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Belt Conveyors

Introduction

This article will take an in-depth look at belt conveyors.

The article will bring more understanding on topics such as:

Belt Conveyors and their Components

Types of Belt Conveyors

Design and Selection of Belt Conveyors

Applications and Benefits of Belt Conveyors

And Much More…

Belt Conveyor

Chapter 1: Belt Conveyors and their Components

This chapter will discuss what a belt conveyor is and its components.

What is a Belt Conveyor?

A belt conveyor is a system designed to transport or move physical items like materials, goods, even
people from one point to another. Unlike other conveying means that employ chains, spirals, hydraulics,
etc., belt conveyors will move the items using a belt. It involves a loop of a flexible material stretched
between rollers that are actuated by an electrical motor.

Belt Conveyors

Because the items being transported vary in nature, the belt material also varies by the system it is
employed in. It commonly comes as a polymer or a rubber belt.
Components of a Belt Conveyor

A standard belt conveyor system has a head pulley, tail pulley, idler rollers, belt, and frame.

Simple Conveyor Components

Head Pulley

The head pulley is coupled with the actuator and the electric motor. It drives the conveyor, acting as the
pulling force. The head pulley is located at the point that the conveyor offloads, known as the discharge
end of a belt conveyor. Since it drives the whole system, it is often necessary to increase the traction of
its belt with a rough jacket covering its outer surface. The jacket is referred to as a legging.

Pulley with Lagging

The head pulley usually has the largest diameter of all the pulleys. Sometimes a system can have
multiple pulleys that act as drive pulleys. The pulley at the discharge end, is a drive roller usually with
the biggest diameter, and will be identified as the head pulley.

Return or Tail Pulley

This is located at the loading end of the belt conveyor. Sometimes it comes with a wing shape to clean
the belt by letting material fall aside to the support members.

In a simple belt conveyor setup, the tail pulley will be mounted on guides usually slotted to allow the
belt’s tension. In other belt conveying systems as we shall see, tensioning of the belt is left to another
roller called the take-up roller.

Idler Roller

These are rollers employed along the length of the belt to support the belt and load, prevent sagging,
align the belt, and clean up the carryback (material left sticking on to the belt).
Idler rollers can either do all of the above or any one of them, but in any space, they will always act as
support for the belt.

Idler Roller

There are many different idler rollers for different functions, as listed below:

Troughing Idlers

Troughing idlers will have three idler rollers set up in a configuration that makes a “trough” of the belt.
They are located on the side that carries the load on the belt conveyor. The idler in the center is fixed,
with the two on the ends able to be adjusted. This is so the angle and depth of the trough can be varied.

Troughing Rollers

These idlers, when employed, will reduce spillages and maintain a constant cross-sectional area along
the length of the belt conveyor. Maintaining a constant cross-sectional area is important for stability.

Rubber Disk Idler

This idler has rubber disks placed at set distances along the axis of the roller. On the extreme ends, the
rollers are much closer so that they can support the belt edge, which is prone to tear. The spaced-out
disks will break off any connected carryback/ leftover material and reduce material building up on the
bottom of the belt. This is a common cause for mistracking (when the belt shifts to one side of the
system and causes misalignment).

Rubber Disk Idler Roller

Screw Idler Roller

Sometimes the disks are helical like a screw and the idler will be called a rubber screw idler roller. The
function will remain the same. An example of a screw idler roller is depicted below.

Screw Idler Roller

The screw idler can also be made out of rubber helix. Screw idlers are most common where a scrapper
that takes off carryback would not be feasible, especially on mobile belt conveyors.

Trainer Idler

Trainer idlers keep the belt running straight. It works against mistracking. It achieves this by a central
pivot that swerves the roller back to the center should the belt drift off to one side. It also incorporates
two guide rollers to act as guides for the belt.

Trainer Idler

Conveyor Belt

In setting up a belt conveyor, the belt is perhaps the most intricate.The tension and strength are
important since the belt takes a lot of punishment when loading and ferrying the material.

