Engineering Failure Analysis 67 (2016) 33–45

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Engineering Failure Analysis

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/engfailanal

Possibilities of failure analysis for steel cord conveyor belts using

knowledge obtained from non-destructive testing of steel ropes
Gabriel Fedorko a,⁎, Vieroslav Molnár a, Želmíra Ferková b, Pavel Peterka a,
Jozef Krešák a, Marianna Tomašková c
a
Technical University of Kosice, Letna 9, 042 00, Kosice, Slovak Republic
b
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Technical University of Kosice, Letna 9, 042 00, Kosice, Slovak Republic
c
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Kosice, Letna 9, 042 00, Kosice, Slovak Republic

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The steel cord conveyor belts are applied in many industrial branches. Current operation of the
Received 29 February 2016 conveyor belts is closely connected with various kinds of mechanical loading, which causes
Received in revised form 17 May 2016 wear or gradual degradation of the conveyor belts. One of the most often occurring failures
Accepted 19 May 2016
in the steel cord conveyor belts is damage of the inner steel cord carcass of the belt. However,
Available online 20 May 2016
timely identification of this undesirable process is a problematic question. There is presented in
this article an innovative approach concerning application possibility of the non-destructive
Keywords: testing tools, namely in the area of the steel cord conveyor belts. The realised experimental
Failure analysis
measurements, together with the performed simulation processes verified an important fact
Steel rope
that the non-destructive testing methodology, which is used for the steel wire ropes routinely,
Steel cord conveyor belt
Non-destructive testing can be applied for the steel cord conveyor belts, as well. The developed simulation models are
in accordance satisfyingly with the real status, which is typical for standard operation of the
steel cord conveyor belts. These simulation models can be applied during the next investigation
activities performed in the given research area.
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

Steel wire ropes are widely used in various kinds of industrial branches, such as mining, building and transportation. It is im-
portant to dispose of information concerning the rope operational conditions in order to provide replacement of the rope in time
or to extend the safe working life of it when the retirement criteria have not been reached [1]. The wire ropes, which are
employed extensively in the coal-mine hoists and in various transportation systems, are subjected to damage due to wear, corro-
sion and fatigue. The extent of damage and the carrying capacity of the steel wire ropes are closely related to the perception of
safety concerning staff and equipment [2]. The steel wire ropes are commonly used in elevators, lifting machinery, passenger ae-
rial ropeways and in other related fields. Fretting wear and the induced fatigue or fracture of the individual wires have been the
major failure modes of the hoisting ropes [3]. The failures of the steel wire ropes are resulting mainly from rust and wear or from
ruptures of steel wires [4].
The steel wire ropes are the relevant constructional parts of various transport machines and transport equipment, including
the conveyor belts. The steel cord conveyor belt is a very important conveying element, which enables to perform continuous
transportation of various bulk materials. Typical operational characteristics of the steel conveyor belts are as follows: the high-

⁎ Corresponding author at: Technical University of Kosice, Faculty Letna 9, 042 00 Kosice, Slovak Republic.
E-mail address: gabriel.fedorko@tuke.sk (G. Fedorko).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.engfailanal.2016.05.026
1350-6307/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
34 G. Fedorko et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 67 (2016) 33–45

