How to update a conveyor

Abstract

To provide a method of updating a conveyor that enables an update work to be performed in a short time and reduces an update cost.SOLUTION: A method of updating a belt conveyor 10 including carrier side and return side rollers 14, 15 to an air floating type belt conveyor 20 includes the steps of: lifting a conveyor belt 12 and removing the carrier side and return side rollers 14, 15 at a portion whether the air floating type belt conveyor 20 is mounted from a frame 16; mounting an air floating unit 21 to the frame 16 where the carrier side and return side rollers 14, 15 are removed, and returning the conveyor belt 12 to an upper surface of the air floating unit 21; and mounting an air supply source 24 that supplies air to the air floating unit 21 and a casing 26 that covers the air floating unit 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for updating a roller-type belt conveyor in part or in whole to an air-floating belt conveyor. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, belt conveyors are used to continuously transport bulk materials such as coal, limestone, grains, and woody biomass to storage tanks such as silos. A typical belt conveyor has an endless conveyor belt consisting of a carrier side belt (conveying side belt) and a return side belt (belt after conveyance) that is wound between a head pulley and a tail pulley, and the conveyor belt is held from below by multiple rollers. Conveyance is performed by rotating one or both of the head pulley and the tail pulley to send the conveying side belt toward the destination.

[0003] Since such roller-type belt conveyors do not have a casing that covers the entire conveyor, the conveyed objects fall around the conveyor during transportation, and dust is generated, resulting in a poor working environment. In addition, the contact sound between the conveyor belt and the rollers becomes noisy, and the conveyor belt can wear out and break. Furthermore, dust tends to accumulate inside the rollers, causing problems with rotation, so regular inspection work is required, making management complicated.

[0004] Meanwhile, in recent years, there has been an air-floating belt conveyor, which uses air to float the conveyor belt for transport. This conveyor makes less noise and requires less energy than roller-type belt conveyors. It also reduces friction on the conveyor belt, and because it is a completely sealed structure, there is no need to worry about dust escaping to the outside even if it is generated, which also reduces the risk of fire. And because there are no rollers between the pulleys, inspections are not required, and it is possible to increase the amount of material being transported in the same installation space. For this reason, there are increasing demands to replace worn-out roller-type belt conveyors with air-suspended belt conveyors.

[0005] However, in the past, in order to upgrade to an air-floating belt conveyor, the existing belt conveyor had to be removed and a new air-floating belt conveyor had to be installed, which was a time-consuming and labor-intensive task. In addition, the design of the air-floating belt conveyor had to be changed depending on the installation location, and the conveying operation had to be stopped for a long period of time between the design, removal, and installation. Furthermore, upgrading to an air-floating belt conveyor requires more equipment and construction costs than a roller-type belt conveyor. For this reason, the current situation is that the upgrade to an air-floating belt conveyor has not progressed due to time and cost issues. The updating method disclosed in Patent Document 1 is targeted at roller-type belt conveyors, and involves replacing the rollers and the frame. This poses the problem that it takes time to align the newly installed frame and adjust the tension of the conveyor belt. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6314590 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In view of the problems of the conventional technology described above, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method for updating a conveyor that enables the updating work to be performed in a short time and reduces the updating costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] As a first means for solving the above problems, the present invention provides a method for updating a belt conveyor, which includes a conveyor belt, carrier-side rollers supporting a carrier-side belt of the conveyor belt at a predetermined interval, return-side rollers supporting a return-side belt of the conveyor belt at a predetermined interval, a frame connected to an upper surface of the carrier-side rollers and to a lower surface of the return-side rollers, and columns supporting the frame at predetermined intervals along a longitudinal direction, to an air-floating belt conveyor, Lifting the conveyor belt to remove the carrier side rollers and the return side rollers from the frame at a location where the air floating belt conveyor is to be installed; To the frame where the carrier side roller and the return side roller were removed The air floating unit is provided with a trough on the upper surface of which the conveyor belt floats and runs, and an air duct that supports the trough, and the trough and the air duct have a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction. Each air floating unit is installed as one unit, and legs that support the lower surfaces of both ends of the air duct are fixed to the upper surface of the frame, and both ends of the trough are fixed to the lower surface of the frame. returning the conveyor belt to the upper surface of the air levitation unit; and The object of the present invention is to provide a method for updating a conveyor, comprising the steps of installing an air supply source for supplying air to the air floating unit and a casing for covering the air floating unit. According to the first means, the roller type belt conveyor can be replaced with an air floating type belt conveyor in a short time, and the replacement cost can be reduced. In addition, it can be installed on each air flotation unit having a trough and air duct of a specified length, making it possible to freely change the conveyor length and enabling upgrade work to be carried out easily and quickly.