Belt Cross Section

The growing demand for longer conveying lengths has catalyzed the research into new materials,
though this always comes at a cost. Stronger belts that adhere strictly to environmentally friendly rules
tend to come with high setup costs, sometimes the costs can hardly even be justifiable. On the other
hand, if an economical approach is taken, the belt usually fails, resulting in high operating costs. Costs
for the belt should usually range below 50% of the total cost for the belt conveyor.

A belt is made up of components such as:

Conveyor Carcass

Since this is the skeleton of the belt, it has to provide the tensile strength needed to move the belt and
the lateral stiffness for supporting the load. It must also be capable of absorbing loading impact. The belt
is a loop so it has to be joined; this is known as splicing. Because some of the splicing methods require
the use of bolts and fasteners, the carcass must be able to provide an adequate and firm base for these
fasteners.

Steel Cord Belt

The carcass is commonly made of steel cord or textile ply. Textile ply is made from fibers like aramid,
polyamide, and polyester. If only one ply is used, a PVC-coated textile carcass is also common. Carcasses
can have even six layers piled on each other. The carcass can also include the edge protection that is
very much needed in bulk conveyor belts.

Textile Carcass Belt

Conveyor Covers (Top and Bottom & Sides)

This is a flexible material made of rubber or PVC. The covers get exposed directly to the weather
elements and the working environment. Careful consideration of the covers must be made depending
on the intended use. The following usually require attention, flame resistance, low-temperature
resistance, grease and oil resistance, anti-static, and food grade.

Cleated (Chevron) Belt

The carrying side of the conveyor depending on the load, the angle of inclination of the conveyor, and
general use of the belt all have special features. It can be corrugated, smooth, or cleated.

Corrugated Belt
Other applications like scrap conveyors in CNC machines will employ a steel belt conveyor since this
won’t wear as much as other conventional materials would do.

Steel Belt

In food processing industries, PVC, PU, and PE belts are also used for the preservation of food and to
minimize contamination.

Plastic Interlocking Belt

Plastic belts are fairly new, though due to their vast advantages, they are slowly gaining momentum.
They are easy to clean, have a wide temperature range, and have good anti viscosity properties. They
are also resistant to acids, resistant to alkaline substances, and saltwater.

Conveyor Frame

The frame, depending on the loading, height of operation, and distance to be covered will vary. They can
come in a simple setup that can be represented by a cantilever. They can also be trusses in the case of
larger loads. Extrusions of Aluminum are also employed for simple and lightweight operations.

Belt Conveyor Channel and Truss Frame

The frame design is a critical aspect of conveyor design. A badly designed frame can cause:

Belt running out of track

Structural failure which results in:

Long downtimes which translate to delays in production

Injuries and casualties

Costly Spillages
Expensive fabrication methods and installation.

Belt Conveyor Truss Frame

On the frame, other accessories can also be mounted like walkways and lighting as depicted above.
Lighting situations will require sheds and guards to protect the material. Loading and discharge chutes
can also be mounted. Knowledge of all these possible add-ins is important to avoid uncalculated
overloading.

Chapter 2: Types of Belt Conveyors

This chapter will discuss the types of belt conveyors. These include:

Roller Bed Belt Conveyor

The surface just under the belt on this version of a conveyor belt is made of a series of rollers. The
rollers are closely stacked so that there is hardly any sagging of the belt.

Roller Belt Conveyor Frame

They are suitable for both long and short distance conveying. In some instances, they can be so short
that they only employ two rollers for the entire system.

Roller Belt Conveyor

When using gravity to load, the roller belt conveyor is one of the best options to pick. If one used
manual loading, the shock would damage the rollers easily since they usually have internal bearings.
These bearings plus the generally smooth surface of the rollers greatly reduce friction which makes it
easy for conveying.

Roller bed belt conveyors are used mainly where there is hand sorting, assembling, transporting, and
inspection. Examples include in:
Airport baggage handling

Courier items sorting including postal offices

Flat Belt Conveyor

The flat belt conveyor is one of the most common conveyor types. It is typically used to transport items
within a facility. Internal conveyance requires a series of powered rollers/ pulleys to pull the belt.