level strength, operational reliability and long transport distances. But a fact that the steel ropes are situated inside the conveyor
belt and are covered with rubber layer causes problems during identification of possible negative phenomena and degradation
processes. From this reason it seems to be advisable to use the method of non-destructive testing (NDT), which is usually applied
in the case of standard steel wire ropes, also in the area of the steel cord belts. However, this new application possibility of the
NDT should be verified with regard to a suitability of it for testing of the steel cord belts.
There are several authors worldwide dealing with the NDT of the steel wire ropes very intensively [5]. The obtained results of
their research are interesting and they promise a future perspective for a wide practical usage of the NDT diagnostics in the area
of the steel wire ropes. The non-destructive testing and evaluating methods are being increasingly applied in order to monitor the
wire ropes [6]. Wait [7] dealt with the basic concepts and techniques for testing of cylindrical conductors by both electric and
magnetic methods. He dealt mainly with wire ropes used in mine hoists, but his results are also relevant for testing of support
cables for ski lifts. There is an obvious need to perform tests of the integrity of transport ropes without in any way impairing
of their function. Apart from a careful visual examination and measurement of the external diameter, the available non-destruc-
tive testing methods utilize the electromagnetic fields, X-rays or mechanical waves [8]. Moryia et al. [9] researched the magnetic
non-destructive evaluation of corrosion in wire ropes. Peterka et al. [10] realised a non-destructive inspection of the new steel
wire rope installed in the hoist system. Radovanovic et al. [11] resolved the signal acquisition and processing in the magnetic
defectoscopy of the steel wire ropes. Implementation of the testing system should provide a complex monitoring of wire rope
condition, according to the prescribed international standards. The measurement procedure enables a better understanding of
the defects that can occur potentially, as well as the rejection criteria of used ropes and in this way to increase their security.
Zhang et al. [3] demonstrated results that the fretting wear in depth of the steel wires increases with the cumulative fretting cy-
cles and contact loads. The fatigue life of the steel wires with fretted damage was indirectly proportional to the wear depth; and
then to the fretting cycles and contact loads. McColl et al. [12] examined an influence of low viscosity oils (with and without
graphite additions) on the fretting behaviour of the wire. Oil bath lubrication suppresses effectively wear and friction during
the tests. Wang et al. [13] dealt with the finite element analysis of a hoisting rope and three-layered strand for exploration of
the fretting fatigue parameters and stress distributions in the rope cross-section. Guihong et al. [14] described the principles
and method for detecting of localized magnetic flaws in the wire ropes by measuring of a leakage flux. Wavelet transformation
and neural network are used for analysing and processing of the signals obtained from the broken wires in the steel rope in
order to improve accuracy and sensitivity of the control device [15]. Liu et al. [16] researched the configuration of magneto-
strictive transducers for both transmitter and receiver, whereas they were optimised for generation and reception of ultrasonic,
longitudinally guided waves in seven-wire steel strands in a pitch catch arrangement. A new type of the wire rope non-destruc-
tive testing (NDT) performed by means of a special detection apparatus was presented by Chai et al. [17]. Cao et al. [6] resolved
the non-destructive and quantitative evaluation of wire rope based on radial basis function of neural network using eddy current
inspection. Casey et al. [18] applied the frequency analysis in the area of acoustic emission signals resulting from failures occurring
in the steel wire ropes as well as in the individual wires taken from the ropes. Jomdecha and Prateepasen [19] presented a pro-
posal and construction of a modified main-flux equipment for wire rope inspection, which has advantages concerning the in-ser-
vice inspection and indirect axial-flux measurement used by ordinary main-flux and return-flux methods. This equipment can be
adjusted by means of electromagnetic field, which is strong enough in order to produce a leakage flux caused by flaws in various
large-diameter ropes. Raišutis et al. [20] investigated a propagation of the ultrasonic guided waves (UGW) along the multi-wire
ropes with polymer cores and determined whether it is possible to detect defects and to identify a defective strand inside the in-
ternal structure of a multi-wire rope.
An interesting approach to the NDT defectoscopy offered Krešák et al. [21]. They combined the destructive and non-destructive
measurements in order to detect disruptions of the ropes and chains. The performed experiments proved that on certain conditions
is the application of thermovision just such method, which is suitable for detection of weak places in loaded ropes and chains. The
steel wire ropes often deteriorate during their lifetime due to external or internal corrosion and abrasion, as well as due to dynamic
mechanical stresses [6]. More authors investigated these influences using various methods and approaches. Yashiro et al. [22] devel-
oped a magnetic corrosion probe for non-destructive evaluation of concrete against corrosion of reinforcing bars. Liu et al. [23] devel-
oped the non-destructive evaluation technique, which is suitable for determination of location and severity of corrosion in embedded
or encased steel bars and cables. Mietz and Fischer [24] investigated possibilities of flux measurement by means of two testing tech-
niques based on magnetic leakage. Collini and Degasperi [25] presented and discussed the relevant experiences concerning the non-
destructive method for detection of multiple cracks caused due to fretting fatigue inside the rope structure.
The main goal of this article is verification of the NDT application possibility in the area of steel cord conveyor belts. The steel-
cord conveyor belts are widely used in the long-distance belt transport. However, application of the steel-cord conveyor belt is an
expensive matter with regard to the investment costs and therefore these conveyor belts required an appropriate attention. There
is a possibility to reuse or to recycle the worn-out steel-cord belts. [26,27]. High level of tensile stress in the belt often causes a
damage of the steel-cord conveyor belt. [28]. There are applied various methods for identification of the tensile stress value, for
example suitable experimental measurements [29] or using of computers simulation tools and modelling [30,31,32].
The performed experimental measurements of the steel wire ropes, together with their following verification using methods of
the engineering failure analysis, established an initial base for a future investigation and practical applications. The principal pur-
pose of the presented research work is a comparison of the proposed calculation model with the experimental measurements in
order to create such simulation model, which will be helpful for investigation of possible damage or defects occurring in carcass of
the steel cord conveyor belt and for verification of usability of the NDT-method with regard to possible identification of the above-
mentioned kind of damaging processes in the steel cord conveyor belts.
 G. Fedorko et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 67 (2016) 33–45 35

