Belt Conveyor

A belt conveyor is a system designed to transport or move physical items like materials, goods, even
people from one point to another. Unlike other conveying means that employ chains, spirals,
hydraulics, etc., belt conveyors will move the items using a belt. It involves a loop of a flexible
material stretched between rollers that are actuated by an electrical motor. Because the items being
transported vary in nature, the belt material also varies by the system it is employed in. It commonly
comes as a polymer or a rubber belt.

Components of a Belt Conveyor

A standard belt conveyor system has a head pulley, tail pulley, idler rollers, belt, and frame.

Head Pulley

The head pulley is coupled with the actuator and the electric motor. It drives the conveyor,
acting as the pulling force. The head pulley is located at the point that the conveyor offloads,
known as the discharge end of a belt conveyor. Since it drives the whole system, it is often
necessary to increase the traction of its belt with a rough jacket covering its outer surface.
The jacket is referred to as a legging.
The head pulley usually has the largest diameter of all the pulleys. Sometimes a system can
have multiple pulleys that act as drive pulleys. The pulley at the discharge end, is a drive
roller usually with the biggest diameter, and will be identified as the head pulley.

Return or Tail Pulley

This is located at the loading end of the belt conveyor. Sometimes it comes with a wing shape
to clean the belt by letting material fall aside to the support members.

In a simple belt conveyor setup, the tail pulley will be mounted on guides usually slotted to
allow the belt’s tension. In other belt conveying systems as we shall see, tensioning of the
belt is left to another roller called the take-up roller.

Idler Roller

These are rollers employed along the length of the belt to support the belt and load, prevent
sagging, align the belt, and clean up the carryback (material left sticking on to the belt).

Idler rollers can either do all of the above or any one of them, but in any space, they will
always act as support for the belt.

There are many different idler rollers for different functions, as listed below:

Troughing Idlers

Troughing idlers will have three idler rollers set up in a configuration that makes a “trough”
of the belt. They are located on the side that carries the load on the belt conveyor. The idler in
the center is fixed, with the two on the ends able to be adjusted. This is so the angle and depth
of the trough can be varied.

These idlers, when employed, will reduce spillages and maintain a constant cross-sectional
area along the length of the belt conveyor. Maintaining a constant cross-sectional area is
important for stability.

Rubber Disk Idler

This idler has rubber disks placed at set distances along the axis of the roller. On the extreme
ends, the rollers are much closer so that they can support the belt edge, which is prone to tear.
The spaced-out disks will break off any connected carryback/ leftover material and reduce
material building up on the bottom of the belt. This is a common cause for mistracking (when
the belt shifts to one side of the system and causes misalignment).

Screw Idler Roller

Sometimes the disks are helical like a screw and the idler will be called a rubber screw idler
roller. The function will remain the same. An example of a screw idler roller is depicted
below.
The screw idler can also be made out of rubber helix. Screw idlers are most common where a
scrapper that takes off carryback would not be feasible, especially on mobile belt conveyors.

Trainer Idler

Trainer idlers keep the belt running straight. It works against mistracking. It achieves this by
a central pivot that swerves the roller back to the center should the belt drift off to one side. It
also incorporates two guide rollers to act as guides for the belt.

Conveyor Belt

In setting up a belt conveyor, the belt is perhaps the most intricate.The tension and strength
are important since the belt takes a lot of punishment when loading and ferrying the material.
A belt is made up of components such as:

Conveyor Carcass

Since this is the skeleton of the belt, it has to provide the tensile strength needed to move the
belt and the lateral stiffness for supporting the load. It must also be capable of absorbing
loading impact. The belt is a loop so it has to be joined; this is known as splicing. Because
some of the splicing methods require the use of bolts and fasteners, the carcass must be able
to provide an adequate and firm base for these fasteners. The carcass is commonly made of
steel cord or textile ply. Textile ply is made from fibers like aramid, polyamide, and
polyester. If only one ply is used, a PVC-coated textile carcass is also common. Carcasses
can have even six layers piled on each other. The carcass can also include the edge protection
that is very much needed in bulk conveyor belts.

