MATERIALS HANDLING
‘Fit and forget’ belts deliver greatly improved operational life when compared with low-grade options
these specialist fabrics in its own fabric- weaving centre in the USA. How the UsFlex and Ultra X fabric
plies work is that as the belt is being pulled through a trapped object, the design pattern of the strands allows them to ‘gather together’ into a bundle rather than individually snapping, as is so often the case with steel strands. Te bundle can eventually become
strong enough to stop the belt or expel the trapped object. As a result, UsFlex has a longitudinal rip resistance of more than five times greater than that of multi-ply belts of equivalent rating and is even superior to solid woven and EPP construction belting. Te design also plays
a very important role in dissipating the impact energy of heavy objects falling on to the belt across a wider area, thereby minimising potential damage to the carcass.
Longitudinal rips are every conveyor operator’s nightmare
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www.engineerlive.com
LESS IS MORE Conventional wisdom would seem to dictate that a higher number of inner plies will result in a stronger belt but this is not actually the case. Te greatest influence on the strength and other essential physical properties of a conveyor belt is the actual design and quality of the ply material used to create the carcass. For some, the very idea that a conveyor belt with only one or two plies can be dramatically stronger than a belt with multiple plies may not make much sense. However, the answer lies with the advances in technology and design. One analogy that can be used here is armour plating on military tanks. Te composite armour used on military vehicles nowadays provides far greater protection than ever before and yet it is a much thinner and lighter construction compared with the extremely thick, cumbersome heavy steel plating used in the past. It is not difficult to understand why specialist belts such as UsFlex have such a strong reputation within the mining and quarrying community when you hear about tales of their strength, such
as a recent example from Scotland. Several large pieces of granite became jammed against the conveyor pulleys. Te force around the tail pulley was so strong that it dislocated the complete steel construction on which the tail pulley was mounted. Amazingly, the UsFlex (1000/2) belt did not break. Instead, it simply kept on running. It just goes to show how ridiculously strong these specialist belts really can be. Indeed, Dunlop claims that it is not difficult to find operators who used to replace belts every three to six months but now only replace every four or five years after changing to UsFlex Te big advantage of specialist ‘fit and forget’ belts is that they are proven to provide up to four or five times longer operational life, especially when compared with imported belts. Tey are not cheap and many would say that they are expensive but compared with the alternative ‘solutions’ outlined above, their cost over their working lifetime is proven to be substantially less. It is not a matter of whether you can afford them – the real question is can you afford not to use them?
Leslie David is an independent specialist in conveyor belting solutions.
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