Conveyer belt details

Conveyer belt is basically used to transport the material from one place to other.
Components of conveyer belt
1. Tail pulley: Conveyor tail pulleys usually located at the end of the conveyor
bed. Conveyor tail pulleys commonly serve the purpose of a Take-Up pulley to
keep tension on the belt.
2. Head pulley: A Drive Pulley or Head Pulley is used for the purpose of driving
a conveyor belt.  They are normally driven by a motor and reducer. Conveyor
head pulleys can be flat faced or crowned and many have lagging to reduce belt
slippage.
3. Return idlers: Return idlers are used to redirect a conveyor belt back toward
the drive pulley.
4. Carrying idlers: These are just use to carry forward the motion.
5. Snub Pulley: A conveyor pulley used to increase belt wrap tension around a
drive pulley, typically for the purpose of improving belt traction.

6. Feed Chute: Loose ore and rocks enter through the feed chute and drop down
onto the conveyor belt.
7. Loading Skirts: The loading skirts guide the ores entering through the feed chute
from falling out of the conveyor belt.
8. Troughed Conveyor Belt: With the help of the troughing idlers, the conveyor
belt is shaped to form the distinct trough shape.
9. Discharge Chute: Objects on the conveyor belt drop through this chute at the
end of the conveyor belt, guiding them to the next area.
10.Stringer: The stringer is the general frame of the conveyor belt to which all of
the pulley shafts are mounted.
11.Closely Spaced Idlers at Loading Point/Impact idlers: Because heavy ores
and rocks drop vertically through the feed chute and onto the conveyor belt,
there are more idlers at the area of impact to spread the weight throughout a
larger area, reducing the amount of wear on the idlers. In most cases there are
specially-designed idlers called impact idlers, which have a distinct shape
designed to absorb more impact than standard idlers.
12.Horizontal Screw Take-up: The take-up mechanism maintains tension at the
tail end of the conveyor to make sure that the conveyor belt is guided correctly
as it returns to the top side.
13.External and internal belt scrapper: Belt Scrapers or Belt Cleaners are used to
clean Conveyor Belts.  These are used in bulk material handling belt conveyors
to avoid material carry back and reduce spillage. Clean belts help prevent
material build-up on snub pulley & return idlers, thereby reducing maintenance
and downtime.

Types of angle in conveyer belt

Angle of repose
The Angle of Repose is the angle the material makes with the horizontal when
dumped in a pile, such as a stockpile or a stationary belt. It is a direct measure
of the static friction of the material.

Angle of surcharge
The Angle of Surcharge (As) is the angle the material makes with the
horizontal when the material is bumped or moving, such as on a moving
 conveyor belt. It is a direct measure of the kinetic friction. The higher the
Surcharge Angle, the more material can be stacked on the belt.

Trough angle
Trough angle is the angle the roller made with the horizontal. Trough angle
varies between 50-450. Trough angle is low for higher surcharge angle and high
for less surcharge angel.

Idlers arrangement in conveyer belt

In idler arrangement there is one shaft over which a tube is there and after that
there is one rubber coating. Tube of impact idler is of less diameter as
compared to tube of carrying idler. There is no rubber coating in carrying
idlers. All this arrangement is done to get impact idler and carrying idlers at
same level.
Over the shaft there is bearing housing and bearing. One labyrinth is also
there to fix the bearing. One side bearing is fixed and other is free to
compensate the expansion.
Rubber lagging in pulley
Rubber is the most common type of pulley lagging. It is a relatively ‘soft’
material which offers good traction and is resilient to wear. Other functions
include protection for the pulley shell and increased friction for conveyor belts.
There are different types of lagging which are as follows:

Diamond grooved rubber lagging

Grooved rubber lagging is generally applied to pulleys which require more
fiction to the conveyor belt. 
Herringbone lagging
The herringbone pattern’s grooves are in the direction of rotation, and offers
superior tractive properties.

Knurling of drum
A knurled drive pulley features a raised pattern machined into the outside of the
drive pulley that adds traction when it contacts the carcass of the belt. Straight
knurling (lines that run laterally across the drive pulley) allows the belt to
wander slightly side-to-side (which is a natural occurrence due to the camber of
the belt) without abrading the carcass of the belt.
 RPM of motor

