CONVEYOR BELTS 85

Too hot to handle?

The high temperatures experienced when transporting clinker in cement plants place
special demands on conveyor belts and carcasses. To minimise costly repairs and plant
shutdowns, a guide to selecting a heat-resistant conveyor belt is presented below, taking
into account the key factors for consideration.
n by Dr Michiel Eijpe, Dunlop Conveyor Belting, The Netherlands

O f all the demands placed on conveyor

belts operating in the cement
industry, heat is widely regarded as the
most unforgiving and damaging. High-
temperature materials and working
environments cause an accelerated
aging process that results in a hardening
and cracking of the rubber covers. Heat
also has a very destructive effect on the
carcass of the belt because it damages
the adhesion between the covers on the
top and bottom of the carcass, and also
between the inner plies contained within
the carcass. This is commonly referred to
as ‘delamination’.
As rubber becomes harder and less
elastic, the tensile strength and elongation
(stretch) can fall by as much as 80 per
cent, effectively destroying its overall
Heat is widely recognised as the most unforgiving
operational strength and flexibility as well and damaging factor in conveyor belt life
as seriously weakening the splice joints.
At the same time, resistance to abrasion
(wear) can decrease by 40 per cent or It’s all about the rubber! therefore, anticipated working life)
more. The rubber covers on the top and bottom accelerated aging tests are conducted
With so many potential issues, it is of the belt act as the barrier between by placing rubber samples in high-
even more surprising that decisions on the heat source and the carcass. The temperature ovens for a period of seven
buying heat-resistant belts are still often carcass consists of layers of fabric (usually days. The reduction in mechanical
based on the lowest selling price. This is polyester and nylon), bonded together properties is then measured. The three
due to the common but mistaken belief by thin layers of rubber. The effectiveness classes of aging within ISO 4195 are:
that all heat-resistant conveyor belts of of the heat-resistant rubber covers is the • Class 1 (100˚C)
a stated specification will give a similar most crucial factor that determines the • Class 2 (125˚C)
performance and operational lifetime. length of the belt’s working life. • Class 3 (150˚C).
If the core temperature of the carcass To include more extreme temperature
High temperatures, low prices? becomes too high then the belt will start resistance qualities, Dunlop testing is also
‘Low-price’ heat-resistant conveyor belts to fall apart. This ‘delamination’ process carried out at 175˚C.
are priced as such because the materials also occurs between the covers and the
and processes used to make them are the carcass. An increase of only 10˚C in the Key selection factors
lowest-cost (and therefore, lowest-quality) core temperature of the belt carcass can There are three key factors to consider
options. reduce the life of the belt by as much as 50 when choosing a heat-resistant belt.
Some 80 per cent of the cost of making per cent. The only way to prevent this is to 1. Temperature range of materials
a conveyor belt is the materials. A well- use high-quality, specifically-developed being carried
made, good-quality heat-resistant belt will rubber containing a mix of polymers and The first and most critical consideration
easily outperform and outlast ‘economy’ chemicals that can withstand the heat. is the actual temperature range of
versions several times over. the materials being carried on the
The initial price per metre may be ISO 4195 heat resistance testing conveyor. The temperature limits that
higher, but the eventual cost will ultimately To provide the most accurate a belt can withstand are viewed in
be many times lower. measurement of heat resistance (and two ways: the maximum continuous

©Copyright Tradeship Publications Ltd 2016 MARCH 2016 INTERNATIONAL CEMENT REVIEW
 86 CONVEYOR BELTS

High temperatures cause an accelerated the treatments used to create the heat
aging of the belt’s rubber material resistance have a very negative effect
on the rubber’s ability to resist abrasion.
Therefore, they invariably need to be
replaced at much more frequent intervals
because of wear compared to standard
rubber belting. At Dunlop this dilemma has
been solved by developing rubber cover
compounds that have a virtually unique
combination of both heat- and wear-
resistant qualities. This results in a much
longer operational lifespan. For example,
ISO 4195 laboratory testing has shown that
following continuous exposure to 150˚C
for seven days, the Dunlop Deltahete
retains its original (pretest) resistance to
abrasion.
When deciding on which type of
heat-resistant belt to order, Dunlop
advises buyers to be very specific when
making requests for quotations from
temperature of the conveyed material the return (underside) run. Short manufacturers and suppliers and to
and the maximum temporary conveyors also cause the belt to wear always ask for technical datasheets.
peak temperature. The two main faster so a heat-resistant belt with However, even these can often show only
classifications of heat resistance good abrasion resistance is more the minimum required standards rather
recognised in the market are T150, important than normal. Very hot, than the standards that the belt can be
which relates to a maximum continuous abrasive materials being carried at expected to achieve. The actual belt
temperature of 150˚C, and T200, which speed on a short conveyor is the worst delivered to site may well not be up to the
is for more extreme heat conditions up possible combination. Effectively, it is required standard.
to 200˚C. Success or failure will depend ‘the perfect storm’. In such cases, belts
on having accurate temperature data to often last only a few weeks or months The weakest link
give to potential belt suppliers. before having to be replaced. However, The splice joint is always the weakest point
this situation should not be accepted in any belt and this is especially so when
2. Type and nature of materials because there are belts available that it comes to heat-resistant belts. The heat
being carried will provide at least double the lifetime. build-up in the splice joint area will cause
The second factor relates to the the joint to come apart (delaminate).
type and nature of the materials Heat- and wear-resistant? The golden rule applicable to all splice
being carried. Materials with fine The biggest ‘disadvantage’ to rubber joints is that the splice materials used to
particles such as cement often cause that has a high heat resistance is that make the joint should be identical to the
a greater concentration of heat on
the belt surface due to the lack of air Keeping the load moving can help to overcome
circulation between the particles. In issues with insufficient heat dissipation
the case of coarse materials such as
clinker, although the temperature of
the material can be extremely high,
larger-sized particles allow for better
air circulation. The actual loading of
the belt needs to be considered in
conjunction with the type of material
because if too much of the belt surface
is covered by material there may be
insufficient uncovered belt surface to
allow the heat in the belt carcass to
dissipate.