Flat Belt Conveyor

The belts employed for the flat belt conveyor vary from fabrics, polymers to natural rubbers. Because of
this, it becomes versatile in terms of materials to be transported. It is also very easy to align with the tail
pulley usually mounted so it can be adjusted to align the belt. It is generally a low speed conveyor belt.

The flat belt conveyor applications include:

Slow assembly lines

Washdown applications

Light dusty industrial assembly

Modular Belt Conveyor

In contrast to flat belt conveyors that use a “seamless” loop of a flexible belt, Modular Belt conveyors
use a series of interlocking rigid pieces commonly made from plastic or metal. They function more like a
chain does on a bicycle.

This gives them a huge advantage over their flexible belt counterparts. It makes them rugged because
they can work over a wide range of temperatures and PH levels.

Modular Belt Conveyor

When a section of the belt becomes damaged, one can easily replace that particular section alone rather
than the flexible belts where the entire belt would have to be replaced. Modular belts can travel, using
only one motor, around corners, straight lines, inclines, and declines.

As much as other conveyors can do the same, it comes at the cost of complexity and funds. For
applications that may require the “unorthodox” width greater than the length, type of conveyor,
modular belt conveyors will achieve that feat much easier.

Since they are non-metallic, easy to clean, and porous to gas and liquids, modular belt conveyors can be
applied in:

Food handling

Fluid handling

Metal detection

Cleated Belt Conveyor

Cleated belt conveyors will always have a barrier or cleat in their design. The cleats work to separate
equal segments on the belt. These segments keep particles and materials that might otherwise roll back
or fall off the conveyor during inclines and declines.

Cleated Belt Conveyor

The cleats come in different shapes and sizes which include:

Inverted Capital T

This cleat will be standing at 90 degrees to the belt to give support and flexibility to delicate items. It is
most suited to do light jobs and handling small parts, packaged goods, and food products.

Inverted T Cleat
Forward- Leaning Capital L

Because of its orientation, it can easily resist leverage forces. It can be used to scoop granules and hold
them against gravity. It can be employed to hold light to medium weight granules.

Leaning L Cleat

Inverted V Cleats

These cleats are less than 5cm in height to have the same effect that a trough has. They can be used to
transport heavy or big bulks of material because of their relatively short cleat, which can withstand high
impacts.

Lugs and Pegs

These cleats are used to aid the runoff of liquids after washing off items like vegetables and fruits. Lugs
and pegs are a cost-effective way to convey substances and items that do not need to be supported all
along the length of the belt such as large cartons or rods. They can also be used to selectively move
products that exceed a wanted size and even hold single products in place.

Other uses of Cleated Belt Conveyors include:

Escalators are a modification of cleated belt conveyors in a sense they carry loose materials up an incline
that is steep.

Curved Belt Conveyor

This conveyor uses a frame that is fabricated already curved so as to carry items around tight corners. It
is used where space is limited and winding conveyors would save space. The curves can go as steep as
180 degrees.

Modular plastics with interlocking segments are used but only if the conveyor has a straight run before it
curves. Flat flexible belts will be used if the belt is primarily only curved.
Curved Belt Conveyor

Incline/Decline Belt Conveyor

Incline conveyors require tighter tension force, higher torque, and traction on the belt surface to
prevent items from falling off the belt conveyor. Thus, they will incorporate a gear motor, a center drive,
and a take up. The belt must also have a rough surface to allow for greater traction.

Incline Belt Conveyor

Just like cleat conveyors, these also carry items up a gradient not letting the items fall off. They can also
be used to boost the gravitational flow of fluids.

Sanitary Washdown Conveyor

In the pharmaceutical and food industries, sterilization and harsh washing usually need to happen, in
line with health and safety guidelines. Washdown and sanitary conveyors are designed to handle
sanitary procedures of that nature. The belts employed here are usually flat belts that are relatively thin.