RPM of motor is decided by the following formula

N=120f/P
Where
N = in rpm
f=frequency of voltage
P= number of poles

Characteristics of material affecting conveyer design

1. Care shall be taken for the inclination of an inclined/declined conveyor,

carrying lumps of material, as these are likely to slide down, wherever
possible. Actual inclination of the conveyor shall not exceed the maximum
allowable value. In case of declination, the angle of declination shall not
exceed 12° in any case.
2. The maximum recommended belt speeds for different sizes of belts based on
speed factor (speed factor = lump size factor + abrasiveness factor). For
systems with ploughs and trippers, lower speeds of belt shall be adopted. 3.
3. Physical Condition of Material Care shall be taken to analyze the physical
condition of the material to be conveyed which are classified as follows:
a) Oily or liable to react with rubber products,
b) High temperature,
c) Non-abrasive,
d) Mildly abrasive,
e) Abrasive,
f) Very abrasive,
g) Sharp abrasive,
h) Easily degradable,
j) Mildly corrosive,
k) Highly corrosive,
m) Explosive or creating harmful dust,
n) Very dusty,
p) Inflammable,
q) Hygroscopic, and
r) Sticky.
Belt Speed
1. Belt speed depends on the following factors:
a) Capacity required and belt width;
b) Loading and unloading conditions;
c) Size, shapes, flowability and other characteristics of the material conveyed;
d) Belt construction;
e) Inclination of belt conveyor, and
f) Idler construction and diameter.
2.  It  is  important  also  to  check the adequacy  of  the  type  of belting,  its joining 
and  safety  devices  for  the conveyors. 
3.  Extreme care  shall  be exercised while selecting 
speed, as lower speed will make the installation costly 
but on the other hand a higher speed is likely to create  problems of spillage, 
dust generation and loss of  fine  powdery  materials. 
Width of belt
The width of belt is predominantly governed by two factors, 
a. The  lump  size  of the  material  conveyed 
b.  The capacity requirements of the conveyor. 
Capacity of Belt Conveyor 
The  capacity  of a  belt  conveyor  is  determined  primarily  by  the  following three 
factors: 
a) Crosssection of load on the belt  The crosssectional  load  on  the  belt  will  vary 
with  the  width  of belt,  the  type  of carrying idlers  used  which  determines  the 
amount  of troughing  given to the belt, and the nature of the material  being  handled, 
which  determines the  quantity  of  material  that  can  be  safely  loaded  on  to  a 
given  crosssection; 
b)  Speed of belt; 
c)  Slope factor. 
General formula for calculation of the capacity of all types of belt conveyors shall
be as follows: 
C = 3600 ρ A V K, Max 
Belt specification
A  conveyor  belt  consists  of two  elements,  the  carcass  and  the  cover.  The 
carcass is the reinforce member and may be of either textile reinforcements 
steel cords  and supplies the tensile  strength  and the  body  to  the  belt  to  hold  the 
shape.  In case of textile reinforcement, the carcass is normally buildup of plies of
textile fabric. The strength of fabric and the number of plies in the carcass of the belt
may be varied together to suit the strength requirements.
In selection of belt carcass based on full thickness tensile strength (FTTS) (belt type).
The value of tensile forces (see 8.6.2.1) multiplied by factor of safety gives the
required value of full thickness tensile strength of the required belt. The factor of
safety may vary from 9 to 12.5 in case of textile belts and 7 to 10 in case of steel cord
belts depending upon the application, type of belt joint, type of take-up device and
type of starting for conveyors.
Selection of Cover
1. The properties needed for the cover of belt include resistance to cutting, gauging,
tearing, abrasion, aging, moisture absorption and in some conditions to oils, chemical
and heat.
2. The grade and thickness of top cover of belt depend upon a number of conditions,
the most important of which are:
a) Abrasive qualities of the material being handled.
b) Loading cycle, that is, the frequency with which the belt receives the load.
c) Lump size of the material.
d) Loading and unloading conditions.
e) Temperature of the material to be handled.
f) Chemical activity of the material.
g) Contamination of the material with oils.
h) Fire resistant cover needed or not.
Tension take-up mechanism
The take-up on a belt conveyor is a key component in maintaining proper belt tension,
which contributes significantly to process and mechanical stability. Proper belt
tension helps to ensure that the belt wears evenly, material is contained in the trough,
and the belt runs centrally over idlers. There are three types of take-up mechanism
which are as follows
1. Screw take-up
2. HGTU (Horizontal Gravity take-up)
 3. VGTU ( Vertical Gravity Take-up)
SCREW TAKE-UP
The screw take-up design utilizes mechanical force to take-up any slack in the belt.
This is done by adjusting a threaded tensioning screw integrated into the conveyor
frame on each side of the tail pulley. By adjusting the screw, the tail pulley can be
either pushed outward or pulled inward. 

HGTU
A gravity take-up assembly utilizes three pulleys – two bend pulleys and one gravity
take-up or sliding pulley – to automatically manage belt tension. A counter weight
attached to the gravity take-up pulley pulls down on the belt to maintain tension via
gravity. 
The self-tensioning nature of GTUs also means they require less maintenance than the
screw take-up. Maintenance is typically only needed when the belt reaches the end of
its life, having stretched so much that the assembly has reached the bottom of the
allotted travel distance (the ability to see where the take-up falls in its allotted travel
distance also provides a helpful visual cue to operators of roughly when maintenance
may be needed).
VGTU
The horizontal take up is an alternative to the gravity take-up when space is a
limitation. 
This type of take-up is similar to the gravity take-up, but instead of the assembly
situated below the belt, it is positioned vertically behind the tail pulley. This makes it
particularly useful in situations where the conveyor is positioned on a grade that
eliminates any additional space under the conveyor. 
Since the horizontal take-up does not fall below the conveyor, a system of pulleys and
cables is used to tension the belt with a weight box. The cabling attaches to the tail
pulley, which rides on a carriage, allowing it to be moved in and out of place.