Conveyor Belt Clip-Staple Assembly Stripping Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for attaching conveyor belt ends using staples face issues such as stripping, limited metal selection for clips, imperfect guidance, and the need for precise positioning of external matrices, which restrict their use in heavy-duty applications like transporting bulk materials.
Innovation Solution
The development of improved clips and staples featuring sheet metal construction with perpendicular claws, re-entrant reinforcing ribs, and snap-fit grooves, allowing for versatile positioning and enhanced resistance to directional constraints, without requiring an external matrix for folding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If round wire clips with pointed branches are used, then the clips can be inserted through the conveyor belt, but the spikes are liable to stripping during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the clip spikes by providing grooves that guide the deformation of the spike during insertion. This controlled deformation path prevents the spike from stripping by directing the material flow during bending, thereby maintaining reliability while preserving ease of insertion
Solution Approach 2:
The grooves are pre-formed in the clip spikes before insertion. These preliminary grooves prepare the spike for controlled deformation during insertion, preventing stripping before it occurs by establishing a predetermined deformation path
2Manufacturing precision
If an external matrix is used for folding clip spikes, then the spikes can be properly positioned, but the positioning requires high precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the positioning function from the external matrix and integrates it into the clip structure itself through the grooves. The grooves provide the necessary guidance and positioning directly on the clip, eliminating the need for a separate external matrix and reducing the precision requirements for external positioning devices
Solution Approach 2:
The grooves in the clip spikes provide self-guidance during insertion and positioning. The clip structure itself serves the positioning function through its grooves, eliminating the need for external positioning matrices and reducing overall system complexity
3Ease of manufacture
If claws are made from the same metal as the staple, then manufacturing is simplified, but metal selection is limited for optimal performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite construction by making the claws from a different material than the staple body. The claws can be made from hammer-hardened metal or other materials optimized for specific functions, while the staple body uses different material properties, allowing optimal performance for each component's specific requirements
4Reliability
If hammer-hardening is applied to claws, then resistance to stripping is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies hammer-hardening locally only to the claws and not the entire clip structure. This localized treatment provides the necessary resistance to stripping where it is most needed (at the spike tips) while keeping the rest of the clip manufacturable with standard processes, balancing reliability and ease of manufacture
Data Source
AI summary
A conveyor belt joining staple including upper and lower staple plates situated at different levels joined by knuckles. The upper staple plate has through-holes for passage of staple attaching clip claws and the lower staple plate has bridges that form a recess between a bar of the bridge and an upper surface of the lower plate. The lower staple plate has two shearing lines corresponding to the recess of the bridge, and inlet and outlet toboggans that each have a curved tab. The toboggans are symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal axis of the bridge. Each toboggan has a boss that has an upper round portion and base rounded portions. A portion of the boss is connected to a portion of the tap. Each inlet toboggan-boss is situated in vertical alignment with a corresponding hole of the upper plate for the passage of the clip claws.