[0010] The first step to solve the above problems 2 As a means to 1 The object of the present invention is to provide a method for updating a conveyor, characterized in that the air floating unit is installed using the fastening bolts and bolt holes of the removed carrier side roller or the return side roller. The above 2 According to the above-mentioned measure, the fastening bolts and bolt holes can be reused, and renewal costs can be reduced. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, since a portion of an existing structure is reused, the replacement of a roller-type belt conveyor with an air-suspended belt conveyor can be completed in a short period of time, and the replacement cost can also be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a side view of an air floating belt conveyor installed in part of a roller type belt conveyor. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a side view of a roller-type belt conveyor. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a conveyor updating method according to the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a conveyor updating method according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a conveyor updating method of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0014] [Roller type belt conveyor] FIG. 2 is a side view of a roller type belt conveyor. As shown in the figure, the roller type belt conveyor 10 is a belt conveyor including an endless conveyor belt 12, a carrier side roller 14 that supports the carrier side belt 12a of the conveyor belt 12 at a predetermined interval, a return side roller 15 that supports the return side belt 12b of the conveyor belt 12 at a predetermined interval, a frame 16 to which the carrier side roller 14 is connected on the upper surface and the return side roller 15 is connected on the lower surface, and a support 18 that supports the frame 16 at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction. The carrier side roller 14 and the return side roller 15 have a concave cross section so that the conveyed object does not fall. The frame 16 shown in FIG. 2 uses a stringer in which two C-shaped steel bars are arranged in parallel. Alternatively, the frame 16 may be a truss type in which strong steel materials are assembled into a truss shape.

[0015] [Air-floating belt conveyor] FIG. 1 is a side view of an air floating belt conveyor installed on a part of a roller type belt conveyor. The air floating belt conveyor 20 installed on a part of a roller type belt conveyor 10 includes a trough 22 on the upper surface of which the conveyor belt 12 floats and runs, an air floating unit 21 having an air duct 23 supporting the trough 22, an air supply source 24 that supplies air to the air floating unit 21, and a cylindrical casing 26 that covers the air floating unit 21. The trough 22 and the air duct 23 support the conveyor belt 12 from the lower surface side, and have a cross section formed in a V-shape, U-shape, or ship bottom shape, and a passage through which air passes is formed between the trough 22 and the air duct 23. The air supply source 24 supplies air to the air floating unit 21, and air flows out from between the trough 22 and the conveyor belt 12 to float the conveyor belt 12. In the air levitation unit 21 of this embodiment, the truss 22 and the air duct 23, each having a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction, are regarded as one unit, and the unit can be attached as a unit. When attaching to the upper surface of the frame 16, the legs 23a supporting the undersides of both ends of the air duct 23 are fixed using fixing means (fastening with bolts and nuts, welding, etc., the same applies below). When attaching to the underside of the frame 16, both ends of the trough 22 are fixed using fixing means.

[0016] [How to update the conveyor] Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the conveyor renewal method of the present invention. Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the conveyor renewal method of the present invention. To update the conveyor, first release the tension on the conveyor belt 12. Next, as shown in Figure 3 (1), the carrier side belt 12a at the part where the roller type belt conveyor 10 is to be updated to the air floating belt conveyor 20 is lifted upward from the frame 16 to provide space to remove the carrier side roller 14. At this time, the return side belt 12b is left supported on the roller between the lower surface of the frame 16 and the top of the return side roller 15 (the return side belt 12b is omitted in the figure).