Conveyor Covers (Top and Bottom & Sides)

This is a flexible material made of rubber or PVC. The covers get exposed directly to the
weather elements and the working environment. Careful consideration of the covers must be
made depending on the intended use. The following usually require attention, flame
resistance, low-temperature resistance, grease and oil resistance, anti-static, and food grade.
The carrying side of the conveyor depending on the load, the angle of inclination of the
conveyor, and general use of the belt all have special features. It can be corrugated, smooth,
or cleated. Other applications like scrap conveyors in CNC machines will employ a steel belt
conveyor since this won’t wear as much as other conventional materials would do. In food
processing industries, PVC, PU, and PE belts are also used for the preservation of food and to
minimize contamination. Plastic belts are fairly new, though due to their vast advantages,
they are slowly gaining momentum. They are easy to clean, have a wide temperature range,
and have good anti viscosity properties. They are also resistant to acids, resistant to alkaline
substances, and saltwater.

Conveyor Frame

The frame, depending on the loading, height of operation, and distance to be covered will
vary. They can come in a simple setup that can be represented by a cantilever. They can also
be trusses in the case of larger loads. Extrusions of Aluminum are also employed for simple
and lightweight operations. The frame design is a critical aspect of conveyor design. A badly
designed frame can cause:
  Belt running out of track
 Structural failure which results in:
o Long downtimes which translate to delays in production
o Injuries and casualties
o Costly Spillages
 Expensive fabrication methods and installation.

On the frame, other accessories can also be mounted like walkways and lighting as depicted
above. Lighting situations will require sheds and guards to protect the material. Loading and
discharge chutes can also be mounted. Knowledge of all these possible add-ins is important
to avoid uncalculated overloading.

Types of Belt Conveyors

Roller Bed Belt Conveyor

The surface just under the belt on this version of a conveyor belt is made of a series of rollers.
The rollers are closely stacked so that there is hardly any sagging of the belt. They are
suitable for both long and short distance conveying. In some instances, they can be so short
that they only employ two rollers for the entire system. When using gravity to load, the roller
belt conveyor is one of the best options to pick. If one used manual loading, the shock would
damage the rollers easily since they usually have internal bearings. These bearings plus the
generally smooth surface of the rollers greatly reduce friction which makes it easy for
conveying.

Roller bed belt conveyors are used mainly where there is hand sorting, assembling,
transporting, and inspection. Examples include in:

 Airport baggage handling

 Courier items sorting including postal offices

Flat Belt Conveyor

The flat belt conveyor is one of the most common conveyor types. It is typically used to
transport items within a facility. Internal conveyance requires a series of powered rollers/
pulleys to pull the belt. The belts employed for the flat belt conveyor vary from fabrics,
polymers to natural rubbers. Because of this, it becomes versatile in terms of materials to be
transported. It is also very easy to align with the tail pulley usually mounted so it can be
adjusted to align the belt. It is generally a low speed conveyor belt.

The flat belt conveyor applications include:

 Slow assembly lines

 Washdown applications
 Light dusty industrial assembly

Modular Belt Conveyor

In contrast to flat belt conveyors that use a “seamless” loop of a flexible belt, Modular Belt
conveyors use a series of interlocking rigid pieces commonly made from plastic or metal.
They function more like a chain does on a bicycle.

This gives them a huge advantage over their flexible belt counterparts. It makes them rugged
because they can work over a wide range of temperatures and PH levels. When a section of
the belt becomes damaged, one can easily replace that particular section alone rather than the
flexible belts where the entire belt would have to be replaced. Modular belts can travel, using
only one motor, around corners, straight lines, inclines, and declines.

As much as other conveyors can do the same, it comes at the cost of complexity and funds.
For applications that may require the “unorthodox” width greater than the length, type of
conveyor, modular belt conveyors will achieve that feat much easier.

Since they are non-metallic, easy to clean, and porous to gas and liquids, modular belt
conveyors can be applied in:

 Food handling
 Fluid handling
 Metal detection

Cleated Belt Conveyor

Cleated belt conveyors will always have a barrier or cleat in their design. The cleats work to
separate equal segments on the belt. These segments keep particles and materials that might
otherwise roll back or fall off the conveyor during inclines and declines. The cleats come in
different shapes and sizes which include:

Inverted Capital T

This cleat will be standing at 90 degrees to the belt to give support and flexibility to delicate
items. It is most suited to do light jobs and handling small parts, packaged goods, and food
products.

Forward- Leaning Capital L

Because of its orientation, it can easily resist leverage forces. It can be used to scoop granules
and hold them against gravity. It can be employed to hold light to medium weight granules.

Inverted V Cleats

These cleats are less than 5cm in height to have the same effect that a trough has. They can be
used to transport heavy or big bulks of material because of their relatively short cleat, which
can withstand high impacts.

