Belt conveyor maintenance basics

Regular inspections and proper repair procedures help ensure that belt conveyors have
a long, trouble-free service life
By John A. Koski

elt conveyors are a mainstay in

most concrete plants. They
carry sand and aggregates from
stockpile areas to the bins and silos
that feed the plants batching equipment. In design, they are mechanically simple; basically consisting of a
motor, a belt, and a few pulleys.
Because of that, in many plants they
often are given little attention or even
neglectedthat is, until a breakdown
occurs.
Knowing the basics of belt conveyor
maintenance can go a long way
toward preventing costly breakdowns. In addition, a good preventive maintenance program can reduce
plant operating costs by ensuring that
belt conveyors have a long, troublefree service life.

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE INSPECTIONS

Daily inspections of conveyor belt
equipment can keep minor, easily corrected problems from turning into
majorand
costlyheadaches.
Follow these guidelines, as well as
those recommended by the conveyors manufacturer, to ensure smooth,
reliable operation:
1. Check that splices are in good
condition and have no raised edges
that could catch on and damage skirt
seals, belt wipers, and other components.
2. Check chutes and skirtboards to
make sure that no holes have worn
through them that might allow material to escape. A small hole in the side
of a chute can quickly grow larger as
abrasive material flows through it.
3. Check the condition of wear liners in chutes and along skirtboards. A
cracked and loose liner along a skirtboard can quickly tear a belt to shreds
if not replaced immediately. In addition, a liner that becomes loose and
falls onto a belt can find its way into

other equipment
where it can do
major damage.
4. Check that
rubber sealing
strips
along
skirtboards are
providing
an
adequate seal.
Seals should be
checked while
material is traveling along the
belt because the
position of the
sealing
strip
against the belt
can be dramatically diff e re n t
between
a
loaded
and
unloaded belt.
5. Check that
all idlers and
rollers are turning. The friction
caused by a
traveling
belt Belt conveyors are key components in many concrete plants. Knowing correct
repair procedures and having a good preventive maintenance program will help
against a frozen keep them trouble-free and operating at peak efficiency.
idler can quickly
wear
through
the idler. This can create a razor-sharp
accumulated materials, be careful that
edge that can easily and quickly cut a
the material isnt washed into the tail
belt.
or take-up pulleys where it could
6. Check the condition of the head,
damage both the belt and pulley
tail, bend, and take-up pulleys. Loose
when the belt is started.
or worn rubber on a pulley can cause
9. Check that all safety devices are
a belt to slip or track to one side.
in good working order and are not
7. Check belt wipers or cleaners for
damaged. In particular, check that
wear and proper alignment. If a wiper
emergency stop cords, located in all
wears away, the metal bracket it is
accessible areas along the conveyor,
mounted in can contact a belt and
are not frayed or loose.
cause serious damage. In addition, an
ineffective wiper allows material to
ENSURE PROPER
collect in areas where it can create
BELT LOADING
additional problems.
One of the major concerns with belt
8. Before starting the belt, clean
conveyors of all types is preventing
accumulated material from walkways
spillage. Even a small amount of
and from around idlers and pulleys.
material escaping from a belt can
When using a water hose to remove
quickly add up to a major problem.

SKIRTBOARD CONSIDERATIONS

HOW TO MAKE A SQUARE CUT ON A CONVEYOR BELT

A splice that is not square to the center line of the belt is one of the chief
causes of belt misalignment. To ensure a square splice, the ends of the belt
must be cut square. Follow these guidelines to ensure a square cut:
1. Locate point A at the edge of the belt where it is to be cut.
2. Locate points B1 and B2 by measuring an equal distance from each belt
edge to determine the center line of the belt. The distance between B1 and B2
should be at least double the width of the belt.
3. Locate point C on the center line of the belt by measuring diagonally
from point A a distance equal to double the belt width.
4. Locate point D on the opposite side of the belt by measuring diagonally
from point C a distance double the width of the belt.
5. Draw a guideline between points A and D and cut the belt carefully
along this line. This cut will then be square with the center line of the belt.
6. Use this same procedure on the other end of the belt.
Source: Abco Engineering Corp.

