Conveyor Damage: A Perennial Problem Solved with New Technology |
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Richwood Industries, Inc.
P.O. Box 1298
Huntington, WV, 25714
USA
Press release date: February 27, 2008
Huntington, WV February 27, 2008 The belt conveyor created a revolution in the mining industry as it replaced more labor-intensive forms of haulage and reduced the cost per ton of handling bulk material. From the beginning, though, belt damage occurred when the material was loaded onto the conveyor belt. Jagged lumps of falling material perforated and abraded the belt. Further, alien materials sometimes found their way into the material stream and caused belt damage. Scrap metal, (roof bolts for example) could perforate the belt carcass, jam in the conveyor structure and rip many feet of belt before the damage was discovered. The impact of loaded material also damaged idlers and even the conveyor support structure itself. When these vulnerable areas on the belt line are protected, so is the efficiency of the operation. Commonly, impact idlers are used in the load zone. However, they do not protect the full width of the belt. The design of conventional idlers permits stretching and flexing of the belt in the gaps between idler rolls.
Richwood developed the Combi-Pact® Impact Saddle to address the shortcomings of earlier technology. It is a bolt-in replacement for conventional idlers and is distinguished by a curved surface supporting the whole area of belt in contact. Installed in arrays, the Combi-Pact® Saddle can replace impact beds or cradles of many feet in length. Applications around the world show their adaptability to conveyors carrying a wide variety of bulk materials and processes. They are built with a unitized steel frame, to provide strength and Ultra High Molecular Weight (UHMW) polyethylene impact segments that match the conveyor's trough exactly, to protect the full width of the belt. No part of the conveyor belt is left unprotected. The density of the segments is also instrumental is preventing alien materials from becoming embedded in the belt carcass.
Belts fail when either the compression or elongation limits of the material are exceeded. The design of the saddle seeks primarily to control compression of the material because that factor is the most easily and directly controlled. This form of belt protection can be a direct replacement for conventional idlers. It can be placed in service in all types of applications, from light duty to heavy duty, corrosive environments.
For information: www.richwood.com or contact: info@richwood.com. Phone: 1-800-237-6951
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