Conveyor Pan Trough Fastening for Vibration Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyor pans in underground mining scraper chain conveyors experience excessive wear on the top strand, leading to vibrations and noise, which reduces the working life of the substructure and requires frequent replacement of the changeable trough.
Innovation Solution
The conveyor pan features a changeable trough with T-shaped side profiles and multiple screw bolts passing through welded holding strips on the top web, providing secure fastening and redundancy to prevent vibrations and positional displacements, allowing for easy access and extended use by rotating the trough 180° if needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single screw bolt is used to fasten the changeable trough, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability decreases and vibrations occur when one bolt comes loose
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening system is segmented into multiple screw bolts distributed across the changeable trough, with each bolt providing independent fastening. This segmentation ensures that if one bolt fails, others continue to maintain the connection, preventing vibrations and maintaining reliability without requiring a overly complex integrated fastening mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The design incorporates redundant screw bolts as a preventive measure against fastening failure. By having multiple bolts before any potential failure occurs, the system cushions against the harmful effect of vibration and noise that would result from a single bolt coming loose, ensuring continuous reliable operation.
2Reliability
If the changeable trough is securely fastened with multiple screw bolts, then vibrations and noise are prevented, but the ease of operation for replacement is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The multiple screw bolts are arranged in a segmented, distributed pattern across the changeable trough, allowing workers to access and remove them systematically. This segmentation enables efficient removal and reinstallation while maintaining the vibration-prevention benefit of multiple fastening points.
Solution Approach 2:
The changeable trough design with multiple screw bolt holes serves multiple functions: it provides secure fastening to prevent vibrations during operation, and simultaneously enables easy removal and reinstallation for maintenance. The same multi-bolt structure supports both reliable operation and ease of replacement.
3Productivity
If the changeable trough is used with excessive wear on one side, then the productivity is maintained, but the duration of action is reduced due to inability to reuse
Solution Approach 1:
The changeable trough is designed with symmetrical features including multiple screw bolt holes and indentations on both sides, allowing it to be installed in either orientation. This symmetrical design (enabling asymmetric adaptation) allows the trough to be rotated 180° when one side becomes worn, extending its service life and allowing continuous productivity without premature replacement.
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 ensures secure and vibration-free operation, extends the life of the conveyor pan by allowing easy replacement and reinstallation of the changeable trough, reducing noise and maintaining the substructure's functionality.
Implementation Method 1
in which there are welded holding strips which project laterally partially over the top web
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a conveyor pan for a mining conveyor. The pan comprises a substructure (1) with two side elements (2, 3) and an intermediate floor (5) as well as a changeable trough (20) forming a top strand and being detachably and exchangeably fastenable to the substructure (1). The trough (20) comprises side profiles (21), each with a top web (23), and the top strand fastening means comprising screw bolts being fixable in place on the substructure (l).In order to ease an exchange of the trough (20), at least the top web (23) of one side profile (21) is provided with a plurality of open-edged indentations (28), in which there are welded holding strips (27), which project laterally over the top web (23) and are provided with a plurality of bolt holes (26) for the passage of a plurality of screw bolts.