Lugs and Pegs

These cleats are used to aid the runoff of liquids after washing off items like vegetables and
fruits. Lugs and pegs are a cost-effective way to convey substances and items that do not
need to be supported all along the length of the belt such as large cartons or rods. They can
also be used to selectively move products that exceed a wanted size and even hold single
products in place.

Other uses of Cleated Belt Conveyors include:

 Escalators are a modification of cleated belt conveyors in a sense they carry loose materials
up an incline that is steep.

Curved Belt Conveyor

This conveyor uses a frame that is fabricated already curved so as to carry items around tight
corners. It is used where space is limited and winding conveyors would save space. The
curves can go as steep as 180 degrees.

Modular plastics with interlocking segments are used but only if the conveyor has a straight
run before it curves. Flat flexible belts will be used if the belt is primarily only curved.

Incline/Decline Belt Conveyor

Incline conveyors require tighter tension force, higher torque, and traction on the belt surface
to prevent items from falling off the belt conveyor. Thus, they will incorporate a gear motor,
a center drive, and a take up. The belt must also have a rough surface to allow for greater
traction.

Sanitary Washdown Conveyor

In the pharmaceutical and food industries, sterilization and harsh washing usually need to
happen, in line with health and safety guidelines. Washdown and sanitary conveyors are
designed to handle sanitary procedures of that nature. The belts employed here are usually
flat belts that are relatively thin. Sanitary wash-down belt conveyors are used in items coming
from extreme temperatures like freezers and furnaces. Sometimes they have to work in hot oil
or glaze. Because of how well they can handle greasy environments, they are sometimes used
to offload oil drums and crates from ships.

Troughed Conveyors

A troughing belt conveyor is not a distinct type of belt because troughing can be incorporated
in any conveyor type. It utilizes a belt that forms a troughed shape because of the troughing
idler rollers under it. The troughing idler rollers have a central roller that has a horizontal axis
of rotation, the outer two rollers (wing rollers) have an axis lifted at an angle to the
horizontal. The angle is usually around 25 degrees. Troughing only happens to the top idler
rollers and never really at the bottom.

Higher angles of troughing will cause permanent damage to the belt. If the belt is troughed at
steeper angles, it will retain its cup shape and will become difficult to clean, difficult to track
as well as break the carcass of the belt. It also might reduce the amount of surface contact
with the idler rollers, which ultimately reduces the efficiency of the belt conveyor system.
Trough belts usually operate in one plane, which is either horizontal or inclines, but inclines
that are only until 25 degrees. The belt must have a radius big enough so that it can still touch
all the rollers in the troughing idler. A sharper angle of troughing means the belt will not
touch the center idler roller, thereby undermining the structural integrity of the belt as well as
the efficiency of the conveyor system at large.

Magnetic Belt Conveyor

Magnetic belt conveyors are a transport device used to position and control ferrous metal
pieces and parts. They use ferrite or neodymium magnets to transport materials and are ideal
for small parts that would not normally fit on a traditional belt conveyor. Magnetic belt
conveyors function exactly like traditional belt conveyors. What differentiates magnetic belt
conveyors from other conveying systems is their use of magnets to take advantage of
material’s magnetic properties.

The magnets on a magnetic belt conveyor are spaced along the bed of the conveyor with
sufficient power to resist the effects of gravity. The size of the size the materials has little
effect on the efficiency of a magnetic belt conveyor since the strength of the magnets can be
changed to meet different conditions and requirements.

Types of Magnetic Belt Conveyors

Magnetic Belt Conveyors - Magnetic belt conveyors are the most common type of magnetic
conveyor because they are easy to construct and operate. They have a magnetized sheet metal
belt with permanent magnets or a series of electromagnets that force ferrous materials to stick
to the conveyor belt.

Aside from the presence of the magnets, magnetic belt conveyors function like traditional belt
conveyors. They are used to move cans of goods, parts, ore, and other metals with magnetic
properties and can move products vertically, up inclines, and upside down.

Magnetic Separator Belt Conveyors - Magnetic separator belt conveyors are a specially
designed type of magnetic conveyor that are used to separate ore from loose dust and debris.
As material moves along the belt, non-magnetic material falls to the side while magnetic
material adheres to the belt. Magnetic separator conveyors are divided into dry and wet types.
The difference between the two is that dry types do not have to have materials wet to do the
separation while the wet type requires material to wet.