Cleated Conveyor Belt Cleaner With Biasing Member
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Inclined conveyor belts with cleats often experience issues with food items sticking to the belt and cleats, leading to waste as these items fall off during belt reversal and end up on the floor.
Innovation Solution
A cleated conveyor belt cleaner is designed with a cleaning blade and an elongate support, mounted to bias the blade into engagement with both the conveyor belt and the cleat. The biasing member allows the blade to shift away from the belt portion as the cleat moves downstream, ensuring continuous cleaning and preventing the blade from getting stuck.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cleaning blade is biased into engagement with the conveyor belt, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the blade may get stuck on the cleat during belt reversal
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning blade is designed with dynamic engagement characteristics, allowing it to flex and adjust its position relative to the conveyor belt and cleat. The blade can deflect away from the belt during normal operation to avoid getting stuck, while still maintaining contact for effective cleaning when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The biasing force applied to the cleaning blade is carefully controlled to optimize cleaning effectiveness while preventing the blade from getting stuck on the cleat. By adjusting the magnitude of the biasing force, the system achieves a balance between cleaning performance and avoiding harmful sticking.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the cleaning blade remains in continuous engagement with the conveyor belt, then cleaning consistency is improved, but the blade cannot accommodate cleat deflection during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning blade incorporates dynamic deflection capabilities that allow it to adapt to cleat movement while maintaining consistent cleaning contact. The blade can flex and adjust its position to follow cleat deflection, ensuring continuous effective cleaning without losing contact stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning blade is designed as a flexible element that can deflect and conform to the movement of the cleat. This flexibility allows the blade to maintain engagement with the conveyor belt surface while accommodating the dynamic deflection of the cleat during operation.
3Area of stationary object
If the cleaning blade is designed to follow the contour of the cleat, then cleaning coverage is improved, but the blade structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning blade utilizes a flexible design that naturally conforms to the contour of the cleat through elastic deflection rather than complex structural shaping. This approach achieves comprehensive cleaning coverage while maintaining a relatively simple blade structure that relies on material flexibility rather than geometric complexity.
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
The solution effectively removes food items from the conveyor belt and cleats, reducing waste and maintaining cleanliness by ensuring the cleaning blade remains engaged with the cleat and belt throughout the conveyor operation.
Implementation Method 1
The mounts include a biasing member configured to apply a biasing force to keep the cleaning blade in biased engagement with the cleat
Implementation Method 2
a cleaning blade for engaging the conveyor belt... The engagement of the cleaning blade and the cleat as the cleat moves downstream causes the cleaning blade to travel along and clean the upstream surface of the cleat
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, a cleated conveyor belt cleaner having a cleaning blade for engaging a conveyor belt, an elongate support for the cleaning blade, and mounts arranged to orient the elongate support to extend across the conveyor belt and allow the cleaning blade to engage with the conveyor belt and a cleat thereof. The mounts include a biasing member configured to apply a biasing force to keep the cleaning blade in biased engagement with the cleat as the cleat and a belt portion deflect by permitting the cleaning blade and elongate support to shift away from the belt portion against the bias force during the cleaning blade engagement with the cleat. The biasing member is configured to bias the elongate support back toward the belt portion and return the cleaning blade into engagement with the conveyor belt after the cleaning blade disengages from the cleat of the conveyor belt.