Thread Content
The edge-guided belt conveyor is an upgraded version of the conventional belt conveyor with more functions; it is mainly composed of a driving device, direction-changing drums, tensioning devices, idler rollers, drive drums, and other components. The differences between edge-guided belt conveyors and ordinary belt conveyors mainly lie in the following points: 1) Due to the presence of partitions on the conveyor belt, conventional scraper cleaners cannot be used; instead, cleaners that come into contact with the inner surface of the conveyor belt are required, with oscillating cleaners being commonly used. A corrugated edge conveyor belt generally consists of three main parts: the base belt, the corrugated edge, and the partitions. 2) For side belt conveyors, when the direction of belt movement changes, it is necessary to install appropriate belt guiding devices; pressure rollers should be installed at the curved sections (including the carrying branch and the return branch) ； 3) A belt with corrugated flanges is selected for the conveyor; the choice of related components is all related to this change ； 4) For the side belt conveyor, since there are partitions on the conveyor belt, appropriate measures must be taken for feeding in order to prevent the material from colliding with the partitions ； 5) In the return branch, components to control the swinging of the conveyor belt in similar general-purpose belt conveyors can generally be ordinary idlers; however, when the weight of the belt is large, it is necessary to consider the stiffness of the side guards, and specialized idlers should be used ； The effect of the base belt in a edge-guided belt conveyor is similar to that of a flat-type conveyor belt; it serves as the traction element of the belt conveyor and bears the tension. Since it is difficult to support the conveyor belt, the base band needs to have sufficient stiffness in the transverse direction. To achieve this, special reinforcement layers are added to the transverse side of the base band core, while maintaining appropriate flexibility in the longitudinal direction, so as to facilitate the belt’s passage over rollers and its bending at uneven sections. The diaphragm serves to prevent the material from sliding downward. The currently available types of diaphragms are T-type, C-type, TC-type, TS-type, and TCS-type, a total of 5 types. Among them, the TS and TCS types feature an inlaid partition structure, making them suitable for use in conveyor systems under harsh operating conditions with severe wear. The advantage of this structure is that the equipment is easy to disassemble; when the inclination angle of the conveyor is less than 18°, a partition is generally not used ； When the inclination angle is between 18° and 45°, use a T-shaped partition ； When the inclination angle is 45–90°, use a C-type partition ； When the height of the diaphragm is greater than 280 mm, a TC-type or TCS-type diaphragm should be selected. Depending on the different combinations of the base belt, diaphragm, and corrugated edge, there are 4 types of corrugated edge conveyor belts, and the choice among them depends on the inclination angle and layout of the belt conveyor. Based on the presence or absence of horizontal sections, the layout patterns of belt conveyors can be divided into four types: I-type, L-type, inverted L-type, and Z-type. During this period, those segments that are tilted (or straight) are referred to as Type I ； The horizontal section at the lower part is L-shaped; its upper branch has a concave arc segment, while its lower branch has a convex arc segment ； The upper part of the horizontal section is in an inverted L shape; its upper branch has a convex arc segment, while its lower branch has a concave arc segment ； One that has horizontal sections at both the upper and lower parts is called Z-shaped; its upper and lower branches each have a convex arc section and a concave arc section. To ensure that the concave arc section on the upper branch does not flap during operation, a pressure wheel or roller should be installed. In the concave arc section of the lower branch, large-diameter long idlers or compound idler sets can be used for supporting the conveyor belt. This idler set consists of two short idlers and one long idler. At the convex arc section of the lower branch, the tension of the conveyor belt is low; when the radius of curvature in this section is small, a long pressure roller can be used directly ； When the radius of curvature is large, several sets of flat idler rollers can be used for support. The idler on the upper branch supports the plane of the conveyor belt, allowing the use of idlers from standard belt conveyors. The distance between idlers can increase as the inclination angle of the belt conveyor increases. The distance between the idler roller sets at the material receiving point should be smaller. The support equipment for the lower branch must support the wavy edge surface of the conveyor belt, therefore a special structural design is required.