Conveyor selection

Dr. Eng. M. A. Soliman

Introduction:
A conveyor moves material between locations. Conveyors are generally powered by
electric motors, hydraulic motors, or by gravity.

Conveyors are classified according to their function or material conveyed.:

Type of material conveyed.( Ex: Bulk materials, bottles, boxes, sacks, etc...)
Type of conveying machine. (Ex: Rollers, belt, chains, slats, bucket,
overhead, aprons, screws, oscillating, flight, pneumatic, and load-towing
push-bar conveyors,)

Example of roller conveyor:

Example of belt conveyor:

Conveyor Selection:
When selecting a conveyor the following factors must be carefully defined:
Type of material transported: Is it bulk material, or unit goods.
Physical characteristics of transported goods. (ex for bulk materials:
Lumpiness, repose angle, moisture content, abrasiveness, coefficient of
internal friction, etc...)
Dimensions of unit goods.
Flow rate: tons per hour or number of units per hour.
Load carrying capacity of structure.
Distance traveled (Conveyor length).
Direction of travel. (head to tail or tail to head)
 Conveyor height from floor.
Level change. ( Horizontal, upward or downward path.)
Support type ( Floor stand, ceiling suspended, wall mounted, etc..)
Environment and operating conditions ( food grade, moisture, water splash,
dust, explosion hazards etc..) .

Conveyors are usually classified according to their type (ex: roller, belt, slat, etc..),
or sometimes according to the material being transported ( ex: bulk).
Conveyors come in many forms and designs, the most common of which are listed
in the table below.

Type Characteristics Application

Roller Gravity Conveyors
Powered Roller Conveyors
Slider Bed Belt Conveyors
Roller Bed Conveyors
Chain Conveyors
Slat Conveyors
Overhead Conveyors,
Manual.
Overhead Conveyors,
Driven.
Trough Conveyors.
Horizontal or slightly Transportation of unit
inclined rollers carry unit loads, boxes, barrels,
loads. Low cost, low drums, cartons ,
maintenance. Hand driven occasionally sacks.
or gravity operated.
Same as above except Same as above. Some types
rollers are motor driven. could be used in
Drive is by sprockets and applications requiring
chains, tangential belts , or accumulation.
round belt.
Belt is supported on a slider Lightweight unit goods or
bed. Low cost bulk material loads .
Belt is supported by rollers. Medium to heavy loads,
Loads are carried on chain Assembly lines, pallet, unit
strands, running on a wear loads transport.
resistant polymer. Used
with relatively heavy loads
and pallets. ( 1-2 tons /unit)
Plastic or Stainless steel Handling of bottles, or
slats running on wear small similar items.
resistant polymer.
Continuous transportation Paint shops, assembly lines,
of unit loads along a closed garments industry, meat
path. The carts carrying the industry, assembly lines.
loads are pushed or pulled
by hand.
Same as above, but could Same as above.
also change levels . Could
also be used for bulk loads.
Arrays of 2 or more rollers, Bulk materials handling.
elevate the sides of a rubber
or polymer belt to confine
bulk materials to the center
of the belt. Could reach
lengths of several
kilometers. Can change

Load Carrying Car
Conveyors, load Towing,
and Walking Beam
Conveyors
Bucket Conveyors
Shelf, and Cradle
Conveyors
Screw Conveyors
Oscillating Conveyors
Hydraulic and Pneumatic
Conveyors
Belt Conveyor Parts.
A typical belt conveyor consists of a body with a bed to support the belt, a head ( drive)
pulley, and a tail ( driven) pulley.
The drive pulley is usually larger than the tail pulley to give a larger contact area
direction and level.
Loads are carried on carts
or special jigs, resting on
guides, and towed by chains
either overhead or running
in trenches in the floor.
Transportation on vertical
or highly inclined paths
Vertical transportation of
unit goods on shelves.
Could be used across
several floors, allowing
intermediate loading and
unloading.
Can be horizontal or
inclined, used for short
distances up to 40 m.
Suitable for dusty, or hot
materials.
Transportation of hot, toxic Transportation of bulk
or dusty materials. Not
usable with sticky
materials, or fine pulverized
loads.
Fluids or air carry the
material in pipes. High
throughput capacity.
Assembly lines, Heavy
items, automotive industry,
warehouses.
Elevating bulk , cement,
flour, chemicals, sand,
grain, peat, etc..
Elevating or lowering unit
loads ,such as bags, bales,
boxes, machine parts, etc....
Transportation of
pulverized, granular, or
small sized lumpy
materials. Not suitable for
sticky slumping or abrasive
materials.
loads, occasionally for unit
loads.
Bulk loads
between the belt and the pulley , therefore more traction

