Conveyor Belt- The Boneless Support
A conveyor belt is that part of the conveyor systems that carries material from one spot to another. It is the material that is looped over rollers and two terminal pulleys, these rollers and pulleys rotate and move the belt along. The conveyor belt could be almost of any length, the length depends on the requirements of a particular application. The world's longest conveyor belt is sixty miles long. Conveyor belt is generally of two types; wire mesh belts and fabric/steel reinforced belts. Wire mesh belts are formed by crimping the wire in precision machines with the help of rotary dies. These rotary dies precisely define the spacing between the wires and work in such a way that wires lock firmly together at the intersections. These pre-crimped wires are made into wire mesh belts by assembling them with the help of assembly machines. The Wire mesh belts are resistant to heat and cold. There is choice of mesh types available in the wire mesh belts. Some of them have a tightly woven mesh, while the others have a large mesh opening that enables air passage and water jet cleaning. They can take on any type of loads be it light or heavy. These belts are used in cooking lines, bakeries and freezing plants. The fabric/steel reinforced belts are made of a composite sheet made of fabric. The fabric is partially embedded in a polymeric sheet. The fabric can be warp yarns or weft yarns. There are usually one or more pairs of warp yarns that are adjacent and are spaced apart, substantially. In every pair, the two warp yarns are spaced apart from one another to allow the composite sheet to longitudinally slit between and away from the two warp yarns. This provides one or more than one sections of the composite sheet which can be used as a conveyor belt.
The choice of the conveyor belt depends upon its use. For example, the Steel-wire-reinforced conveyor belt is used for mining and handling heavy material. High speed and acutely inclined conveyor systems need a special conveyor belt. Flame resistant belts are used in underground mining. There are also some chemical, heat/cold and oil resistant belts, and then there are acid/alkali proof belts.
It is advisable to seek the advise of an expert before choosing the conveyor belt. The advise can be taken from the manufacturers or the consultants.
With time as the conveyor belt is used continuously it becomes slack. The slackness can be set right with the help of tensioners. These tensioners are both automatic and manual.
The conveyor belt is very much responsible for a conveyor's performance so it has to be chosen wisely and should be taken care of.
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