Angled Conveyor Belt Sealing Strips Reduce Wear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealing devices for conveyor belts suffer from high wear and maintenance issues due to friction and material accumulation, leading to impaired sealing performance.
Innovation Solution
The use of strip-like guide rails arranged at an angle to the conveyor belt's longitudinal axis, with a narrow bearing surface and increased spacing between them, along with an end strip connecting the outer ends, reduces surface pressure and guides material back to the center, preventing accumulation and ensuring low wear and effective sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If resilient sealing elements are arranged flat on the conveyor belt surface, then sealing coverage is improved, but material accumulation and friction increase leading to high wear and maintenance needs
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing element is divided into multiple individual sealing strips arranged in sequence along the conveyor belt width. Each strip acts as an independent sealing unit, preventing material from migrating laterally while allowing the strips to flex independently. This segmentation reduces material accumulation between strips and minimizes friction compared to a continuous flat sealing surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing strips are arranged at an angle (inclined) relative to the conveyor belt's longitudinal axis rather than parallel to it. This angular arrangement creates a geometric configuration where material tends to slide off the sealing strips back onto the conveyor belt center rather than accumulating underneath. The inclined orientation transforms the sealing action from a purely lateral barrier to a directional guide that actively returns material to its proper position.
2Adaptability or versatility
If sealing elements are made resilient and pivotally suspended, then adaptability to belt movement is improved, but friction and material sticking increase causing lifting and sealing impairment
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing strips are designed to be flexible and capable of pivoting or flexing as the conveyor belt moves. This dynamic configuration allows the strips to adapt to belt tension variations and movement without creating excessive friction. The strips can flex independently to accommodate belt dynamics while maintaining contact, preventing material from sticking and lifting the seals off the belt surface.
Solution Approach 2:
By arranging the sealing strips at an angle to the conveyor belt's longitudinal axis rather than parallel to it, the invention creates a geometric advantage where material that attempts to slide under the strips is directed back onto the belt center by the inclined surfaces. This angular configuration reduces the tendency of material to stick to the undersides of the strips and prevents the accumulation that would cause sealing lift-off.
3Reliability
If sealing lip rests on conveyor belt surface, then sealing contact is improved, but linear contact causes groove formation and increased wear
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of a continuous sealing lip contacting the belt surface along its entire length, the sealing is segmented into multiple discrete strips with gaps between them. This segmentation reduces the total linear contact area, distributing the wear across multiple smaller contact points rather than a continuous line. The gaps between strips prevent material accumulation and reduce the overall friction load, extending the service life of the sealing elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing strips are oriented at an angle to the conveyor belt's longitudinal axis rather than parallel to it. This angular arrangement changes the contact geometry from linear sliding contact to a more distributed pattern where material slides across the inclined surfaces and is redirected. This geometric change reduces the concentration of wear at any single point and prevents the deep groove formation that occurs with parallel linear contact.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration minimizes wear on the conveyor belt, maintains effective sealing, and allows for automatic readjustment due to the weight of the guide rails, reducing maintenance needs and ensuring continuous operation.
Implementation Method 1
the individual sealing elements consisting of strip-like guide strips which are arranged at an oblique angle to the longitudinal axis of the conveyor belt and point with their inner end in the direction of travel of the conveyor belt
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
A sealing device (15) for sealing the side regions of a conveying belt (12), wherein a series of spaced-apart sealing elements resting compliantly on the surface of the conveying belt (12) is arranged on either side of the longitudinal axis of the conveying belt (12), in the peripheral region of the conveying belt (12) in each case, wherein the individual sealing elements are angled in relation to the longitudinal axis of the conveying belt (12) and have their inner end oriented in the running direction of the conveying belt (12), is characterized in that the sealing elements consist of directing strips (18), of which the bearing surface, resting on the conveying belt (12), is of narrow design with a ratio of its width to the distance between the directing strips (18) being greater than 1:3 in relation to the distance between the directing strips (18), and in that a termination strip (25) is arranged to extend along the outer side peripheries of the conveying belt (12) and to connect the outer ends of the directing strips (18).