For example, if a conveyor belt running 10 hours a day spills just one
shovelful of material per hour, the
total loss per month is about 2 tons of
material. This is material that must be
cleaned up from around the conveyor,
usually by hand, front-end loader, or
both.
Because most spillage occurs in the
area where material is loaded onto a
belt, particular attention must be paid
to the design of those areas. Design
considerations include:
Uniformly load material onto the
belt
Centrally load the belt
Load the belt after it has become
fully troughed after leaving the tail
pulley
Reduce the impact of material
falling on the belt
Load the belt in the direction of
belt travel whenever possible; sideloading a belt is acceptable but can
create more problems than in-line

loading does
Deliver material to the belt at the
same speed as the belt is traveling
Maintain a minimum inclination
angle at the loading point
Provide proper spacing between
the skirtboard and belt to ensure
effective sealing by the sealing strips
Prevent rollback of material at the
loading point by installing a sealing
strip that matches the contour of the
loaded belt at the back of the loading
chute

As a rule of thumb, the height of a

skirtboard should be about one-fifth
the width of the belt for 20-degree
idlers and one-third the belt width for
35- and 45-degree idlers. Skirtboards,
which usually are constructed of
metal, should not be allowed to contact the belt. Rather, the gap between
the skirtboard and belt should be
sealed with a strip of flexible rubber
clamped to the outside of the skirtboard. The clamps should allow the
sealing strip to be adjusted easily.
Generally, the gap between the bottom of the skirtboard and the belt
should be as small as possible to provide adequate sealing. However, dont
install a skirtboard too close to a belt. A
belt that jumps suddenly could be torn
by a too-low skirtboard. In addition, to
help prevent material from wedging
between the skirtboard and belt, set
the back of the skirtboard 18 to 14 inch
closer to the belt than the front of the
skirtboard. To prevent chutes and
skirtboard assemblies from wearing
out, most incorporate some type of
replaceable metal liners.
REPAIRING CUTS AND TEARS
Despite the best preventive maintenance measures, conveyor belts do
sometimes become torn or cut. Cuts
in a belt that do not extend into the
reinforcing fabric plies can often be
repaired by coating them with rubberized belt-repair cement.
If a cut or tear extends through the
fabric plies or the entire belt, effective
repairs can be accomplished by using
metal belt clips. Doing so closes the
cut or tear and prevents it from growing larger. Make sure, however, that
the metal clips are free of projections
and sharp edges before starting the
belt. Projecting bolt ends or unfiled
sharp edges can quickly damage pul-

CONVEYOR BELT TERMINOLOGY

leys and idlers.

If a cut or tear is serious, a section of
belt may need to be cut out and a new
section of belt spliced in. Make sure,
however, that the new section of belt
is long enough so that no more than
one splice contacts a pulley at one
time. If both splices contact a pulley
during belt operation, excess stress is
applied to both splices. This weakens
the splices and can lead to unexpected
tearing or premature splice failure.
The two most common methods of
belt splicing are vulcanizing and
mechanical splicing. Vulcanizing usually is preferred because it creates a
stronger splice and has a longer service life. In addition, a properly made
vulcanized splice will not interfere
with pulleys, sealing strips, idlers,
and belt cleaners. They also keep a
conveyor belt cleaner by not allowing
fines to filter through the spliced area,
something that can occur with
mechanical splices. Some limitations
of vulcanized splices include higher
initial cost, the length of time required
to make the splice, and greater installation expertise. The two types of vulcanizing are hot and cold.
Hot vulcanizing involves stripping
the layers of the belt in stair-step fashion. The exposed layers are then overlayed with glue and rubber. A cooker
or heated press then applies heat and
pressure to vulcanize the belt.
In cold vulcanizing, the layers of the
belt are coated with glue, clamped,
and cured at room temperature. In
general, a hot-vulcanized splice is
stronger, more reliable, and has a
longer service life. It does, however,
require more time to perform.
Mechanical splices generally consist of some type of metal clip. One
side of the clip is placed on the
underside of the belt with the other
side placed on the top of the belt.
Bolts are usually used to secure the
two halves of the clips together.
Mechanical splices are relatively easy
to install, requiring little training or
experience. The main advantage of
mechanical splices is that they can be
installed quickly and easily, allowing
a conveyor to get back into service
faster.
After splicing a belt, check it frequently during operation to ensure

RECOMMENDED IDLER SPACING

BELT
WIDTH
(IN.)

WEIGHT OF MATERIAL HANDLED (LBS./CU. FT.)

30
50
75
100
150
200
SPACING OF TROUGHING IDLERS (FT.)

RETURN
IDLER
SPACING (FT.)

