100 feet
either side of the mistracking area.
• Most of the time a reasonable guess from a safe distance will suffice. Since mistracking will vary along
the path and times of the day due to various influences and may not be actionable when observed, it is
often useful to observe the wear pattern on the wing rollers of the troughed idler set. The wear pattern
will show the history of mistracking, and the current belt location will give a comparison to the range of
mistracking it is likely experiencing over a longer period of time.
Refer to CEMA Member Company for questions, support, or training on how to correct mistracking
issues.

CEMA Guide No 01 System Mistracking Allowances Guide O4zjzw

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CEMA Guide 01 - 2023

Approved: February 2023

Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association, Inc.

Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association, Inc. (CEMA)

POTENTIAL CAUSES OF BELT MISTRACKING

Common causes of belt mistracking:

Less frequent but still common causes of belt mistracking:

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM TRACKING DESIGN AND MAINTENANCE ALLOWANCES

For Reference - ISO Standard Belt Widths (mm)

Figure 1. Carrying Side Mistracking Tolerances

For Reference - ISO Standard Belt Widths (mm)

For Reference - ISO Standard Belt Widths (mm)

Figure 3. Mistracking Tolerances at Pulleys

Suggestions on How to Measure Mistracking

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