Sanitary Wash-down Conveyor

Sanitary wash-down belt conveyors are used in items coming from extreme temperatures like freezers
and furnaces. Sometimes they have to work in hot oil or glaze. Because of how well they can handle
greasy environments, they are sometimes used to offload oil drums and crates from ships.

Troughed Conveyors

A troughing belt conveyor is not a distinct type of belt because troughing can be incorporated in any
conveyor type.

Troughed Conveyor with Cleats

It utilizes a belt that forms a troughed shape because of the troughing idler rollers under it.

Troughing Conveyor Rollers

The troughing idler rollers have a central roller that has a horizontal axis of rotation, the outer two
rollers (wing rollers) have an axis lifted at an angle to the horizontal. The angle is usually around 25
degrees. Troughing only happens to the top idler rollers and never really at the bottom.

Higher angles of troughing will cause permanent damage to the belt. If the belt is troughed at steeper
angles, it will retain its cup shape and will become difficult to clean, difficult to track as well as break the
carcass of the belt. It also might reduce the amount of surface contact with the idler rollers, which
ultimately reduces the efficiency of the belt conveyor system.

Troughing Radius Impact

Trough belts usually operate in one plane, which is either horizontal or inclines, but inclines that are only
until 25 degrees. The belt must have a radius big enough so that it can still touch all the rollers in the
troughing idler. A sharper angle of troughing means the belt will not touch the center idler roller,
thereby undermining the structural integrity of the belt as well as the efficiency of the conveyor system
at large.

Magnetic Belt Conveyor

Magnetic belt conveyors are a transport device used to position and control ferrous metal pieces and
parts. They use ferrite or neodymium magnets to transport materials and are ideal for small parts that
would not normally fit on a traditional belt conveyor. Magnetic belt conveyors function exactly like
traditional belt conveyors. What differentiates magnetic belt conveyors from other conveying systems is
their use of magnets to take advantage of material’s magnetic properties.

The magnets on a magnetic belt conveyor are spaced along the bed of the conveyor with sufficient
power to resist the effects of gravity. The size of the size the materials has little effect on the efficiency
of a magnetic belt conveyor since the strength of the magnets can be changed to meet different
conditions and requirements.
Types of Magnetic Belt Conveyors

Magnetic Belt Conveyors - Magnetic belt conveyors are the most common type of magnetic conveyor
because they are easy to construct and operate. They have a magnetized sheet metal belt with
permanent magnets or a series of electromagnets that force ferrous materials to stick to the conveyor
belt.

Aside from the presence of the magnets, magnetic belt conveyors function like traditional belt
conveyors. They are used to move cans of goods, parts, ore, and other metals with magnetic properties
and can move products vertically, up inclines, and upside down.

Magnetic Separator Belt Conveyors - Magnetic separator belt conveyors are a specially designed type of
magnetic conveyor that are used to separate ore from loose dust and debris. As material moves along
the belt, non-magnetic material falls to the side while magnetic material adheres to the belt. Magnetic
separator conveyors are divided into dry and wet types. The difference between the two is that dry
types do not have to have materials wet to do the separation while the wet type requires material to
wet.

Magnetic Separator Conveyor

Leading Manufacturers and Suppliers

Chapter 3: Design and Selection of Belt Conveyors

When designing a conveyor belt, the major parameters to be considered are:

Motor and gearbox selection

Speed of belt

Tension and take-up

Material to be conveyed

The distance over which to be transported

Working environment e.g. temperature, humidity, etc.

Motor and Gearbox Selection

To aid the selection of the motor, one must first know what the effective pulling force required for the
conveyor is.

Horizontal Conveyor

For a simple horizontal conveyor, the effective pulling force is given by the formula below:

Fu=µR · g(m+ mb+ mR)

Where:

Fu=Effective pulling force

µR =Friction Coefficient when running over roller

g = Acceleration due to gravity

m =Mass of goods conveyed on the whole length of the conveyor

mb =Mass of Belt

mR =Mass of all rotating rollers minus mass of drive roller

For a system on an incline, the effective Pulling force is given as below:

Incline Conveyor

Fu=µR · g · (m + mb+ mR) + g · m · sina

Where

Fu =Effective Pulling Force

µR =Friction Coefficient when running over roller

g = acceleration due to gravity

m = mass of goods conveyed on the whole length of the conveyor

mb =Mass of Belt

mR =Mass of all rotating rollers minus mass of drive roller

a =Angle of inclination

Once the pulling force is determined, it becomes easy to come up with the torque and hence the motor
to use and the gearbox will follow after.

