Hook connector arrangement for a conveyor belt and conveyor belt herewith

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a hook connector arrangement and a conveyor belt according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Conveyor belts are used in a wide variety of applications, particularly for transporting goods. These conveyor belts can also be called conveyor belts or transport belts. The goods conveyed are primarily loose materials such as bulk goods. The conveyor belts are used as continuous loops in the direction of movement, which can also be referred to as the conveying direction or running direction.

[0003] Such conveyor belts typically consist of a flexible material such as rubber, into which so-called tension members are embedded to transmit the tensile forces in the direction of movement. Depending on the type of conveyor belt, these can be steel cables or flat textile tension members.

[0004] Hook connectors are typically used for the mechanical closure of continuous conveyor belts with textile, flat tension members. These hook connectors are U-shaped metal clamps that are placed along the conveyor belt's direction of travel, with their openings facing the open end of the belt. They are then pressed together perpendicular to the belt's flat surface. This creates a frictional connection between the hook connectors and the open end of the conveyor belt.

[0005] Typically, an additional positive locking mechanism for the hook connectors at the open end of the conveyor belt is achieved through additional mechanical anchoring. This is done by driving or screwing individual rivets or bolts through the tension member fabric, fixing the top and bottom surfaces of the hook connector, which encompasses the belt end, to the belt surface. The additional pressure exerted by the rivets or the preload of the bolts further secures the hook connectors to the open end of the conveyor belt. The positive locking effect is usually greater than the frictional locking effect.

[0006] The hook connectors at each of the two open ends of the conveyor belt, i.e., the two belt ends, form a continuous cavity in the transverse direction, i.e., perpendicular to the direction of travel and perpendicular to the height of the conveyor belt. Simultaneously, the hook connectors are narrower in the area of ​​their U-shaped arcs than in the area of ​​the rivet connection, so that the U-shaped arcs of two hook connector assemblies from corresponding open belt ends can be alternately positioned between each other in the transverse direction, thus causing the two hook connector assemblies to overlap transversely. The two open belt ends can then be articulated together by inserting a typically cylindrical connector assembly transversely through the overlapping cavities of the two hook connector assemblies and securing it against slipping out. Alternatively, the use of rope-like, flexible connectors is also known.

[0007] In principle, such a connection can be viewed as a series of individual joint elements. The troughing ability of such a conveyor belt connected with hooks improves with the number of connector segments used across the belt width.

[0008] A disadvantage of such connections for the mechanical continuous closure of conveyor belts with textile sheet tension members is that static or dynamic failure of the connection can occur, leading to separation of the open ends and thus to tearing of the conveyor belt. This can cause the corresponding conveyor system to fail and shut down.

[0009] The dynamic failure of the connection typically occurs according to a consistent sequence. First, the preload on the clamped belt surface is reduced by creep of the elastomeric material (usually rubber) surrounding the textile tensile member. Subsequently, the individual press / rivet pins are observed to "comb out" of the textile tensile member. In this process, either the pin pulls the weft thread, which is inserted perpendicular to the direction of movement for resistance and reinforcement, out of the fabric-rubber matrix, or individual weft or warp threads begin to break over time due to uneven load distribution, initially weakening the connection only locally. Through the accumulation of several such micro-damages in the warp direction, the remaining warp threads then break violently during further operation of the conveyor belt.a combing out of the remaining weft threads in case of corresponding overload for the remaining tensile beam cross-section.

[0010] It should be noted that hook connectors, or hook connector assemblies, are significantly inferior to both hot and cold vulcanization in terms of their static and dynamic connection strength. This is typically taken into account by using correspondingly higher safety factors in the belt design of conveyor belts. Therefore, a hook connector assembly is technically inferior to "classic" vulcanization.

[0011] Furthermore, when designing a belt with a hook-and-loop fastener arrangement, the design of the tension member fabric, particularly with regard to the interlacing of the weft threads, is of crucial importance for the belt construction. This is especially true if high dynamic connection strength is desired.

[0012] DE 42 35 759 A1 describes a method for connecting the belt ends of conveyor belts and / or conveyor belt sections using connecting elements that can be attached to the belt ends, wherein at least one additional tensioning element is arranged on the belt end.

[0013] EP 1 338 825 A1 describes a connection between wire connectors designed as wire hooks and the end of a belt. Each wire hook has two legs, a connecting coupling eyelet, and hook sections that are pressed into the belt. A cover element extending across the width of the belt is provided, positioned on both sides of the belt starting from the end face, and covering the legs of the wire hooks. The attachment of the wire hooks to the belt end and the installation of the cover element are carried out in a single operation.