Fig. 1. Structure of the steel cord conveyor belt.

2. Material and methods

The steel cord conveyor belts are specified for long conveying distances predominately or they are used in the case of high-
level tension forces arising in the conveyor belt during operation. The carcass of the steel cord conveyor belts is assembled
from the steel cords that are imbedded longitudinally in the so-called core rubber.
Together with the steel cords there are also the reinforcing aramid cords arranged in the steel cord conveyor belt carcass,
whereas these reinforcing cords are oriented transversally in order to increase the crosswise stiffness and puncture resistance
of the conveyor belt as well as to fulfil the breaker ply function.
Another possible design variant of the steel cord conveyor belt is construction with application of the aramid woven fabric,
which fulfils the breaker ply function in order to increase the conveyor belt resistance to a puncture.
The aramid breakers, installed in the form of woven fabric, are used both in the rubber-textile and steel cord conveyor belts.
Construction of the steel cord conveyor belt with the aramid reinforcing cords is illustrated in Fig. 1 and example of the steel cord
conveyor belt equipped with the aramid breaker is in Fig. 2.
The aramid breaker cords and the aramid breaker designed in the form of woven fabric are characterized by a high tensile
strength and low ductility what ensures a high value of the tensile strength for the conveyor belt.
Constructional characteristics of the steel ropes applied in the conveyor belts are similar to the inner structure of the standard
steel wire ropes, which are usually used in the industrial practice. Typical arrangements of the steel cords installed in the convey-
or belts are: 7 × 19, (1 + 6) + 6(1 + 6), 19 + (7 × 7), 7 × 31. The main difference between the steel ropes installed in the
conveyor belts and the industrial (engineering) steel ropes consists in number of wound wires as well as in construction and
composition of rope core. However, degradation processes arising in the steel ropes installed inside the conveyor belts are almost
the same as degradation processes occurring in the steel ropes used in the standard engineering applications. It is very difficult to
discover these degradation processes during their initial phases but a possible neglecting of them has a potential to cause fatal
consequences.
Thanks to early discovery of the initial damaging processes, which are occurring in the steel ropes situated inside the conveyor
belts, it is possible to prevent from large losses as well as to increase operational and technological safety. Nowadays, there are
actual requirements resulting from the industrial practice to apply the special diagnostic tools in order to perform a continual

Fig. 2. Example of the steel cord conveyor belt with the aramid breaker.
36 G. Fedorko et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 67 (2016) 33–45

Fig. 3. Model of the sensor with the rope.

monitoring of the steel rope status in the conveyor belt and to warn the conveyor belt operator in time after initial identification
of undesirable damaging process.
It is necessary to perform a wide range of various demanding experiments during development of such special measuring
equipment. However, the real operational conditions are not very suitable or they are inappropriate fully with regard to realisa-
tion of the required experiments. Taking into consideration these limitations it is possible to suppose that application of the com-
puter simulation tools using the FEM seems to be the most effective method with regard to the above-mentioned task and
research intention. Of course, it is necessary to perform analysis and to compare the calculated results with the results obtained
from the experiments in order to verify the considered assumption.