Speed of Conveyor
The speed of the conveyor will be the circumference of the drive pulley multiplied by the revolutions per
unit time.

Vc=D · F

Vc =Speed of conveyor belt in ms-1

D =Diameter of drive pulley in meters.

F =Revolutions of drive pulley per second

Tension and Take-up of the Belt

Take-up is an important component in maintaining and achieving optimum belt tension. This will
contribute greatly to the process and its mechanical stability.

A properly tensioned belt will wear evenly and will contain material evenly in the trough and run
centrally when going over the idlers.

Take-Up

All conveyors will always experience some stretch in their length and width. Generally, it is acceptable
that a new belt will stretch with an additional 2 percent of its original length. Since this fraction will add
to the length of the belt, the entire belt will have a slack. This slack will have to be taken up in order to
retain optimum tension.

The longer a conveyor is, the bigger the stretch will be. Using the 2 percent stretch, a 2-meter long
conveyor can stretch 40mm, but a 200-meter long conveyor will slack 4 meters.
Take up is also profitable when the belt has to undergo maintenance. In such a case the take-up is
simply let loose and the personnel will undertake maintenance with ease.

Types of Belt Conveyor Take-Ups

There are many configurations of take-ups, each having its own pros and cons. The common
configurations of belt conveyor take-up are the gravity take-up, screw take-up, and the horizontal take-
up.

Screw Take-Up

The screw take-up configuration uses mechanical force to take up all the slack in the belt. It achieves it
by adjusting a threaded rod that is attached to one of the rollers, especially the tail roller. This threaded
rod will be on each side of the roller so it can also work as an alignment procedure. Since this is a hands-
on manual approach, screw take-up is often called manual take-up.

Screw Take-Up

Another style is called the top angle take-up. Though it is also popular, it needs a large and heavy tail
frame to archive. The guards also have to be large.

Screw take-ups are a cheap and effective way of controlling belt tension for relatively short conveyors
and are the easiest and standard take-up choice for many.

Gravity Take-Up

Screw take-ups are usually not suited to lodge the length of the stretch that happens in conveyors
longer than 100 meters. In these setups, gravity take-up will be the best approach to belt tensioning.

A gravity take-up assembly uses three rollers where two are bend rollers and the other one will be a
gravity or sliding roller that routinely manages the belt tension. A counterweight that will be mounted to
the gravity take-up roller pulls down on the belt to preserve tension through gravity. The bend rollers
direct the belt slack around the gravity take-up roller.
The full take up assembly is integrated into the bottom of the conveyor frame and makes a continuous
tension on the belt. This way of self-tensioning arrangement allows the take-up to easily adjust to
sudden spikes in tension or load.

So, the gravity take-up method always maintains the appropriate belt tension and avoids damages to
the belt because of sudden load or tension spikes. Since gravity tensioners are self-tensioning, they need
less maintenance, unlike the screw take-up method.

Their maintenance is normally needed when the belt has reached the end of its lifespan. That is when it
has stretched such that the assembly will have reached the bottom of the set travel distance. When this
happens, the conveyor belt will either need replacement or cut and vulcanized. A gravity take-up system
is also known as an automatic take-up because it adjusts automatically.

Horizontal Take-Up

The horizontal take-up is a substitute for gravity take-up but only when space is limited.

This take-up is similar to gravity take-up, but instead of the assembly being located below the belt, it is
situated vertically behind the tail roller. This makes it especially beneficial when the conveyor is located
on a grade that does not have any additional space under the conveyor.

