I

Introduction

Belt conveyors used to transport minerals are to be found all around the world in
a large number of surface and underground mining operations. The idea of using
the conveyor belt is not new, indeed, the first belt conveyors were introduced at
the end of the nineteenth century; the basic principles of operation have not
changed. However, over the years the capacity rating of belt systems and the
length over which material can be transported have increased very considerably,
together with the power inputs, the size of components and the degree of
sophistication.
As with any mature technology, there are many publications on belt conveyor
systems. Some are written by trade associations and equipment manufacturers,
which, naturally, tend to favour their own products and systems. Others, which
are of wider scope than this book, do not deal with certain aspects that we
considered valuable. Yet others are of limited availability. There are also con-
siderable numbers of papers in the technical press, but these tend to be written
by experts for experts. The authors of this book, therefore, have been aiming to
produce a publication that gives a balanced view on the technical issues
associated with belt conveyors, adding something new where there is something
new to say. Although we have had to cover some of the basic ground, we have
tried to do this in a way that does not merely repeat what already appears in
some of the excellent publications that exist. The book is intended to be both
useful and accessible to mine and quarry operators that use or are considering
using belt conveyor systems, and also to students in those engineering
disciplines that will ultimately lead to employment in the mining and quarrying
industry.
There are three key motivators within this general aim.
The first of these is the need, as we see it, to preserve information that is in
danger of becoming forgotten or lost and which is required to prevent operators
spending too much time ‘re-inventing the wheel’. It will become fairly obvious
to the reader that both authors, one from a mining engineering background and
the other, a mechanical engineer, spent most of their working lives in the UK
deep coal mining industry during a period when the industry was of significant
2 Belt conveying of minerals

size and when the drivers for excellence in technical development were strong.
Following the privatisation of the UK coal mining industry in 1995, the number
of operating conveyors in the industry has reduced considerably, as the number
of working mines has reduced to a handful. Whilst there remain experienced and
skilled engineers working in this industry, their numbers are diminishing and a
generation of engineers that oversaw the technical innovations made during the
period from 1960 to 1980 has retired. Every piece of good practice that has been
adopted today has been adopted because of the accumulated knowledge and
experience of many years of operations with conveyors. The authors recognised
the danger of this experience being lost and wished to explain in this book as
often as possible, ‘why things are the way they are’.
Belt conveying equipment is highly standardised. That is, it is the subject of a
seemingly bewildering plethora of standards, whether International, European or
National. We have attempted to give a reference guide to those features that
have been standardised and where that information can be found. We have also
sought to identify when standards give conflicting information.
The final objective is to highlight the need for best practice in conveyor
design and operation such that high levels of operational safety are maintained.
Conveyor belt systems can represent a significant operational hazard. Studies
of accidents associated with belt conveying demonstrate how the causes of
injury and incident are concentrated into a few types. This repetitive nature of
accidents is worrying to mine and quarry operators and to regulatory authori-
ties alike and exposure of this phenomenon has been an important aim of this
book.
The content of the book commences with a look of the history of belt
conveying of minerals and a brief review of the technical and economic issues
behind two competitions. The first was that between the conveyor belt and rail-
borne transport of coal in deep mines. This took place in the post-war years. The
second is currently taking place in hard rock deep mines and surface mines,
including the stone quarries of the UK, between conveyor belts and trucks. The
book continues by reviewing and comparing the standardised methods of
designing capacities and power requirements of belt conveyors and the
management of belt tension. The fourth chapter continues the design theme
by considering issues associated with the hardware from which the conveyor
system is constructed. Chapters 5 and 6 look at the manufacture and design of
the belting itself and the methods available to join lengths of belting effectively.
In Chapter 7, a review is made of the standardised mechanical test methods
applied around the world for belting to ensure fitness for purpose.
Chapters 8 and 9 look at the operational safety of conveyor systems. In
Chapter 8 particular note is made of the need, in many circumstances, for the
fire-resistant properties of conveyor belting giving the historical context of the
development of test standards for fire-resistant conveyor belting in Europe and
elsewhere in the world. In Chapter 9 the problems associated with the interaction
 Introduction 3

between personnel and belt conveyor systems, particularly those associated with
physical injury, are highlighted.
In Chapter 10, essential maintenance and monitoring of belt systems to
ensure safe and efficient operations is considered, whilst the book concludes at
Chapter 11 with a more detailed review of a number of significant case studies
of belt conveyor applications chosen by the authors.
It is our hope that, after having read this book, the mine or quarry engineer
will feel more confident to sit down with designers, manufacturers and suppliers
of belt conveying equipment and make informed judgements about competing
conveying products and strategies.
The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance they have received in writing
this book from a number of companies, including Fenner Dunlop, Continental
Conveyors, Flexco and ATH Resources Ltd. We also offer special thanks to
Brian Rothesy, Alan Kirk and Mansell Williams for their significant personal
contributions during our research for and the writing of this book.