3. Length and running speed

of conveyor
The third factor is the length (and
running speed) of the conveyor. The
shorter the conveyor, the less time
there is for the belt to cool down on

INTERNATIONAL CEMENT REVIEW MARCH 2016

 88 CONVEYOR BELTS

cover, Betahete, consistently exceeds the

requirements demanded by ISO 4195 class
Quality conveyor belts suited to the materials they carry T150. Betahete is a high-performance heat-
provide longer lifetimes and less downtime for repairs and wear-resistant cover designed for
materials at continuous temperatures up
to 160˚C and peak temperatures as high as

Hot clinker transport 180˚C. Betahete has a high wear resistance

with an average abrasion resistance of
96mm³, higher than ISO 14890 ‘D’, the
To transport hot clinker, a cement plant in Spain had used heat-resist- highest ISO abrasion standard.
ance belts from a number of different suppliers over the years but had For belts that need to be resistant to
found these belts only lasted about 4-5 months before they required oil as well as heat, Dunlop’s BV GT is heat
replacement. resistant (up to 150˚C continuous with
peaks up to 170˚C) combined with the
These very short average belt lifetimes resulted in considerable cost to
highest level of oil resistance. It is also
the cement producer and a different solution was needed. Taking into
resistant to fire (ISO 340), abrasion and
consideration the characteristics of the clinker, which has a continuous
ozone.
material temperature of around 150˚C, Dunlop recommended 500/3 5+2
For more extreme temperatures and
Deltahete.
demanding heavy-duty service conditions
The introduction of the Deltahete conveyor belt has considerably im- such as cement plants where very hot
proved average conveyor belt life. Some 19 months after installation, the and abrasive materials are conveyed,
belt remains in good condition, lasting already more than three times Dunlop Deltahete is designed to withstand
than the previous belts. maximum continuous temperature of the
conveyed material as high as 200˚C and
extreme peak temperatures as high as
400˚C. It exceeds the highest requirements
rubber used in the belt cover. It is essential Keep it moving of Class 3 and therefore is effectively ‘Class
that the heat resistance properties of the Apart from an insufficient resistance to 4’, although this category does not yet exist
splice materials are as good as the actual heat, the most common cause of failure in within the ISO 4195 classifications for heat
belt covers. heat-resistant belts is when a belt loaded resistance.
with hot material is allowed to become If cement plants select conveyor belts
The ultimate test? static. This allows the heat to penetrate in terms of quality and lowest lifetime
The ultimate test of heat-resistant through to the carcass. Even the very best cost rather than lowest short-term price,
belting can often be found in elevators heat-resistant belts can easily be damaged significant cost savings can be made. n
because the heat build-up in enclosed beyond repair if a loaded conveyor is
environments is far higher than in allowed to stop. Unless it is for emergency
conventional conveyor systems. Elevator
belts need to operate under high
safety reasons, the loading feed to the
conveyor should be stopped first and the
“Apart from an insufficient
tensile loads and be able to withstand belt allowed to fully discharge its load resistance to heat, the
material temperatures as high as 130˚C.
Conventional textile-reinforced belts
before being stopped. It is important to
ensure that belts are not overloaded so
most common cause of
cannot withstand this kind of treatment that there is sufficient ‘unloaded’ room failure in heat-resistant
and will stretch permanently. Ideally,
elevator belts should be steel-reinforced.
on either side of the belt surface to allow
some of the heat to escape via the cooler
belts is when a belt
Failure of an elevator belt can be outer edges. loaded with hot material
catastrophic, both in terms of physical
risk and production downtime. As the Dunlop solutions
is allowed to become
price of the belt invariably reflects the Dunlop engineers have developed rubber static. This allows the heat
quality, whenever safety is involved, short-
term cost ‘savings’ should never be a
compounds that can handle even the
most extreme conditions. For example,
to penetrate through to
consideration. the company’s ‘basic’ heat-resistant the carcass.”

INTERNATIONAL CEMENT REVIEW MARCH 2016