Horizontal Take-Up

Because the horizontal take-up will not fall below the conveyor, an arrangement of cables and pulleys is
used for tensioning the belt with a weight box. The cables attached to the tail pulley, rides on a carriage
which then allows it to be moved in and out of place.

Chapter 4: Applications and Benefits of Belt Conveyors

This chapter will discuss the applications and benefits of belt conveyors. It will also discuss common belt
conveyor problems, their causes, and the environmental effects on belt conveyors.
Applications of Belt Conveyors

Conveyor belts have a wide range of applications across industries. These include:

Mining Industry

Bulk Handling

Bulk handling

Processing plants

Taking ores from the shaft to the ground level

Automotive Industry

Scrap Conveyor

Assembly line conveyors

CNC machines’ scrap conveyors

Transport and Courier Industry

Airport Baggage Handling

Baggage handling conveyors at airports

Packaging conveyors at courier dispatch

Retailing Industry

Till Point Using Belt Conveyor

Warehouse packaging

Till point conveyors

Other conveyor applications are:

Food handling industries for grading and packaging

Power generation conveying coal to the boilers

Civil and construction as escalators

Chapter 5: Types of Belt Conveyor Pulleys

Pulleys are a necessary and essential part of belt conveyors. They help in providing drive tension and
changing the direction of the movement of the belt. Belt conveyor pulleys are classified as drive,
tension, motorized, snub, wing, and bend pulleys that can be smooth, rubber coated, or cast rubber.

Diamond Conveyor Pulley

Motorized Pulley or Motor Drum

Motorized pulleys are the driving device for a belt conveyor system and consist of a sealed motor and a
protected exterior drum, which is driven by the electric motor. The drum supplies traction to drive the
conveyor belt. As with most pulleys, motorized pulleys come in a variety of configurations to meet the
wide assortment of needs of conveyor manufacturers.

Drive Pulley or Head Pulley

The drive pulley supplies traction to a conveyor belt. Its surface is coated with chevrons or diamonds to
supply enough friction between the belt and pulley to move the conveyor belt. They are single or double
sided with one or two drives. The number of drive pulleys for a conveyor system is determined by the
size of the system.

Bend Pulley

A bend pulley changes the winding direction of a belt conveyor such that it forms a closed loop. They are
used as the tail roller to form the tension roller of the tensioning device and can cause the belt to be
redirected. Bend pulleys have the same design as return pulleys with a smaller diameter.
Tension Pulley

A tension pulley is a return pulley used to create tension on the conveyor belt, which increases the
amount of force placed on the pulley. In order to be able to endure the forces placed on the pulley,
tension pulleys are solid pulleys. They have multiple uses and are used as return pulleys or can be
positioned in any place along the belt. Their preferred position is as close as possible to the drive pulley.

Snub Pulley

The snub pulley works with the drive pulley. It is used to enlarge the touching areas between the belt
and drive pulley. Snub pulleys increase the friction between the conveyor belt and the drive pulley,
which makes them ideal for systems that require high drive power or where the conditions are
contaminated.

Wing Pulley

The purpose of a wing pulley is to clear material on the return belt. It is constantly cleaning itself and has
excellent traction. There are several different types of wing pulleys including spiral, heavy duty,
herringbone.

Magnetic Pulley

Magnetic pulleys are part of magnetic conveyor belts and are part of the process of separating ferrous
material from non-ferrous materials. They are made of steel with enclosed permanent magnets. As with
all magnetic conveyors, they are capable of removing large and small ferrous debris.

Crowned Head Pulley

A crowned head pulley has a cylindrical middle and tapered ends to help a conveyor belt to be driven
without wobbling. They are used with flat belt drives to increase and improve stability. Crowned head
pulleys use their tapered ends to force a flat conveyor belt back to the center.

Types of Crowned Head Pulleys

Chapter 6: Advantages and Problems with Belt Conveyors

The common assumption regarding belt conveyors is that they are a convenient and easy method for
moving, sorting, packing, and shipping of goods and products. They have existed for years in various
forms and have made a dramatic change in supply chain efficiency.