3. Theory/calculation

Inspection of the steel wire ropes and identification of possible defects is performed by means of a special sensor, which is
developed for this purpose intentionally. This sensor consists of two pairs of magnets connected with a yoke (which is made
from a magnetic material) and sensing coils situated in the middle among the magnets. One couple of the magnets represents
the north pole and the second couple is the south pole. These magnets are magnetised in radial direction. The sensing coils are
arranged among the magnets on internal side of them. The inspected rope is moving along the main axis of the sensor. Model
of the sensor, together with model of the rope, is illustrated in Fig. 3. Detail of the sensor itself is in Fig. 4, where the yoke,
which connects the magnets, is pictured transparently.
A basic scheme of the magnetic circuit is in Fig. 5. If the following conditions are fulfilled:

Rv11 ¼ Rv21 ; Rv12 ¼ Rv22 ; Rv13 ¼ Rv23 and Rm21 ¼ Rm22 ; ð1Þ

so the magnetic flux, passing through the sensing coils, equals to zero according to the Kirchhoff's laws and there is no voltage
induced in the coils. In the case of a non-damaged rope it is possible to suppose that the conditions (1) are fulfilled and the mag-
netic flux is closed among the magnets, rope and yoke. Leakage fluxes between the magnets are minimal. If the rope is damaged,

Fig. 4. Detail from model of the sensor with the rope.

 G. Fedorko et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 67 (2016) 33–45 37

Fig. 5. The functional scheme of interconnection for sensor with one couple of sensing coils.

so due this fact there is Rm21 ≠ Rm22 (Fig. 5) and the magnetic flux increases between the magnets in the area of the coils. This
change of magnetic flux induces voltage in the sensing coils.
The realised device and the simulation device contain another couple of coils, which are wider in order to register the leakage
fluxes in a wider range.
Where are: Um – sources of magnetic fields (in our case they are magnets), Rm1 – magnetic resistance of yoke, Rm4 – magnetic
resistance of core in the sensing coil, Rm21, Rm22 – magnetic resistance of rope part (1/2) passing through sensor between the
magnet (north pole or south pole) and the sensing coil, Rv11, Rv21, Rv12, Rv13, Rv22, Rv23 – magnetic resistances of air between
the rope and the part of sensor, Ui1, Ui2 – voltages induced in the sensing coils.

Fig. 6. Distribution of magnetic flux in the area of sensor for rope without damage.
38 G. Fedorko et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 67 (2016) 33–45

Fig. 7. Distribution of magnetic flux in the area of sensor for rope with damage.

The sensor, together with the moving rope, was simulated by means of the FEM in 3D surroundings. The real shape of the rope
was replaced by seven long regular polyhedrons (strands) that were wound into the final shape of the rope. The total cross-sec-
tion of the strands equals to the cross-section of the rope steel parts. Motional speed of the rope passing through the sensor is
4 m·s−1 and the kind of motion is linear. The length of the simulated rope is 4-multiply of the sensor length and the length
of the whole model is 6-multiply of the sensor in order the rope trajectory will be sufficient. There is evaluated the induced volt-
age in two couples of the coils situated in the middle of sensor. Voltages of the inner coils are marked uc1 and uc2; voltages of the
external coils are marked uc3 and uc4. Interconnection mode of the coils enables either summation or subtraction of the corre-
sponding voltage values:

dϕc1 dϕ
uc12 ðt Þ ¼ uc1  uc2 ¼ Nc1  Nc2 c2 ð2Þ
dt dt

dϕc3 dϕ
uc34 ðt Þ ¼ uc3  uc4 ¼ Nc3  Nc4 c4 ð3Þ
dt dt

Fig. 8. Flux linkage passing through coils.