[0014] One object of the present invention is to provide a hook connector arrangement for a conveyor belt of the type described above, which exhibits increased static and / or dynamic connection strength than previously known hook connector arrangements for conveyor belts. This should be achieved in a particularly simple, flexible, and / or cost-effective manner. At the very least, an alternative to known hook connector arrangements for conveyor belts should be created.

[0015] The problem is solved according to the invention by a hook connector arrangement with the features according to claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are described in the dependent claims.

[0016] The present invention thus relates to a hook connector arrangement and a conveyor belt with a plurality of hook connectors which are designed to hold an open end of the conveyor belt at least forcefully between them, wherein the hook connectors are connected to each other on the inside by means of a connecting element in a transverse direction.

[0017] The hook connector arrangement according to the invention is characterized in that at least one hook connector has a clamping element on its inner side, which is arranged opposite the connecting element. Thus, according to the invention, a clamping and therefore force-fit effect can be exerted on the open end of the conveyor belt from both sides, thereby increasing the force-fit and, if necessary, creating an additional positive fit. This can improve the mechanical connection of the hook connector arrangement to the open end of the conveyor belt and thus the static and / or dynamic connection strength, which can also increase the service life of the connection between the open ends of the conveyor belt.

[0018] An increased service life of the open-end connections of the conveyor belt can reduce unplanned downtime of the corresponding conveyor system during operation due to potential connection loosening or failure in the field. This can lead to increased availability of the conveyor system.

[0019] Manufacturing costs can also be reduced by approximating the safety factors used so far for hook connections to those of vulcanization, thereby enabling a reduction in strap strength while maintaining the safety factors.

[0020] Furthermore, a larger and possibly also cheaper selection of technical tension beam designs for conveyor belts can be used by employing additional tension beams and / or implementing an improved force flow directly into the tension beam.

[0021] In other words, according to the invention, the use of at least one additional clamping element allows for a stronger clamping force compared to the previously known simple smooth surface clamping force by concentrating the clamping force on at least two local and preferably linear elements transverse to the direction of travel. The inventive double-sided clamping can thus be maintained for a longer period even when the clamping force begins to decrease due to material creep of the conveyor belt's elastomer. This can increase the force transmission compared to known hook connector arrangements.

[0022] Furthermore, according to the invention, by using at least one additional clamping element, the frictional connection of the hook connector, which previously consisted primarily of a surface compression, can be supplemented by a positive connection or transformed into a positive connection that can be generated transversely to the tensile load in the direction of travel between the enclosing hook connector and the conveyor belt. In other words, a portion of the elastomer of the conveyor belt can deform around both the connecting element and the clamping element, thus resulting in an additional positive connection of the elastomer of the conveyor belt covering the tensile member or its cover plate.

[0023] When using a textile, flat tensile member of the conveyor belt and rivets of the hook connector assembly, this additional positive locking mechanism allows the warp thread to be directly included in the force flow by the adhesive forces of the conveyor belt's elastomer, even outside the connection between the weft thread and the rivet pin. The dynamic stress on the fabric-elastomer matrix at the rivet can be reduced, thus increasing the connection strength through the additional load-bearing component of the hook connector assembly.

[0024] This can be done particularly easily, flexibly and / or cost-effectively by using a clamping element arranged opposite the connecting element.

[0025] According to one aspect of the invention, each hook connector has a clamping element on its inner side, which is arranged opposite the connecting element. This can be implemented by means of a common continuous clamping element or by at least one individual clamping element for each connector. In any case, the properties and advantages described above can thereby be implemented and utilized for several and, if necessary, all hook connectors of the hook connector arrangement.

[0026] According to a further aspect of the invention, the hook connectors have a common clamping element on their inner side, which is arranged opposite the connecting element and extends transversely across the hook connectors. This allows the previously described properties and advantages to be implemented and utilized for several, and potentially all, hook connectors in the hook connector arrangement. This can be achieved relatively easily with a common clamping element. Furthermore, a connection of the hook connection can simultaneously be made transversely on the side of the hook connectors opposite the connecting element, which can improve the durability of the connection. The positioning of the hook connectors relative to each other, and the connection between the hook connectors themselves, can also be improved.

[0027] According to a further aspect of the invention, the connecting element and the clamping element are arranged directly opposite each other. This can further enhance the effects of the clamping element described above.

