Symmetrical Conveyor Belt Sections for Pipe Backfilling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing machines for burying pipes, such as padding machines, face high manufacturing costs and inefficiencies due to complex conveyor belt designs that require different equipment and configurations for overlapping sections, leading to increased production times and material loss during the lifting of waste material.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor belt system where each section has symmetrical front and rear ends, allowing for continuous overlapping without the need for different processing tools, reducing manufacturing complexity and improving transport efficiency by preventing material loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conveyor belt sections are designed with overlapping front and rear ends to prevent material loss, then transport efficiency is improved, but manufacturing complexity and production time increase due to requiring different processing equipment for each end
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry in reverse by making the conveyor belt sections symmetrical. Each section has identical front and rear ends with the same overlapping configuration, eliminating the need for different processing equipment. This symmetrical design maintains the overlapping function to prevent material loss while simplifying manufacturing to use uniform processing tools for all sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes each conveyor belt section universally manufacturable using the same processing equipment for both front and rear ends. The symmetrical design allows a single type of bending tool to process all sections, providing manufacturing universality that reduces complexity while maintaining the overlapping configuration needed for efficient material transport.
2Productivity
If conveyor belt sections are designed with overlapping ends to prevent material loss, then transport efficiency is improved, but production time increases due to requiring different bending tools and configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the time-consuming requirement for different bending tools by making all conveyor belt sections symmetrical. Each section has identical front and rear ends that can be processed using the same bending configuration, significantly reducing production time while maintaining the overlapping design that prevents material loss during transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies homogeneity by making all conveyor belt sections identical with uniform overlapping configurations at both ends. This homogeneous design allows all sections to be manufactured using the same processes and equipment, eliminating the need for tool changes or reconfigurations during production, thereby reducing overall production time while maintaining transport efficiency.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional conveyor belt sections are used with asymmetric overlapping design, then manufacturing is simplified, but material loss occurs during the lifting of waste material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reverses the conventional asymmetric design by implementing symmetrical sections where both front and rear ends have identical overlapping configurations. This symmetrical approach maintains manufacturing simplicity while ensuring that material is retained during lifting operations, as the continuous overlapping prevents gaps that would cause material loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses homogeneous symmetrical sections throughout the conveyor belt, where each section has the same overlapping design at both ends. This uniform configuration ensures consistent material retention during lifting while keeping manufacturing processes simple and standardized, eliminating the material loss problems associated with conventional asymmetric designs.
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
Machine (500) for the definition of a material for the burying of pipes, especially a padding machine and/or crusher, in particular adapted to cover said pipe with the corresponding material, preferably consisting of the waste material of the excavation for laying the pipes, comprising a lifting device (100) configured to transfer the material from a collection area (110) to a storage area (120), by means of a conveyor belt (200) comprising a plurality of sections (210,220) mechanically associated to towing means (203), for the movement thereof, in which said sections alternate in such a way that an overlying section (210) is continuously in an overlapping relationship with the adjacent underlying section (220) which precedes it and which follows it.