18
24
30

5.5
5.0
5.0

5.0
4.5
4.5

5.0
4.5
4.5

5.0
4.0
4.0

4.5
4.0
4.0

4.5
4.0
4.0

10.0
10.0
10.0

36
42
48

5.0
4.5
4.5

4.5
4.5
4.0

4.0
4.0
4.0

4.0
3.5
3.5

3.5
3.0
3.0

3.5
3.0
3.0

10.0
10.0
10.0

54
60
72

4.5
4.0
4.0

4.0
4.0
3.5

3.5
3.5
3.5

3.5
3.0
3.0

3.0
3.0
2.5

3.0
3.0
2.5

10.0
10.0
8.0

Source: Martin Engineering Co.

that it is running true at all times and

that the splice is not separating.
BELT LUBRICATION
Do not over grease idlers and bearings. Too much grease can damage
bearing seals, allowing dirt to enter
bearings; cause excessive resistance
within a bearing, resulting in premature bearing failure; fall onto
handrails, walkways, or floors, making them slippery and hazardous; and
contact the belt causing it to deteriorate due to chemicals in the grease
that are not compatible with the rubber compounds used in conveyor
belting.
On the other hand, if idlers and
bearings do not receive sufficient
grease they can stop turning and
cause heat buildup that can destroy
bearings and wear through the walls
of an idler. The heat generated also
can cause a fire if flammable materials
are present.
TRAINING A BELT
Allowing a conveyor belt to run to
one side can greatly reduce its service
life. Among other things, the belt can
stretch permanently; contact portions
of supporting framework, damaging
both the belt and framework; the belt
can fold over onto itself and be
ruined; and material can spill off the
belt, especially at loading points.
The problem of belt wandering
often can be corrected by changing

how the material is fed onto the belt,

such as installing a baffle in a chute to
direct the feed onto the center of the
belt.
Rollers that do not turn or turn
slowly due to bearing failure or
because something has lodged
against the roll create drag on a belt
that can pull it toward the side where
the drag occurs.
Idlers that are not square with the
conveyor frame will steer the belt
toward the side to which the idlers are
turned. Head, tail, bend, or take-up
pulleys that are not square with their
mountings also will steer a belt off to
one the side.
To correct belt wander:
1. Do not use the head, tail, bend, or
take-up pulleys to train the conveyor
belt. Doing so can permanently
stretch the belt. Pulleys should be
used only for adjusting belt tension.
In addition, never train a belt by
wiring a training idler into place.
Doing so creates strain on both the
training idler and belt, leading to
damage or failure of both.
2. Check that the tail pulley is aligned
with the head pulley, bend, and takeup pulleys, and that all pulleys are set
at 90 degrees to the center line of the
conveyor structure. In addition, ensure
that all pulleys are level.
3. Start the conveyor to determine
toward which side the belt wanders
and on which parts of the conveyor it
wanders. Belt wander sometimes is

isolated, occurring on only one section of a conveyor.

4. Stop the conveyor and lock it out.
It is dangerous to adjust idlers with
the belt running. Doing so can cause a
worker to get caught between a moving belt and idler or to be snared by a
mechanical belt fastener or loose
splice.
5. Move the first idler behind the
spot where the belt began to wander
by turning the idler in the direction
opposite the wander. In other words,
if you want the belt to move left, turn
the idler toward the left in the same
way you would steer a bicycle using
its handlebars. Idler mounting bolt
holes are slotted, which allows the
idler to be turned from its normal
position at a right angle to the axis of
the belt. Make sure that all bolts are
tightened after making adjustments.
6. Restart the conveyor and recheck
belt wander. If the belt stills wanders,
stop the conveyor, lock it out, and
turn the next idler ahead of the one
you just adjusted. Continue this procedure until the belt tracks up the center of the idlers.
7. If the belt wanders on its return,
adjust the return idlers in the same
manner as described above.
BELT TIGHTNESS
A belt should only be tight enough
to prevent slipping on the drive pulley and sagging between troughing
idlers. Running a belt tighter than

necessary increases belt wear and

allows it to be cut more easily. On
belts equipped with a weighted takeup pulley, make sure that the weight
is free to move up and down as needed. Do not allow material to accumulate under the weight, as this can prevent its downward movement when
needed.
WELDING AND CUTTING
Be extremely cautious when welding or flame-cutting on or near conveyor belt equipment. Always have a
second person present to keep an eye
on the belt to ensure that it does not
catch on fire. Once a conveyor belt
catches on fire, it can quickly produce
thick, acrid smoke and intense flames.

PUBLICATION #J940305
Copyright 1994, The Aberdeen Group
All rights reserved