The drive pulley is driven by a reducer (Gear motor) either directly mounted on the shaft
of the pulley or through sprockets and chains.

Snub Idlers:

Adjustable snub rollers in the section running towards the tail roller are particularly
well suited for tracking and guiding a conveyor belt.
To adjust the snub roller, shift it in the direction A-B.

To achieve a good tracking effect, the arc of contact at the snub roller has to be
minimum 30 degrees.

The tracking effect can be further enhanced by a coated snub roller (friction cover
made of rubber or plastic.

Crowning:

The driving pulley is usually designed with a cylindrical-conical profile. Since the
conveyor belt tends to run towards the highest point of a pulley (placed at a right
angle to the running direction of the belt), the conical sides constantly center the belt
towards the middle of the pulley.
The cylindrical-conical driving pulley has a self-tracking effect on the belt. i.e. even
with changing out-of-center running tendencies, the belt will be tracking optimally.

Take Up of Belts:
The required contact pressure of the conveyor belt to the driving pulley is achieved by
means of a tensioning device
The tension roller is usually tensioned by a spindle system that can be moved parallel
to the running axis of the belt

Tensioning with the tail roller is the simplest solution.

If the center distance cannot be changed (e.g. with inserted conveying installations),
the tensioning station is placed in the return side.

For long, heavily loaded installations requiring long take-ups,

the tensioning station may be placed horizontally

Roller Bed Conveyors:

When heavy total loads must be moved, it is best to use a conveyor bed with rollers
instead of slider beds.

Heavy total loads can be moved without using large motors when a roller bed belt
conveyor is used.

The roller pitch under load depends on the transported item size and weight. This
depends on the load bearing capacity of the rollers. Belt materials with a higher
coefficient of friction in the underside can be used for better traction, while wear is
minimized because of the rolling surface.

Physical proprties

Material Bulk Density Max Angle of Repose Angle

Inclination
A
Agricultural lime 1,1-1,2 20 30
Alum lumps 0,8-0,96 17 27
powder 0,72-0,8 23 30-45
Aluminum oxide 0,8-1,0
hydrate 0,3 25
sulphate 0,86 17
Ammonia sulphate 0,7-0,9 10
granulated
Ammonium 0,72-1,28 20 32
sulphate dry
moist 1,3 33 45
Ammonium 0,72-0,83 12
chloride
Asbestos loose 0,3-0,4 30 45
pressed 0,6-0,8
Ashes dry from 0,5-0,7 25 35-40
coal
moist from coal 0,7-0,9 30 50
Asphalt for road 1,3-1,4 30
metal
solid 1,6
B
Bakelite powder 0,45-0,65 33 45
Barley dry 0,6-0,7 15 25-40
Baryta coarse- 2,4-2,9
grained
fine-grained 1,9-2,3 18 30
Bauxite from 1,3-1,44 17 31
quarry
fine-grained, dry 1,04-1,12 18 35
Beet unwashed 0,65-0,77 12-15 35-40
washed 0,5-0,6 10-12 30-45
mass, wet 0,4-0,7 18-20 31
 slices 20 35
Bone meal 0,9-0,96 20
Briquette lignite 0,7-0,85 18
anthracite 0,8-1,0 10
Broken stone, flint 1,3-1,6 18 40
or granite

