Return Guide Bend Segment Wear Reduction

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing return guide bend segments for chain conveyors cause irregular wear on the conveying face of modular conveyor chains, especially in environments with abrasive materials, leading to potential product displacement and conveyor inefficiency.

Innovation Solution

A return guide bend segment with guide segments spaced apart and extending over the radial width of the guide track, providing free interspaces for supporting the conveying face of the chain modules and facilitating pollution discharge, thereby reducing wear and ensuring even support.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If continuous guide surfaces are used in return guide bend segments, then the conveying face of the chain modules is fully supported, but abrasive materials accumulate and cause irregular wear on the conveying face

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesupport stabilityVSAvoidabrasive wear
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The continuous guide surface is divided into multiple discrete guide segments spaced apart from each other. This segmentation allows abrasive materials to fall through the gaps between segments rather than accumulating on a continuous surface, thereby reducing irregular wear while still providing adequate support for the conveying face of chain modules.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The guide track structure is designed with gaps between guide segments, creating a porous-like configuration that allows passage of abrasive materials. This enables the harmful abrasive particles to be discharged from the return bend area, preventing accumulation and reducing harmful wear effects on the conveying face.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

2Object-affected harmful factors

If guide segments are spaced apart with free interspaces, then abrasive materials can be discharged and wear is reduced, but the support for the conveying face may be insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveabrasive wearVSAvoidsupport stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The guide segments are designed with specific local characteristics - they have sufficient height and surface area at their contact points with the conveying face to provide adequate support where needed, while being spaced apart to allow material discharge. Each segment provides localized support quality that maintains reliability while enabling wear reduction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP2240392B1Return guide bend segment
Publication Date: 2012.09.05 REXNORD FLATTOP EURO BV
  • EP2240392B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP2240392B1 patent drawingFigure 1B~1C
  • EP2240392B1 patent drawingFigure 2A

AI summary

A return guide bend segment (1) for a chain conveyor, comprising a housing (2) which defines a guide track (3) of curved configuration for guiding and supporting one or more modular conveyor chains of a return of a chain conveyor, wherein the housing is provided with guide segments (7) spaced apart with free interspaces (9) in track direction and extending over the radial width of the guide track for cooperation with downward facing conveying faces of the modules of the conveyor chain (s) of the chain conveyor.