[0028] According to a further aspect of the invention, the connecting element is designed as a connecting wire extending in the transverse direction. This can simplify implementation, as only one connecting element is required. This can be achieved, in particular, relatively easily and / or cost-effectively by using a wire.

[0029] According to a further aspect of the invention, the clamping element is designed as a clamping wire extending in the transverse direction. This can simplify implementation, as only one clamping element is required. This can be achieved, in particular, relatively easily and / or cost-effectively by using a wire.

[0030] According to a further aspect of the invention, the clamping element is designed to penetrate the conveyor belt, preferably an elastomeric surface layer of the conveyor belt. This can be achieved, for example, by a rough surface of the clamping element, by projections arranged on the surface of the clamping element, and the like. The latter can be achieved, for example, by points and the like. In any case, the penetration of the clamping element into the conveyor belt provides an additional positive locking connection between the clamping element and thus the hook connectors and the conveyor belt, thereby further increasing the static and / or dynamic connection strength.

[0031] According to a further aspect of the invention, the hook connectors are also designed to hold the open end of the conveyor belt securely between them by means of rivets. This can further increase the static and / or dynamic connection strength.

[0032] The present invention also relates to a conveyor belt with at least one hook connector arrangement as described above. This allows the previously described properties and advantages of a hook connector arrangement according to the invention to be implemented and utilized in a conveyor belt.

[0033] According to one aspect of the invention, the conveyor belt has a textile, planar tensile member. In this way, the hook connector arrangement according to the invention can be used with such conveyor belts, which can lead to the properties and advantages described above. Suitable textile planar tensile members include, in particular, fabrics that can effectively transmit tensile forces in the direction of travel of the conveyor belt.

[0034] According to a further aspect of the invention, the conveyor belt has a plurality of rope-like tension members which extend parallel to one another in one direction of travel of the conveyor belt. In this way, the hook connector arrangement according to the invention can be used with such conveyor belts, which can lead to the properties and advantages described above. Steel cables, which can effectively transmit tensile forces in the direction of travel of the conveyor belt, are particularly suitable as such rope-like tension members.

[0035] According to a further aspect of the invention, the conveyor belt has an elastomeric outer layer which has a higher Shore hardness than an elastomeric base body which is arranged between the two elastomeric outer layers. This can promote the force-fit and / or form-fit effect of the hook connector arrangement according to the invention.

[0036] An exemplary embodiment and further advantages of the invention are explained below in connection with the following figures. These show: Fig. 1 a perspective schematic representation of a known hook connector arrangement; Fig. 2 another perspective schematic representation of the known hook connector arrangement of the Fig. 1 Fig. 3 a perspective schematic representation of a hook connector arrangement according to the invention; Fig. 4 a further perspective schematic representation of the hook connector arrangement according to the invention. Fig. 3 ; and Fig. 5 a schematic cross-section through the hook connector arrangement according to the invention at an open end of a conveyor belt.

[0037] The above figures are described in Cartesian coordinates with a longitudinal direction X, a transverse direction Y perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X, and a vertical direction Z perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction X and the transverse direction Y. The longitudinal direction X can also be referred to as depth X or the direction of travel X of the conveyor belt 3, the transverse direction Y as width Y, and the vertical direction Z as height Z.

[0038] Fig. 1 shows a perspective schematic representation of a known hook connector arrangement 1. Fig. 2 shows another perspective schematic representation of the known hook connector arrangement 1 of the Fig. 1 .

[0039] The known hook connector arrangement 1 of the Figs. 1 and 2The device comprises a plurality of identical hook connector pairs 11, each consisting of two identical hook connectors 10. The two hook connectors 10 of a hook connector pair 11 are bonded together at two connection points 12 with a width Y. The individual hook connector pairs 11 are spaced apart from each other by gaps 13 with a width Y.

[0040] Each hook connector 10 has a rivet-head open end 14 and a rivet-foot open end 15, which are connected by a U-shaped arc 16. A rivet 18 is provided at the rivet-head open end 14, which can be passed through a through-opening 17 opposite the rivet-foot open end 15 of the hook connectors 10 at height Z and then deformed from the outside.

[0041] The individual pairs of hook connectors 11 are connected to each other in width Y by a connecting element 19 in the form of a connecting wire 19, which is arranged material-locking on the inside of the open end 14 of the hook connectors 10 on the rivet head side. This forms the known hook connector arrangement 1.

