Page 19 - ConveyorBeltMaintenanceManual2010

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INSTALLATION, MAINTENANCE & TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE
i n s t a l l a t i o n
LOADING
Receiving material off center will cause the belt to move sideways after loading, as the center of the load seeks the lowest point
in the troughing idlers. This can be corrected by proper chute arrangement provided, of course, that the belt is centered as
it enters the loading point (Fig. 23).
The loading point of any conveyor is nearly always the critical point or the life-determining point of the belt. Here, the conveyor
receives its major abrasion and practically all of its impact. The “ideal condition” is to have the material pass from chute to
belt, at the same speed and direction of travel as the belt and with a minimum amount of impact.
The subject of chute design and arrangement is too broad to be discussed in detail here. In lieu of such discussion, the
following suggestions are offered:
The width of the receiving end of the loading chute should be great enough to accept material lying on the extreme edge of
the preceding belt or feeder, and its position determined by the trajectory of the material coming into it. At no place should
the chute be less than twice the size of the largest lumps, if fines are present, and 3 1/2 times the size of lumps, if uniform.
The discharge width of the chute thus determined should not exceed about 2/3 of the receiving belts’ width (Fig. 23).
The slope of the chute is determined by the nature of the material, its entering velocity and length of the chute. This value
varies with each particular installation, but about 35 degrees has been found satisfactory for most dry industrial materials such
as coal and rock.
Fig. 23
Simple Conveyor Loading Point
Rubber Lip Rubber Lip
Belt Wiper
Dribble Chute
Head Pulley
of Discharge Belt
Tail Pulley of
Receiving Belt
2/3 Width
of Receiving Belt Receiving Belt