 G. Fedorko et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 67 (2016) 33–45 39

where Nc1, Nc2, Nc3, Nc4 – is number of turns in the individual coils, whereas it is valid that Nc1 = Nc2 and Nc3 = Nc4.
ϕc1, ϕc2, ϕc3, ϕc4 – is magnetic flux in the individual coils.
There was applied the transient solution type in order to calculate the magnetic fluxes and the induced voltages.
The T-Ω formulation was used in the 3D transient (time domain) as well as it was applied the translation motion, together
with the default boundary conditions (Natural and Neumann).
The following three Maxwell's equations are relevant for the transient (low frequency) applications, what is our actual
case:

∇  H ¼ σ ðEÞ ð4Þ

∂B
∇E ¼ ð5Þ
∂t

∇  B ¼ 0: ð6Þ

There were considered the non-linear characteristics of the magnetic materials during the calculations. The material of magnet
– rare soils NdBFe N42 with the Hc = 820.000 A/m (magnetic coercivity) and the Br = 1.1. Body of the device is made from Fe.
Composition of the rope material is: C 0.6%; Mn 0.8%; Si 0.4%; P 0.04%; S 0.04%; Cr 0.25%; Ni 0.3%; Cu 0.3%.
Total number of the mesh elements was different in the case of the individual simulated failures and the average number of
the used mesh elements was approx. 1,000,000. Parameters of the PC are: Intel(R)Core(TM) i7-3930K 3.2 GHz, 32 GB RAM, op-
erating system W7 64 bit. The solving time was 10 h.

4. Results

4.1. Simulation

The simulated failure in the rope was relatively large in order to reach a better visibility of the magnetic flux distribution. Each
of the coils has 100 turns. If the part of rope, which is situated in the area of sensor, is without damage, so the distribution of
magnetic flux in the plain passing through the middle of sensor is according to Fig. 6.
If the part of ropes situated in the area of sensor contains damage, so the magnetic flux distribution in the plain passing through the
middle of sensor is presented in Fig. 7. There is visible the change of magnetic flux distribution in the middle of sensor.
Time behaviours of the flux linkage in the individual coils offer a better description of the magnetic flux change, which occurs
in the area of sensor, Fig. 8. Presence of a failure in the rope causes a change of the magnetic flux in each of the four coils.
The calculated time behaviours of the voltages induced in the individual coils are in Fig. 9.

Fig. 9. Induced voltage in coils.

40 G. Fedorko et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 67 (2016) 33–45

Fig. 10. Induced voltage – combination.

Summation or subtraction of the signals resulting from the individual coils enables to obtain the time behaviours of the in-
duced voltages, Fig. 10 (there are combined only the internal or only the external coils according to Fig.4).
There were simulated 3 defects of the rope arranged similar to the real rope, according to Fig.12. Construction of the rope was
Dyform 6 & Flex-× 626 with diameter 22.4 mm. The defects represent reduction of the rope metal cross section with the values
0.52%, 0.34% and 0.68%. The shape of the defect was created as a disruption, which was simulated in the form of cuboid or
tetrahedron.
Changes of the flux linkage time behaviours, illustrated in Fig.8, are caused just due to the simulated defect. Inaccuracy of nu-
merical calculation plays an important role in the case of such small failures what is demonstrated in a form of oscillation of the
magnetic flux values. The chosen mesh and the accepted accuracy of calculation are results of a compromise between the accu-
racy of calculation and the reasonable computational time. Derivation of such time behaviour is oscillating significantly. Therefore
the time behaviour of the calculated induced voltage was filtered using a low-pass filter in Matlab. Each of the sensing coils has
100 turns according to the given simulation case.
The calculated magnetic fluxes (flux linkages) and the induced voltages, which are corresponding to the individual defects, are
illustrated in Table 1, Table 2 and Table 3.

Table 1
Flux linkages of coils and induced voltages corresponding to the defect in the upper layer of strand.

Position of defect with reduction of metallic cross-section 0.52%

 G. Fedorko et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 67 (2016) 33–45 41

Table 2
Flux linkages of coils and induced voltages corresponding to the defect in the middle of rope core.