[0042] Fig. 3 shows a perspective schematic representation of a hook connector arrangement according to the invention 1. Fig. 4 shows a further perspective schematic representation of the hook connector arrangement 1 according to the invention. Fig. 3 . Fig. 5 shows a schematic cross-section through the hook connector arrangement 1 according to the invention at an open end of a conveyor belt 3.

[0043] The hook connector arrangement 1 according to the invention Figs. 3 to 5 differs from the known hook connector arrangement of the Figs. 1 to 2 by the fact that in the hook connector arrangement 1 according to the invention the Figs. 3 to 5 A clamping element 2 in the form of a clamping wire 2 is arranged parallel to the connecting wire 19 and is materially bonded to the inside of the open ends 15 of the hook connectors 10 on the rivet foot side.

[0044] If a hook connector arrangement 1 according to the invention is now arranged at an open end of the aforementioned conveyor belt 3 and its two open ends 14, 15 are pressed and riveted together at height Z, see Fig. 5 , so the connecting wire 19 and the additional clamping wire 2 press on the elastomeric cover layers 31 of the conveyor belt 3 from both sides at height Z. This also compresses the elastomeric base body 30 of the conveyor belt 3 together with the embedded textile planar tension members 32 at height Z.

[0045] In this way, in addition to the frictional connection between the open ends 14, 15 previously exerted by the known hook connector arrangement 1, an increased frictional connection and an additional positive connection are created between the connecting wire 19 and the clamping wire 2 – independent of the effect of the rivets 18. This can improve both the static and dynamic connection strength and thus increase the service life of the connection of the open ends of the conveyor belt 3. Reference symbol list (part of the description)

[0046] XLelongation; Depth; Direction of travel YTransverse direction; Width CVertical direction; Height 1 Hook connector arrangement 10 Hook connectors 11 Pairs of hook connectors 12 Connection points of the hook connectors 10 of a hook connector pair 11 13 Spacing of the hook connectors 10 of a hook connector pair 11 14 Rivet head-side open ends of the hook connectors 10 15 Rivet foot-side open ends of the hook connectors 10 16 U-shaped bends of the hook connectors 10 17 Through openings of the rivet foot-side open ends 14 of the hook connectors 10 18 Rivets of the rivet foot-side open ends 15 of the hook connectors 10 19 Connecting element or connecting wire of the hook connector pairs 11 2 clamping elements; clamping wire 3 Conveyor belt 30 Elastomeric base body 31 Elastomeric cover layers 32 Textile planar tension members; rope-like tension members

Claims

1. Hook fastener arrangement (1) and a conveyor belt (3) having a plurality of hook fasteners (10) which are designed to hold an open end of the conveyor belt (3) between them at least by frictional engagement, wherein the hook fasteners (10) are connected to one another on the inner side by means of a connecting element (19) in a transverse direction (Y), characterized in that at least one hook fastener (10) has on the inner side a clamping element (2) which is arranged opposite the connecting element (19).

2. Hook fastener arrangement (1) and a conveyor belt according to claim 1, characterized in that the hook fasteners (10) each have on the inner side a clamping element (2) which is arranged opposite the connecting element (19).

3. Hook fastener arrangement (1) and a conveyor belt according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the hook fasteners (10) have on the inner side a common clamping element (2) which is arranged opposite the connecting element (19) and extends in the transverse direction (Y) over the hook fasteners (10).

4. Hook fastener arrangement (1) and a conveyor belt according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connecting element (19) and the clamping element (2) are arranged directly opposite one another.

5. Hook fastener arrangement (1) and a conveyor belt according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connecting element (19) is designed as a connecting wire (19) extending in the transverse direction (Y).

6. Hook fastener arrangement (1) and a conveyor belt according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the clamping element (2) is designed as a clamping wire (2) extending in the transverse direction (Y).

7. Hook fastener arrangement (1) and a conveyor belt according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the clamping element (2) is designed to penetrate into the conveyor belt (3), preferably into an elastomeric cover layer (31) of the conveyor belt (3).

8. Hook fastener arrangement (1) and a conveyor belt according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hook fasteners (10) are furthermore designed to hold the open end of the conveyor belt (3) between them by positive locking by means of rivets (18).

9. Hook fastener arrangement and a conveyor belt according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conveyor belt has a textile planar tensile member (32).

10. Hook fastener arrangement and a conveyor belt according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of cable-like tensile members (32) extend parallel to one another in a running direction (X) of the conveyor belt (3).

11. Hook fastener arrangement and a conveyor belt according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in each case an elastomeric cover layer (31) which has a higher Shore hardness than an elastomeric core body (30) is arranged between the two elastomeric cover layers (31).