Advantages of Belt Conveyors

The advantages of belt conveyors include:

It is a cheap way of moving materials over long distances

It doesn’t degrade the product being conveyed

Loading can be done at any place along the belt.

With trippers, the belts can offload at any point in the line.

They do not produce as much noise as their alternatives.

Products can be weighed at any point in the conveyor

They can have long operating times can even work for months without stopping

Can be designed to be mobile as well as stationary.

Have less dangerous hazards to human injury

Low Maintenance costs

Common Belt Conveyor Problems

Regardless of the advantages of belt conveyors, they are complex pieces of equipment that have to be
monitored and managed. Some of the concerns that need to be checked are:

Problem 1: The Conveyor Runs to One Side at a Certain Point in the System.

The causes of this would include:

Material building upon the idlers or something causing the idlers to stick

Idlers no longer run square to the path of the conveyor.

Conveyor frame tilted, crocked, or no longer level.

Belt was not spliced squarely.

Belt is not loaded equally, probably loaded off-center.

Problem 2: The Conveyor Belt Slips

The causes of this would include:

Traction is poor between belt and pulley

Idlers stuck or not rotating freely

Worn out pulley legging (the shell around the pulley that helps increase friction).

Problem 3: Overstretching of the Belt

The causes of this would include:

Belt tensioner is too tight

Belt material selection not done properly, probably “under belted”

Conveyor counterweight is too heavy

The gap between idler rolls is too long

Problem 4: The Belt Wears Excessively at the Edges

The causes of this would include:

Belt is loaded off-center

High impact of material on the belt

Belt running against conveyor structure

Material Spillage

Material is trapped between belt and pulley

Environmental Effects On Belt Conveyors

Water, petroleum products, chemicals, heat, sunlight, and cold all influence the belt conveyor’s
performance and life.
The causes and the effects can be categorized as:

Moisture Effects

Belt rots and cracks

Belt loose adhesion

Causes slippage

Steel carcasses can rust

Effects of Sunlight and Heat

Rubber will dry out and weaken

Rubber will crack

Rubber may have more slack and thus reduce belt tension

Cold Effects

Belt stiffens and becomes harder to guide and train

On incline systems, frost can build up and cause slippage

Ice can build up in chutes and clog them

Effects of Oil

Rubber will swell

Rubber will lose tensile strength

Rubber will lose tensile strength

The belt will wear quicker

Rubber will lose adhesions

Conclusion

A belt conveyor is a system designed to transport or move physical items like materials, goods, even
people from one point to another. Unlike other conveying means that employ chains, spirals, hydraulics,
etc., belt conveyors will move the items using a belt. It is critical to be cognizant of the design
considerations and applications of various belt conveyors depending on the intended use.
Leading Manufacturers and Suppliers

Table of Contents

Belt Conveyors and their Components

Types of Belt Conveyors

Design and Selection of Belt Conveyors

Applications and Benefits of Belt Conveyors

Loading Leading

Category Companies:

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Pneumatic Conveying
Pneumatic conveying is a method for transferring bulk materials, like powders and granules, using
compressed gas or air, from one processing center to another. Material is moved through an enclosed
conveying line or tube using a combination of pressure differential and airflow from a blower or fan...

Screw Conveyors

Screw Conveyors

Screw conveyors, or auger conveyors, are industrial equipment used in transporting bulk quantities of
granular solids (e.g., powder, grains, granules), semi-solids, liquids, and even non-flowing materials from
one point to another...

Timing Belts

Timing Belts

A timing belt is made of rubber with hard teeth capable of interlocking with camshafts and crankshafts
cogwheels. It is an integral component of an internal combustion engine responsible for...

V-Belts

V-Belts

A v-belt is a flexible machine element used to transmit power between a set of grooved pulleys or
sheaves. They are characterized as belts having a trapezium cross-section...

Vacuum Conveyors

Vacuum Conveyors

Vacuum conveyors are suctioning machines that utilize air pressure in order to move materials through
an enclosed pipeline. Vacuum conveyors have broad applications throughout the industrial and...

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