Parts and Functions of a Conveyor

System

©2012 Dr. B. C. Paul

Note- These slides include figures and tables taken from the Conveyor Equipment
Manufactures Association. Credit is given for these figures and tables. These slides
also include material from the authors own earlier work.
 Major Components of
Conveyor
• Long Continuous belt
• Carried on rolls - rollers held by frame
• Belt wrapped around pulleys at ends
• Pulleys coupled to gears and motors
• Peripheral Devices to drop on belt,
direct around corner, clean, discharge
etc.
Conveyor Parts
Conveyor Parts
 How Conveyors Function
• Material Falls on moving belt that
carries it along
• A continuous haulage system that is not
limited by cycles of batch movement
• Requires a continuous frame and
structure before can transport material
over route
 Significant Variations
• Belt may ride on a frame with air holes -
a compressor blows air under belt. Belt
rides on a cushion of air.
• Rollers wrap belt entirely around
material - used to allow vertical
conveying of material
 Conveyor Belting Parts
• Carcass - woven fabric or material for
tensile strength
• Skims - rubber layers between carcass plys
• Braker - fabric coat above carcass to break
impact of load
• Top Cover - A rubber that resists cutting
abrasion and sometimes chemical action
 Conveyor Belting Types
• Multi-Ply - multi-ply carcass separated by skims -
traditional - trade-off between stiffness and
strength
• Reduced Ply - complex interwoven carcass not
dependent on separate plys thinner less stiff for
same strength
• Steel - carcass lengthwise steel belts - high
tensile strength - heavy ores long runs
• Solid Woven - Carcass impregnated with
elastomer
Conveyor Belting Elastomers
• Most Elastomer Covers in Mining for
bump and abrasion resistance - good
natural or synthetic rubber
• Oiled Stoker Coals may need chemical
resistance - neoprene rubber
• Hot process Ores may need heat
resistance - check the carcass too -
usually limit to 75% of rated
Elastomer Covers
 Conveyor Belting Splices
• Mechanical
– Fast
– Done by Hand
– Easily done and undone (even when don’t
want it undone)
– collects dirt looses strength
• Vulcanized
– Needs big machine and time
– Once done hard to undo
– Provides Superior Strength
 Idlers
• Supports Belt and Material Load
• Built with
– Shaft surrounded by bearings
– Then roll of steel or rubber
• Two main types
– Carrying for material and belt
– return supports belt on return trip
 Idler Size and Duty
• Rated by Diameter
– ranges 4 to 7 inches
– smaller is less costly but higher wear and
frictional losses
– 5 inches common for mining
• Rated by Weight Carriage
– ranges A to E for increasing duty
– A and B light C and D heavy duty E extra
– B and C common for mining
 Carrying Idlers
• Usually troughed with 3 equal size rollers
on a frame in mining applications
– Some suspended catenary systems have 5
rollers
• Troughs usually 20 , 35, 45 degrees
– Deeper trough more volume
– Requires thinner belt to lay in trough which
limits strength
– 35 common choice for mining
Carrying Idlers
 Return Idlers
• Usually Flat and one piece
• Sometimes two piece V for belt training
• Spiral roll to self and belt clean
 Specialty Idlers
• Impact Idlers for taking material
dropping onto belt
• Belt Training (Training means keeping
in line in trough)
– Can put idler off center to pull to side
– Can put wheels on edge but wear belt
– Can put v return to pull one way or other.
 Pulley
• Like Roller only belt wraps around
• Head Pulley - turns belt back around to
return - may be coupled to drive
• Tail Pulley - turns empty belt around for
loading - occasionally coupled to drive
• Drive Pulley - Coupled to motor pulls
belt - usually special grip surface
 Pulleys
• Snub Pulley - usually used to change
direction of belt and increase the
contact angle with the drive pully (more
surface area to transfer power)
• Take Up Pulley - Used to maintain
tension on a belt left loose enough for
some flexibility
Pulleys
 Drive Pulley Considerations
• Pulley should be large enough to avoid to
hard bend at point of tension application
• Pulley should have grab - risk of slippage
is function of grab and tension - more grab
- less tension - could mean a cheaper belt
• Place Drive in practical location to
minimize the highest tension in the belt - a
head pulley location often good on a belt
up a slope
 Loading a Conveyor Belt
• Need to get even load on belt and get
material traveling in same direction to
minimize belt strain
• Chute - may use scalping bars so fines fall
on first and provide cushion
• Transfer Conveyor - wear on short
replaceable belt get things up to speed
• Vibratory feeder
Methods of Loading a Belt
Methods of Loading a Belt
 Loading a Conveyor Belt
• Skirt board along edge for about 8 to 10
feet to keep material on belt and line it up
• Loading points or transfer points are
common spill locations
– Production rate is not really constant
– Simulation programs can aid in determining
speed and belt size for network.
 Unloading a Belt
• Over the end of belt
– Flatten to fast and stretch the belt
– Flatten to slow material will spread and
spill over sides
– for 35 degree trough need about 1.5 times
belt width to flatten
• Often have brushes to belt after material
discharge
Methods of Cleaning Belt After
Discharge
 Unloading a Belt
• Plow - V on belt pushes off to sides.
– Limited speed about 200 fpm
– Need flat belt
• Tripper - moving plow to one side
– can trip from one conveyor to another
– good for loading multiple silos
Plow for Discharging Material
from Belt
Tripper for Belt Discharge