Segmented Fabric Reinforcement for Wide Pipe Conveyor Belt Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing demand for wider conveyor belts with larger pipe diameters poses challenges in manufacturing, as existing solutions require special equipment and increased costs due to the need for larger continuous canvases or thicker rubber, which can lead to higher weight and tension, further increasing costs.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor belt design featuring a reinforcement layer with multiple fabric members in the width direction, where the fabric joint section is strategically positioned to enhance flexural rigidity, allowing for accurate maintenance of the pipe shape without the need for a wide continuous fabric, and utilizing idlers to support the pipe-shaped section from the outside, reducing manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a wide continuous canvas is used to increase belt width, then the flexural rigidity is improved, but the manufacturing cost rises due to requiring special manufacturing equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous canvas is divided into multiple separate fabric members that can be manufactured using standard equipment. These segmented fabric members are then disposed side-by-side within the body rubber to collectively provide the required flexural rigidity for wide conveyor belts, eliminating the need for special manufacturing equipment while achieving the desired structural strength.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the body rubber is made thicker to improve flexural rigidity, then the shape stability is improved, but the weight and maximum tension increase, requiring larger tension bodies and increasing cost
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing the thickness of the body rubber alone, the invention combines the body rubber with multiple fabric members embedded within it. This composite structure provides enhanced flexural rigidity and shape stability without significantly increasing the overall weight, as the fabric members contribute structural strength with minimal weight addition compared to thickening the rubber alone.
3Ease of manufacture
If multiple fabric members are used instead of a continuous canvas, then the manufacturing cost is reduced, but the complexity of forming the reinforcement layer increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple separate fabric members are merged together within the body rubber matrix to function collectively as a unified reinforcement layer. This merging approach allows the use of standard manufacturing equipment for each fabric member while achieving the combined effect of a continuous canvas, balancing manufacturing simplicity with structural effectiveness.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a conveyor belt (2) that includes a body rubber (21) extending in a longitudinal direction of the belt; a plurality of tension bodies (22) that extend in the longitudinal direction of the belt, are disposed in a width direction of the belt, and are embedded in the body rubber (21); and a reinforcement layer (23) that extends in the longitudinal direction of the belt and is embedded in at least one of portions within the body rubber (21), which is located between the tension bodies (22) and each of top surface and bottom surfaces of the body rubber (21), wherein the reinforcement layer (23) is formed in which a plurality of fabric members (24) extending in the longitudinal direction of the belt are continuously provided in the width direction of the belt, the side end sections (24a) of the fabric members (24) among the fabric members (24), which are adjacent to each other in the width direction of the belt are connected to each other to form a fabric joint section (25), and the fabric joint section (25) is disposed on the inner side in the width direction of the belt rather than the both side end sections in the body rubber (21), and is disposed on an intermediate section (21 c) that includes the center in the width direction of the belt.