Position of defect with reduction of metallic cross-section 0.34%

Table 3
Flux linkages of coils and induced voltages corresponding to the defect in the middle of rope strand.

Position of defect with reduction of metallic cross-section 0.68%

4.2. Measurements

The experimental measurements were performed by means of the real NDT apparatus MAG 1.0 in order to verify the created
simulation model. The parameters of this device are similar to the parameters applied during creation of the NDT equipment
model. Material composition of the applied device is as follows: C 0.6%; Mn 0.8%; Si 0.4%; P 0.04%; S 0.04%; Cr 0.25%; Ni 0.3%
and Cu 0.3%. The magnets installed in this device are made from the noble soils NdBFe with the magnetic coercivity Hc

Fig. 11. Cross-section of the rope sample Dyform 6 with the simulated defects arranged in the rope [33].
42 G. Fedorko et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 67 (2016) 33–45

Fig. 12. View on the testing stand with the rope sample and with the defectoscopic device MAG 1.0.

820 kA·m−1 and with the magnetic induction Br 1.2 T. There are possible next operating modes of the given defectoscopic device:
operation either with the narrow coil and wide coil simultaneously, or with the Hall probe and narrow coil, eventually with the
Hall probe, narrow coil and wide coil together. The sampling interval of the device is 0.5 mm and the measuring speed values are
from 0.25 m·s−1 to 5 m·s−1.
The comparative rope sample was a rope with the same inner construction and with the length 14.20 m (Fig. 11). The rope
was installed on the testing stand in the form of an infinite loop, Fig. 12.
The inner construction of the examined rope was 6(14 + (7 + 7) + 7 + 1) + IWRC 6(6 + 1) + (6 + 1). The given rope
parameters and the individual wire diameters inside this rope are summarized in Table 4.
The metallic cross-section of the rope was 293.98 mm2 according to the obtained parameters concerning the wire diameters.
There were created imitations of defects in the rope with the same displacement as it was in the simulation rope (Fig. 13).
The Fig. 13 presents time behaviours of the records concerning the artificially created, i.e. the simulated defects in the steel
wire rope. These behaviours are obtained by means of the special defectoscopic measuring device MAG 1.0. The upper part of
this figure represents a course, which is recorded from the narrow coil installed in the measuring device and the bottom part
is a record obtained from the wide coil of the same device. Position of the corresponding defect (disruption of wire) in the
rope cross section is illustrated in the middle of the figure between the above-mentioned behaviours. There is recorded in the
Position 1 the behaviour concerning the first disruption, which was created in the upper layer of the rope strand. The Position
2 represents the behaviour of record for the second disruption, which was arranged in the central wire of the IWRC rope core.
The Position 3 is recording the behaviour of the third disruption, which was situated in the central wire of the rope strand.
The details and evaluation of the individual behaviours relating to the given disruptions are summarized in the Table 5.
The first defect was placed on upper layer of the rope strand and it was created by a disruption of wire with the diameter
1.40 mm and with the metallic cross-section 1.54 mm2. This defect represents 0.52% reduction of the total rope metallic cross-sec-
tion (Table 5).

Table 4
Parameters of the examined rope.

Rope core/strand Number of strands Number of wires Wire diameter

IWRC Core 1 1 1.13

6 1.05
Strands 6 1 1.05
6 0.95
Strands 6 1 1.60
7 1.18
7 0.85
7 1.18
14 1.40
 G. Fedorko et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 67 (2016) 33–45 43

Fig. 13. Record obtained from the NDT measuring of rope with the marked positions of the defects.

The second defect was simulated as the disruption of wire in the middle of IWRC core of the rope with the diameter 1.13 mm
and with the metallic cross-section 1.00 mm2. This defect represents 0.34% reduction of the rope metallic cross-section (Table 5).
The last defect was situated in the middle of the rope strand in the form of disruption of a central wire with diameter 1.60 mm
and with the metallic cross-section 2.01 mm2. This defect represents 0.68% reduction of the rope metallic cross-section (Table 5).
Sensing of the defects was performed by means of the coil sensors with two kinds of coil construction, i.e. using the wide or
narrow coil with the diameter 26 mm. The signal obtained from the sensing coils was amplified and digitalized. The displayed
record was unfiltered and it was evaluated according to the standard EN 12927-8 in order to distinguish the signal of defect
from the rope noise signal, i.e. with regard to the signal-noise ratio.

