Endless Belt Joint Structure for Easy Replacement and Durability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing endless belts used in conveyance devices, such as automatic ticket gates, require complex and time-consuming replacement processes due to the use of thermosetting resin, which affects durability and necessitates stopping the conveyance device during replacement, and the boundary between thermosetting and thermoplastic resins can deteriorate prematurely.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a band-shaped belt with pre-formed coupling parts made of thermoplastic resin, chemically bonded to a vulcanized rubber belt main body using a crosslinking agent, allowing for easier reformation into an endless shape and enhancing durability by ensuring strong chemical bonding between the coupling parts and the belt main body.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If thermosetting resin is used as the main material of the endless belt, then durability is improved, but belt replacement becomes complicated and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The belt is divided into two distinct parts: a belt main body made of thermosetting resin for durability, and coupling parts made of thermoplastic resin for ease of replacement. This segmentation allows each part to serve its specific function optimally.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling parts are extracted as separate, replaceable elements from the belt structure. These coupling parts can be detached and reattached without replacing the entire belt, simplifying the replacement process while maintaining the durability of the thermosetting resin belt main body.
2Ease of operation
If the endless belt is cut into a band shape for replacement, then simplification of replacement work is achieved, but a bonding part is necessary to join the belt again
Solution Approach 1:
Different parts of the belt have different properties: the belt main body uses thermosetting resin for durability, while the coupling parts use thermoplastic resin for ease of bonding. This local differentiation of material properties solves the contradiction between simplicity and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The material property parameter is changed from thermosetting resin to thermoplastic resin for the coupling parts, enabling easier bonding and simplifying the replacement process while maintaining the overall durability of the belt system.
3Ease of operation
If a boundary line between thermosetting resin and thermoplastic resin is created, then ease of replacement is improved, but durability deteriorates at the boundary
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling parts act as an intermediary between the belt main body and the replacement process. They provide a transition zone that accommodates both the durability requirements of the thermosetting resin and the ease of replacement requirements of the thermoplastic resin.
Solution Approach 2:
The belt system uses a composite structure combining thermosetting resin (for durability) and thermoplastic resin (for ease of replacement). This composite approach allows the system to achieve both durability and ease of operation simultaneously.
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 solution simplifies the belt replacement process, reduces downtime, and improves durability by maintaining strong chemical bonds between the thermoplastic resin coupling parts and the vulcanized rubber belt main body, thereby enhancing the belt's resistance to deterioration.
Implementation Method 1
a crosslinking agent which covalently bonds to the unvulcanized rubber and the thermoplastic resin
Implementation Method 2
the unvulcanized rubber sheet is vulcanized by the crosslinking agent
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3A~3C
Figure 4~5
AI summary
Provided are a band-shaped belt, an endless belt, and a method for manufacturing the same with which joining can be easy at a site where the belts are used, and which are capable of suppressing a reduction in durability. The method includes: a stacked body forming process of disposing a band-shaped thermoplastic resin sheet that is made of a thermoplastic resin and serves as a coupling part 14A or 16A, and an unvulcanized rubber sheet that includes an unvulcanized rubber and a crosslinking agent covalently bonded to the unvulcanized rubber and the thermoplastic resin and serves as a belt main body 12 on a mold surface in a state in which end parts are in contact with each other to obtain an unvulcanized stacked body; and a vulcanization-molding process of vulcanization-molding the unvulcanized stacked body.