C
Cement portland 1,2-1,36 20 39
aerated 0,8-1,2 6
clinker 1,2-1,5 18 33
slurry 1,4-1,7 12
Chile saltpetre 1,0-1,3 25
Clay dry dry in 1,6-1,9 1,0-1,2 1,52- 20-22 18-20 18 35 35 15-24
lumps, 75 mm 1,6
moist, 50 mm
Coal anthracite, 0,8-0,96 0,7-0,9 16 18 22 22 27 38 38
coarse bituminous, 0,72-0,88 0,7-0,8
coarse lignite fine
crushed
Cocoa beans 0,53-0,6 15 28
Coffee beans, dried 0,35-0,42 0,51 20 10-15 35 25
beans, fresh
Coke and furnace 0,4-0,55 20 45
coke
Concrete light- 0,3-1,5 1,6-2,4 2,1- 25 20-30
weight concrete wet 2,4
dry
Copra lumps 0,32-0,35 9 20
Corn 0,75 10 30
D
Dolomite stone 1,2-1,6 22 40
E
Earth filling, moist 1,5-1,8 1,15-1,20 22 20 45 35
with clay filling, dry
F
Feldspar 1,2-1,7 23 40
Fish 0,8-1,0
Fishmeal 0,55-0,65 20
Flour from grain 0,55-0,65 21 45
Fluor-spar coarse 1,7-1,9 1,4-1,7 30 25
fine-grained
Foundry sand 1,3-1,45 1,45-1,6 24 22 26 32 39 41
prepared knocked 1,04
out core sand
Fullers earth, dry 0,5-0,6 0,96-1^04 15 20 23
oily
G
Glass crushed 1,3-1,6 1,1 20 15 35 20-30
broken
Granite broken 1,4-1,8 1,28-1,44 20 20 35 40
stones pebble, 10
mm
Graphite crushed 1,4 0,65 5
flakes
Gravel dry moist 1,44-1,76 1,84-2,1 16 20 35 32
Gypsum powder 0,95-1,4 1,12-1,28 20 21 40 40
crushed, 3-10 mm

I
Ice crushed 0,6-0,7 5 30
K
Kaolin lumps 1,0 0,7-0,9 20 23 35 45
powder
L
Lead ore, fine 3,2-4,3 1,6 1,0-2,4 15 33 20 30 45
sulphate oxide
Lime lumps burnt, 2 1,2-1,28 1,0 0,96 18 22 15 40-45 5
mm burnt, 2-20 mm
Limestone from 1,35-1,45 18 30-45
quarry
M
Marble crushed 1,3-1,6 10-15 20-30
Marl 1,3-1,5 20 35
Millet, dry 0,6-0,7 15 25
Moler crushed, dry 0,6-0,7
Mortar, wet 2,4 20-22
O
Oats, dry 0,4-0,6 12 35-40
Ore lead iron 3,2-4,3 1.6-3,2 1,6- 15 18-20 20 20 25 22 30 35 39 38
copper manganese 2,5 2-2,3 2,4-2,6
molybdenum zinc,
crushed
P
Peanuts with shells 0,25-0,3 0,55-0,7 88 20-30
without shells
Peas, dried 0,7-0,8 8 30
Phosphate fractional 1,2-1,4 0,96 12-15 13 25-30 26
pulverized
Potassium from 1,2-1,35 12-15
quarry
Potatoes 0,7-0,8 12-15
Q
Quartz coarse- 1,35-1,52 1,3-1,45 18 20 35 35
grained, 30-75 mm
pulverized, 1-2 mm

