Conveyors

By PRASOON PRABHAKAR

 Introduction

Definition. Need for conveyor systems.

Types Of Conveyor Systems

Engineering Aspects

Power Calculation

New Innovations Summary

Introduction
A conveyor system is a common piece of mechanical handling equipment
that moves materials from one location to another. Conveyors are especially useful in applications involving the transportation of heavy or bulky materials. There are over 400 types of conveyors we are only going to discuss some of the most common conveyors that can relate to all others. Low labor and low energy requirements are fundamental with belt conveyors as compared with other means of transportation. Dramatic increases in operating costs continue to make conveyors an extremely favorable choice for applications that were not considered previously. Reliability and safety are outstanding now that stronger and more durable belts are available, as well as greatly improved components and highly sophisticated electrical controls and safety devices. Conveyor systems allow quick and efficient transportation for a wide variety of materials, which make them very popular in the material handling and packaging industries.

Types of conveyor systems

Gravity roller conveyor Gravity skate wheel conveyor Belt conveyor Wire mesh conveyors Plastic belt conveyors

Pneumatic conveyors Belt driven live roller conveyors Line shaft roller conveyor Chain conveyor Screw conveyor aka Auger conveyor Chain driven live roller conveyor Overhead conveyors

Bucket conveyors
Flexible conveyors Vertical conveyors Spiral conveyors Vibrating conveyors

Dust proof conveyors

Automobile conveyors

VERTICAL CONVEYOR
A vertical conveyor is a machine which can be used to move products automatically from one level to another.

Roller Conveyor

Most common are free floating, no mechanical or electrical system used Can safely go up to 60 fpm (depending on size of material) Up to 25,000 lbs (for most depends on support and material used) No real restrictions on volume of objects used on conveyor Roller conveyors are one of the most common conveyors used in industry because they are inexpensive, simple to use and can vary depending on the needs of the business.

Chain Conveyors

Chain conveyors utilize a powered continuous chain arrangement, carrying a series of single pendants. The chain arrangement is driven by a motor, and the material suspended on the pendants are conveyed. Chain conveyors use belts or rollers to move objects Can handle loads of up 20,000 lbs Speeds of up to 60 fpm, but depend on size of object, for safety reasons

Portable Conveyors

Portable conveyors are used primarily for applications involving mobility and space is a high priority. Portable conveyors are very versatile Loads of up to 1000lbs (depends on the angle) Can fold up 5-10ft and extend up to 17ft Have multiple capabilities depending on need. These are more common for small scale production, where use is temporary.

Vibrating Conveyors
Vibrating conveyors operation is typically based on the natural frequency principle. At the natural frequency, the conveyor will vibrate indefinitely with only a small energy input. Once the drive initiates the conveyor's vibration, the supporting springs, by alternately storing and releasing most of the required energy, help maintain constant motion under the conveyed load. Depending on the frequency and the size of the object it can reach speeds as high as 35 fpm . No programming is needed, uses an on or off system to control it. Can handle objects <1 - 90lbs. Can handle various sizes and shapes. Used in pharmaceutical and mining industries.

Screw/Spiral
Spiral conveyors are used mainly for heating, cooling or accumulation. Screw conveyors use a rotating screw in a channel or tube to move material. Primarily run on a continuous motor that is simply on or off Sizes up to 48 diameter tubing and can stack as high as 50 ft Used in the pharmaceutical, food, and manufacturing industries Useful for accumulation, drying, or moving vertically in a small space

Belt Conveyor
Conveyor belts are used in a wide variety of material transport applications such as manufacturing, food processing, and heavy industry. Commercial applications include: Agriculture Construction - heavy building materials Food and beverage processing Forestry - logging, sawmill, paper pulp, etc. Mining and quarrying Factory production line

Belt Width ranges from 12 to 120 Belt Speeds determined by loads and speed required. Ex: Bushels/hr dictates size.

Engineering Aspect
The purpose of this section is to provide a simple and efficient method to select the best conveyor belt for many common applications. It may provide a way to quickly double check a given design. The best selection will usually result in the lowest total cost-per-ton over the service life of the conveyor belt. The best selection depends on acquiring complete operating and environmental information. It is best to get this information immediately and before any calculations are attempted. This information should include:

State if load surface of belt is supported by flat or troughed idlers or type of flat slider bed surface. State angle of troughed idlers. Drive Data : Motor nameplate horsepower Identify if single or multiple drive pulleys Are drive pulleys bare or lagged? Total belt wrap (degrees) on drive pulley(s) Location of drive
Carrying Surface

Continued
Environment

: Temperature, chemicals, oils, and any special conditions. Height : Vertical difference of head and tail (terminal) pulleys, Elevation (ft.). Length : Distance (ft.) between head and tail pulley. Loading Rate : Tons/hour. Material : Type, temperature, weight per cu. ft., size and percentage of maximum lumps. Pulley Diameter : In addition to tail and head pulley, and carry idlers, any pulley that changes belt direction (identify each--include in system sketch). Speed : (Ft./minute) of belt. Take-up : Type (mechanical screw or automatic), location, and total amount of movement (included in sketch). Width of Belt : (Inches) Include width of pulley face width, if known.

