The conveyors swivel and swivel, moving large quantities of material throughout their life cycle. Simple constructions of steel with rollers, drive, conveyor belt and some additional equipment. Despite being a simple matter, there’s a lot that can ruin it.

8 common mistakes you’d rather avoid:

1. Poor sizing

The prerequisite for the carrier having a long life is that the dimensioning is done correctly. The bandwidth and speed of the belt should be adapted to the mass being moved. In addition, the operation must have enough power to be able to pull the weight on the belt.

You will have more frequent parts replacement if this is faulty, and should consider changing the dimensions of parts that break frequently.

2. Incorrect loading

Mass should be loaded onto the conveyor in a gentle manner. It should flow evenly onto the tape. If there is a large drop onto a conveyor, the weight of the mass will wear down the conveyor and the support rollers directly below will quickly break. In the worst case, you may risk bending the mounting brackets for the support rollers over time. Then the rollers can jump out and you get a total breakdown.

If there is a large height difference, the fall must be reduced in a way. For example, a box or plate can be made where stone slams hard steel in. This takes out the momentum of the mass, allowing it to flow out nicely onto the tape.

Proper feeding

Feed from coarse crusher

With optimal feeding, the mass should flow smoothly onto the conveyor belt. This is how both leashes and rollers live longer.

3. Tired rollers

Carrier rollers and return rollers have bearings at both ends. If the seal against the bearing is broken, it is filled with dust and small fragments of stone. Each one should roll freely without resistance. Rollers with noise, rough/slow running or leaky bearing sealing should be replaced immediately.

It is critical because rollers that run slower than the conveyor belt wear on the rubber. In the worst case, the roller stops completely, and then a sharp edge can form that can cut in the conveyor belt. Replacing a few rollers is far less expensive than a new conveyor belt. You should therefore have periodic supervision.

Sigve Stokka with carrying rolls for conveyor belts at Rekefjord Stone in Egersund.

4. Drums that slur

Slurring wears out both conveyor belt and drum, but fortunately it’s easy to prevent. Vulked rubber coating on the propellant drum is there precisely to prevent slurring. If it starts to wear out, it may be worthwhile to add again.

You should also ensure that drive and reverse drum bearings are lubricated at the right intervals. If you also have control of the tightening, you should not have problems with slurring.

Factions that end up on the return side of the tape will also wear on the drum. See how you can easily prevent this on point 7 about plough.

Regular drive drum checks are important. Here, Andreas Hovland checks that everything is sitting as it should on the new fine-crushing plant we built for Hellviksplitt.

5. Compressive load on pre-scraper

Should be mounted approx. At. 3:30 p.m. on the drive drum. This lies with spring or torsional pressure against the conveyor belt and scrapes off the remaining masses. On scrapers, it is especially the cutting blades that should be checked regularly.

  • Remove pulp that has settled between the cutting blades and prevents proper pressure against the tape
  • Cutting blades should have uniform pressure throughout the width, this provides even scraping
  • Cutting blade should follow the basket towards the drum

Often, the entire scraper beam can be tilted forward without the use of tools and “shaken” a little before being put in place. Then, as a rule, everything will be in order.

Front scraper mounted with the correct angle of attack and the correct pressure load against conveyors.

6. Fine scraper without intervention

This should be mounted at. 18:00 with pressure up against the conveyor belt, approx. 10 cm behind the point where the conveyor belt releases the drum. There, it removes the residues that the scrape doesn’t catch.

Read also:
M bait to conveyor belt: 3 vital barriers that prevent breakdowns

With these two properly mounted, you remove almost all the material that goes back on the underside of the conveyor belt. Check the procedure in the same way as with a scratch.

7. Non-contact plow

If fractions are pinched between the drum and the conveyor belt inside, it will quickly be damaged. You can prevent this by mounting a plow close to the reversing drum on the return belt.

Check that the plow hangs “freely” in the suspension so that it can follow the tape. Only then will it perform good scraping. If there are signs of larger amounts of mass on the return band, you should find out where it is coming from and stop the inflow.

The conveyors on the new fine crushing plant for Hellviksplitt have all the optional equipment attached:

This is how the plow should lie on the conveyor belt, with room to move with the movement of the tape.

8. Locked trackers

This is equipment that will help the conveyor belt to run bent during operation. If the conveyor belt is skewed to an escalating extent, it may indicate that trackers are not free, are mounted crookedly or that something is pinched.

Stand with the conveyor belt at head height and look along it. If there is bias, find out where it starts, where it ends and where it goes crooked. Find the error from there.

Functional enhancement

All optional equipment has specific tasks that extend the life of the conveyors. When the right equipment is installed, you must have good maintenance routines that ensure the right function and effect. This is important work that must be ongoing and that will pay off easily in the form of reduced costs.

PS: Scratch and fine scraper are underrated. They have a great effect on the service life of the conveyor. In almost all cases, it will be a good investment to mount both on all conveyors. It also reduces the need for cleaning under the conveyors and dust in the local environment.

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