R
Rice grain 0,7-0,8 8 20
Rye, dry 0,67-0,73 8 23
S
Salt refined, fine 1,1-1,3 11 25
refined, coarse 0.65-0,9 18 30
Saltpetre 1,1 30-45
Sand fine, dry fine, 1,45-1,75 1.75-2,1 16-18 20-22 30-40 45
moist
Sandstone, crushed 1.36-1,44 18 40
Saw, dust 0,15-0,21 22 36
Slag coarse, blast 1,28-1,44 0,96-1,04 16 16 20-22 30 30 45
furnace crushed, dry 1,44-1,6
crushed, wet
Slate, crushed 1,3-1,5 18
Soya bean whole 0,7-0,8 0,48-0,64 12-16 15-18 17 21-28 35 32
broken cakes, 10 0,65-0,7
mm
Stone shingle 1,4-1.5 1,5 1,4-1,6 20 20-25 20 15 35 35 38
pebble gravel 1,8
crushed, 100/250
mm pebble
Sugar refined 0,8-0,96 0,88-1,04 10-15 23 30
unrefined
Sulphur lumps 1,2-1,4 0,8-1,0 18 21
powder
Super phosphate, 0,8-0.9 15-17 18-20 33 30
granulated powder
W
Wheat, dry 0,5-0,7 12 40
Wood-chips 0,2-0,5 22-24 30

Ergonomics Data
 Conveyor Minimum:850 mm.
Height:
Standing Recommended:1050
Operator mm.

Conveyor Minimum:750 mm.

Height:
Sitting Recommended:850
Operator mm.

Distance Minimum:600 mm.

Between
Operator Recommended:900
and Wall mm.

Minimum:600 mm.
Distance
Between
Recommended:1000
Operators
mm.

Belting Material
A belt has two components - carcass and covers.
CARCASS
The function of the carcass is to transmit and absorb the forces acting on the belt.
The carcass consists of one-or more plies of textile fabric with rubber on each side to
give adhesion and flexibility. The longitudinal direction is called warp and the cross
direction is called weft. One letter is designating each.
Cotton (B)
A natural fiber used in both
warp and weft. Cotton is still
used in conveyor belt fabrics,
but it is being displaced by
synthetic materials.
Polyester (E)
Synthetic fibers such as
Terylene, Trevira, Diolen, and
Tetoron. Polyester fabrics are
not influenced by moisture or
micro-organisms. They are very
flexible, have stability in length,
and are acid resistant.
Polyamide (P)
Synthetic fibers known as Nylon and Perlon. This fabric has more or less the same
characteristics as Polyester, but not the length stability.
Polyester-Polyamide (EP)
The EP fabrics have Polyester as the warp and Polyamide as the weft. This
combination gives the best possible fabric characteristics with the following
advantages:
- high strength in proportion to weight
- high resistance to impact
- negligable elongation
- great flexibility, excellent troughability
- not susceptible to humidity and micro-organisms

COVERS
The covers protect the carcass and give the necessary friction between belt and
driving pulley and between belt and material.
 First number:protection Second number:protection Third number : Mechanical
against solid objects IP-XXX against liquids IP-XXX protection IP-XXX
IP Tests Definition IP Tests Definition IP Tests Definition
No
0 No protection 0 No protection 0
protection
Impact
Protected energy :
Protected
against solid 0.22J
against
objects of
1 over 50 mm 1
vertically 1 W= 0.150
dripping water
(e.g.accidenta Kg.
(condensation)
hand contact) h= 0.15
m.
Impact
Protected
Protected energy :
against water
against solid 0.375J
dripping up to
2 objects of 2 15 degrees 2
over 12 mm W=0.250
from the
(e.g.fingert) Kg
vertical
h= 0.15 m
Impact
Protected
Protected energy :
against solid
against rain at 0.500J
objects of
3 over 2.5 mm 3 up to 60 3
degrees from W= 0.250
(e.g.tools,
the vertical Kg
wire)
h= 0.2 m.
Protected
against solid Protected
objects of against water
4 over 1 mm 4 splashes from
(e.g.thin all directions
wire)
Impact
Protected energy : 2
Protected
against dust J
against jets of
5 (no deposits 5 water from all 5
of harmful W= 0.5
directions
material) Kg from
h= 0.2 m.
Totally
Protected Protected
against dust against jets of
6 Does not 6 water
involve comparble to
rotaing heavy seas
machines
 Protected
Impact
against the
energy : 6
effects of
J
7 immersion to 7 W=1.5 Kg
depths of
from h=
between 0.15
0.4 m
and 1 m
Protected
against the
effects of
8 prolonged
immersion at
depth
Impact
energy :
20 J
9 W= 5 Kg
from h=
0.4 m.