Belt Tension Calculation

Effective Belt Tension (TE) must be calculated. TE is the sum of the tension required to move the empty belt (TC), the tension required to move the load horizontally (TL), and the tension required to lift the load (TH). TE = T C + TL + TH Calculations TC = F1 x L x CW Where ; F1 = .035" [Normal friction factor for average conditions(over 20 F) to move empty belt.] L = Belt length (ft.) CW = Weight of conveyor belt components. See Table A. TL = F2 x L x MW F2 = .04" [Normal friction factor to move load horizontally.] L = Belt length (ft.) MW = Material weight (lbs. per lineal foot). MW = 33.3 TPH/Belt Speed (fpm) or Total material load in lbs/L. TH = H x MW

H = Difference in elevation of terminal pulleys (ft.) MW = Material weight (lbs. per lineal foot).

Table A - Weight of Moving Conveyor Components

Belt Width 12" 18" 24" 30" 36" 42" 48" 54" 60" CW Factor with Regular 5Idlers (See Notes) 12 18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60

NOTES: For 4" Idlers, multiply by - 0.85 For 6" Idlers, multiply by - 1.33 For lengths (L) less than 150 , multiply by - 100 to 150- 1.1 ; 75 to 99 - 1.2 ; 50 to 74 - 1.3 ; 30 to 49 - 1.5 ; 15 to 29 - 3.0

Calculation.

Additional tension must be added to the Effective Belt Tension to prevent belt slippage on the drive pulley. This is called Slack Side Tension (TS). TS = D x TE ( D Drive Factor ; REFER TABLE-B)

Total tension herein called Operating Tension (TO), sometimes called Allowable Working Tension, is the value used to select the reinforcement ply combinations. TO = (TE x TS)/ W TS = Slack Side Tension TE = Effective belt tension at drive. W = Belt Width in inches.

Motor Power Calculation.

To determine the required motor horsepower given the calculated Effective Belt Tension (TE) and belt speed (V in fpm).

HP = (TE x V)/33000

To determine maximum Total Tension (TO) that a system can generate given the nameplate horsepower of drive, Drive Factor (D), width of belt (inches), and belt speed (fpm).

TO(max) = 0.9 HP x 33000 x (1+D) / (W x S) Where;

HP = Nameplate HP rating D = Drive Factor (see Table B) W = Belt Width (inches) S = Speed of Belt (ft./min.)

Table B - Drive Factor (D)

Screw Take-Up Angle of Belt Wrap at Drive 150 160 Gravity or Flexible Take-Up

Type of Drive Plain Plain

Bare Pulley 1.5 1.4

Lagged Pulley 1.0 .9

Bare Pulley 1.08 .99

Lagged Pulley .67 .60

170
180 190

Plain
Plain Snubbed

1.3
1.2 1.1

.9
.8 .7

.91
.84 .77

.55
.50 .45

200
210 220 230

Snubbed
Snubbed Snubbed Snubbed

1.0
1.0 .9 .9

.7
.7 .6 .6

.72
.67 .62 .58

..42
.38 .35 .32

Table B - Drive Factor (D)

Screw Take-Up Angle of Belt Wrap at Drive 240

Gravity or Flexible Take-Up

Type of Drive Snubbed Tandem or Dual Tandem or Dual Tandem or Dual Tandem or Dual Tandem or Dual Tandem or Dual Tandem or Dual Tandem or Dual

Bare Pulley

Lagged Pulley

Bare Pulley

Lagged Pulley

.8
.5 .5 .5 .5 .4 -

.6
.4 .4 .3 .3 .3 -

.54
.29 .26 .23 .21 .19 .17 .15 .14

.30
.143 .125 .108 .095 .084 .074 .064 .056

340
360 380 400 420 440 460 480

New/High Tech Innovations

prosortsc.wmv Trailblazer Conveyor.mp4

Summary

Conveyors are very versatile and can be an inexpensive way to move things Rollers- are cheap and can move heavy objects. Chain- are more expensive but can do more complicated tasks. Portable- can be useful for small applications and are easy to store. Vibrating- useful for moving lots of small parts or things that are misshaped. Screw/Spiral- are useful for accumulation, drying, and moving things vertically in a small amount of space. Belt- are the most common type of conveyors and are very versatile. Effective power calculation aids in conveyor design. If oversized motor is used, there is always the potential of surge loading that could over stress the belt system. New and Hi-Tech Innovation of conveyors demands new and Hi-Tech Conveyor Accessories.