5. Discussion

The presented results obtained from the experimental measurements and from the simulation experiments were proven by
means of the individual calculation results. The initial hypothesis about a possibility to obtain by means of an innovative method
such results, which will be relevant for research of the defects occurring in the steel cord conveyor belts, was verified in this way.
The FEM analysis enables to identify the initial signs of destruction processes arising in the steel cord conveyor belts. The

Table 5
Evaluation of the measured values.

Position of Photo of the defect Record of the defect, Evaluation

the defect narrow coil/wide coil

Drop of metallic cross-section 0.52% a1 = 7.8 V; e1 = 2.1 V ratio SH1

(7.8 V/2.1 V) = 3.71 a2 = 5.2 V; e2 = 1.5 V ratio SH2 (5.2 V/1.5 V) = 3.67

Drop of metallic cross-section 0.34% a1a = 4.0 V; e1b = 1.8 V ratio SH1e
(4.0 V/1.8 V) = 2.22 a2c = 4.1 V; e2d = 1.9 V ratio SH2f (4.1 V/1.1 V) = 3.73

Drop of metallic cross-section 0.68% a1 = 5.8 V; e1 = 2.0 V ratio SH1

(5.8 V/2.0 V) = 2.90 a2 = 5.1 V; e2 = 1.4 V ratio SH2 (5.1 V/1.4 V) = 3.64

Where is:
a
a1 – amplitude of signal from the defect for the narrow coil.
b
e1 – envelope of signal noise on the narrow coil.
c
a1 – amplitude of signal from the defect for the wide coil.
d
e1 – envelope of signal noise on the narrow coil.
e
SH1 – signal-noise ratio for the narrow coil.
f
SH2 – signal-noise ratio for the wide coil.
44 G. Fedorko et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 67 (2016) 33–45

identified destruction processes are manifested by means of the results obtained from the performed simulation procedure and it
is possible to say that these results are in a good accordance with the results obtained from the experimental measurements.
The created simulation models correspond to the real situations occurring during operation of the steel cord conveyor belts.
The proposed scheme of sensor is suitable with regard to the next research activities.
The whole described process will be oriented further only into the area of the steel-cord conveyor belts within the framework
of our next investigation activities. There will be used samples of the real conveyor belts for realisation of the experimental mea-
surements in order to perform the real experimental research. The simultaneously created exact geometrical models describing
the obtained samples will be useful for a mutual comparison of the experimental measurement results with the simulation cal-
culations, whereas the individual measurements will be evaluated by means of the FEM analysis.

6. Conclusions

In conclusion it is possible to say that the obtained results create a reliable base for the next research and development in the
area of monitoring focused on the destruction processes arising in the steel cord conveyor belts. This idea concerns extension of
the presently well-known knowledge base and experiences obtained from the NDT analysis of the steel ropes into the new area –
i.e. for the steel cord conveyor belts. In this way, it will be possible to discover an innovative application approach to the NDT of
the steel cord conveyor belts with regard to a new significant development in this area. Practical application of the described re-
search method is possible and efficient just in a close cooperation with the periodically performed maintenance of the belt con-
veyor. The steel-cord conveyor belt can be inspected with regard to the possible internal defects during the maintenance process
and the condition of the belt can be evaluated in this way. The operational and technological reliability of the belt conveyor equip-
ment is improved thanks to this inspection. However, it is necessary to implement this methodology into a permanent online
monitoring system in order to increase a detection efficiency of the failures that are occurring in the inner structure of the
steel-cord conveyor belts.
The appropriate development trend is oriented towards online monitoring of the conveyor belt operation.

Acknowledgments

This work is a part of these projects VEGA 1/0063/16, VEGA 1/0121/15, VEGA 1/0150/15, VEGA 1/0258/14, KEGA 006STU-4/
2015, KEGA 018TUKE-4/2016.

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