Load-optimized Conveyor Belt with Segmented Rubber Mixtures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyor systems face challenges with uneven mechanical loads across different areas of the conveyor belt, leading to wear and tear issues, particularly in central and lateral regions, where bulk goods and chutes apply varying stresses, resulting in reduced service life and increased manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
The conveyor belt's carrying side is designed with a load-optimized configuration, featuring a top cover plate divided into distinct areas with different rubber mixtures for impact resistance, abrasion resistance, and elasticity, tailored to specific load conditions, with the central area using a high-impact rubber mixture and lateral areas using an abrasion-resistant mixture, and the bottom layer having a distinct rubber compound from the top layer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a uniform rubber compound is used for the entire load-bearing side, then manufacturing is simple, but the conveyor belt cannot be optimized for different load conditions in different areas
Solution Approach 1:
The load-bearing side is segmented into multiple zones (central area and lateral areas) with different rubber compounds. The central area uses a rubber compound optimized for impact resistance from bulk material loading, while the lateral areas use a different compound optimized for abrasion resistance from rubbing against chutes and guides.
Solution Approach 2:
Different local regions of the load-bearing side are assigned different material properties tailored to their specific functional requirements. The central area has high impact resistance properties, while the lateral areas have high abrasion resistance properties, matching the specific stress patterns each region experiences during operation.
2Reliability
If a coating is applied to the load-bearing side, then material contact properties are improved, but manufacturing effort increases and the coating may detach or wear off
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applying a separate coating layer that may detach, the desired surface properties are integrated directly into the rubber compound itself. The rubber compound is formulated with additives and fillers that provide the necessary material contact properties, eliminating the need for separate coating applications and associated manufacturing complexity.
3Strength
If the entire load-bearing side uses high-impact rubber compound, then impact resistance is improved, but manufacturing costs increase unnecessarily in areas where impact loading does not occur
Solution Approach 1:
High-impact resistant rubber compound is applied only to the central area where bulk material loading occurs, while lateral areas use a more cost-effective rubber compound suited for abrasion resistance. This localized material selection optimizes performance where needed while reducing overall material costs.
4Duration of action of stationary object
If the load-bearing side is made more durable, then service life is extended, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The belt is constructed with segmented zones of different rubber compounds, each optimized for its specific operational demands. This segmentation allows the belt to achieve superior overall durability by addressing the specific wear mechanisms in different areas without requiring a uniformly complex construction throughout the entire belt.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to a conveying installation having a conveyor belt, comprising a cover plate (2) on the support side and a cover plate (7) on the running side, and further comprising drums, support rollers and support structures. The conveying installation according to the invention is characterized in that the cover plate (2) on the support side of the conveyor belt is composed of a single layer or multiple layers, wherein at least the uppermost layer (3) of the cover plate (2) on the support side, which is in direct contact to the conveyed material, is composed of at least two qualitatively and/or quantitatively different rubber mixtures over the total width of the conveyor belt.