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3(2), the carrier side roller 14 is removed from the top of the frame 16. There is a space between the carrier side roller 14 and the carrier side belt 12a that is lifted upward, so it can be easily removed. Next, the return side roller 15 is removed from the bottom of the frame 16. The return side roller 15 can be removed without any trouble because the return side belt 12b is on the top of the roller. If the carrier side roller 14 and the return side roller 15 are attached to the frame 16 by a fastening means of bolts and nuts, the rollers can be easily removed by loosening the fastening means (the conveyor belt 12 is omitted in the following (2) to (4)). When removing the roller type belt conveyor 10, it is recommended to remove a roller of a length equivalent to each unit of the air levitation unit 21.

[0018] As shown in Figure 4 (3), air levitation units 21 are installed above and below the frame 16 from which the rollers have been removed. The air levitation unit 21 on the upper side of the frame 16 has legs 23a attached to the upper surface using fastening means. The air levitation unit 21 on the lower side of the frame 16 has the upper ends of both ends of the concave trough 22 attached to the lower surface using fastening means. The air levitation unit 21 should be installed using the fastening bolts and bolt holes of the removed carrier side rollers 14 and return side rollers 15. This allows the fastening bolts and bolt holes to be reused, reducing renewal costs. The carrier side belt 12a is disposed on the trough 22 and the carrier side roller 14 on the upper surface side of the frame 16. With the installation of the trough 22, the return side belt 12b is disposed on the trough 22 and the return side roller 15 on the lower surface side of the frame 16. 4(4), the air supply source 24 and the casing 26 (not shown) are installed. Then, the tension of the conveyor belt 12 is adjusted.

[0019] According to the present invention, since a part of the existing structure is reused, the roller type belt conveyor can be replaced with an air floating belt conveyor in a short time, and the replacement cost can be reduced. In addition, the conveyor length can be freely changed because the air floating unit can be attached to each air floating unit having a trough and air duct of a predetermined length, and the replacement work can be easily performed in a short time. In addition, when changing not only a part of the roller type belt conveyor but the whole of it to the air floating type belt conveyor, by reusing the frame and the support, the updating work can be completed in a short time and the updating cost can be reduced. Also, when changing a part of the roller type belt conveyor to the air floating type belt conveyor, not only can the upper and lower carrier side rollers and the return side rollers be updated simultaneously, but also one of them, for example, the roller type on the upper surface of the frame can be left as it is and the lower surface can be updated to the air floating type, or the upper surface of the frame can be updated to the air floating type and the lower surface can remain the roller type. [Explanation of symbols]

[0020] 10. Roller type belt conveyor 12. Conveyor Belt 14 Carrier side roller 15 Return side roller 16 Frames 18 Posts 20 Air-floating belt conveyor 21 Air Levitation Unit 22 Trough 23 Air Duct 23a Legs 24 Air supply source 26 Casing

Claims

1. A method for updating a belt conveyor, the method comprising: a conveyor belt; carrier-side rollers supporting a carrier-side belt of the conveyor belt at a predetermined interval; return-side rollers supporting a return-side belt of the conveyor belt at a predetermined interval; a frame having an upper surface connected to the carrier-side rollers and a lower surface connected to the return-side rollers; and columns supporting the frame at predetermined intervals along a longitudinal direction, the method comprising the steps of: updating a belt conveyor to an air-floating belt conveyor; Lifting the conveyor belt to remove the carrier side rollers and the return side rollers from the frame at a location where the air floating belt conveyor is to be installed; a step of installing an air flotation unit, which comprises a trough on the upper surface of which the conveyor belt floats and runs, and an air duct supporting the trough, on the frame at a location where the carrier side roller and the return side roller have been removed, the air flotation unit having a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction of the trough and the air duct, fixing legs supporting the undersides of both ends of the air duct to the upper surface of the frame, and fixing both ends of the trough to the lower surface of the frame, and returning the conveyor belt to the upper surface of the air flotation unit; A method for updating a conveyor, comprising the steps of installing an air supply source that supplies air to the air floating unit and a casing that covers the air floating unit.

2. 2. The conveyor renewal method according to claim 1, A method for updating a conveyor, comprising the steps of: installing the air floating unit using the fastening bolts and bolt holes of the removed carrier side roller or the return side roller.

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