Glossary of conveyor belt terms

Handling/Storage Reel dimensions Stringing Textile belt splices Textile belt splicing Steel cord belt splices Steel cord belt splicing
Splice testing
First belt Strongest belt Strongest underground belt Highest capacity belt Longest belt Heaviest belt First self-extinguishing belt
Fastest belt
Belt designation Carcass types Cover grades Elastomers Glossary of terms

Closed conveyor belts Energy saving belts Aramid belts

NOMENCLATURE BELTEDIA Aid

GLOSSARY OF TERMS - A-Z

Wearing away by rubbing, scraping. Video. The established abrasion tests, for instance as per ISO 4649, have
Abrasion
no practical relevance. The abrasion value alone is no indicator of a belt's wear resistance.
Adhesion The bonding strength between two materials.
Ageing The exposure to an environment for a period of time.
Aramid Stands for aromatic polyamide; a low elongation fiber. More.
Arc of contact The circumferential portion of a pulley which is engaged by a belt.
Belt clamp Beams or metal plates secured transversely to hold the belt in a desired position.
Belt cleaning device A scraper or rotating device pressed against the belt surface to remove material stuck to the belt.
Belt fastener A device for holding two ends of a conveyor belt together. More.

Belt modulus The force per unit width of belt required to produce a stated percentage of elongation. See "Modulus of elasticity".

Belt sag The amount of vertical deflection of a conveyor belt from a straight line between idlers, usually expressed as a
percentage of the center to center spacing of the idlers.
Belt slip The speed differential between the belt and the pulley surface.
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Glossary of conveyor belt terms

Belt training idler An idler having a belt-actuated swivel mechanism to automatically control side drifting of a conveyor belt.
Belt turnover A system of idlers to turn a belt over (upside down). Drawings.
Bending modulus The force required to induce bending around a specified radius and, hence, a measure of stiffness.
Bend pulley A pulley used to change the direction of a belt.
Bias cut A cut of belt ends made diagonally at an angle less than 90 degrees - usually 30° - to the longitudinal axis.

Binder warp yarn One of the warp systems in a straight warp fabric interlaced with the filling yarn to provide the strength to hold
mechanical fasteners.
Bleeding Migration to the surface of plasticizer, waxes or similar materials to form a film or beads.

Blister A raised spot on the surface or a separation between layers usually forming a void or air-filled space in the
vulcanized conveyor belt.
Booster drive Used in some long conveyors to reduce the power/tension at the drive pulley.
Bottom cover The non-carrying belt side towards the pulleys.
Breaker An extra ply for shock absorption to minimize gouging.

Breaking strength The breaking strength of the conveyor belt, either nominal/minimum (e.g. St 2000) or ultimate/actual (e.g. 2197 N/
mm).
Bucket elevator belt A transversely rigid belt with buckets attached, for vertical conveying.
Calender A machine equipped with three or more heavy drums revolving in opposite directions. Illustration.
Capacity The material load on the belt, given in tons per hour (t/h).
Carcass The fabric, cord and/or metal reinforcing section of a belt, as distinguished from the rubber cover. Carcasses.
A type of flexible belt-carrying idlers with ends supported in pivoted stands. The tube or rollers sag under the
Catenary idler weight of the load to form trough.

Center-to-center The distance between the center of two pulleys or idlers. Sometimes also called "centers" or "center distance" or
"conveyor length".
Clamping force Depending on the friction factor of clamp and belt surfaces and on the (downhill) force. Chart.

Cleaner A device for removing adherent material from the belt.

Cleat Transverse raised sections on a conveyor belt to stabilize material carried up an incline.
Coefficient C The length coefficient used for calculating the secondary resistances. Chart.

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Glossary of conveyor belt terms

Usually, conveyor belts are resistant to up to -30°C. Lower temperatures may be achieved with special
Cold resistance
compounds. Constant movement of the bel may be required.
Cord fabric A fabric with reduced elongation by means of the weft yarn twist.
Compression set The deformation in a material remaining after it has been subjected to and released from a compressive force.
Counter weight The weight applied to the take-up assembly to maintain proper belt tension.
Cover The outer rubber (or PVC) component of a belt.
Cracking A sharp break or fissure in the surface. See also "Wrinkle".
Creep The action of a belt alternately losing speed on the driving pulley and gaining speed on the driven pulley.
The waviness of the yarn in a woven fabric or the difference in distance between two points on a yarn as it lies in
Crimp a fabric and the same two points when the yarn has been removed and straightened. Expressed as a
percentage of the distance between the two points as the yarn lies in the fabric.
Crowned pulley A pulley with a greater diameter at the center than at the edges.
Cut edge The uncovered edge of a belt, created by cutting after vulcanization.
Degradation A deleterious change in the chemical structure of a material.
Delamination The separation of layers of material.
A yarn sizing system for continuous filament synthetic fibers on the basis of the weight in grams of 9000 meters
Denier of the yarn.

Density The ratio of the mass of a body to its volume or the mass per unit volume of the substance. For ordinary practical
purposes, density and specific gravity may be regarded as equivalent.
Dipped fabric Coated with rubber compound by passing through a rubber solution and drying.
A short section of belting mechanically spliced into a length of belting and removed when the take-up allowance
Dutchman is exceeded.
Dynamometer An apparatus capable of inducing various loads for evaluation of dynamic belting properties.
Electrical
conductivity A measure of how well a material accommodates the transport of electric charge, measured in Ohm (Ω).

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Glossary of conveyor belt terms

The total belt elongation consists of an elastic (which recovers) and a plastic (which remains) portion. As per ISO
9856 a belt sample is subjected to a sinusoidal cyclic stress that varies from 2 to 10 % of the belt's nominal
breaking strength. Equations. 2 - 10 %, because this is a typical operating range for textile conveyor belts. After
200 cycles, the amount of permanent elongation of the test piece and the amount of elastic elongation produced
Elongation by the force differential are recorded from a force-elongation graph. Typical permanent elongation values:
Polyamide (P): 1,0-2,5%, Polyester (E): 0,5-1,5%, Aramide (D): 0,25-0,75%, Steel: 0,1-0,25%.

Other (static) tests, e.g. as per DIN 22102, require a reference tension of 10% of the nominal belt breaking
strength. The maximum total elongation for EP belts is 1,5, 2,5 or 3,0 %, depending on belt class.
Elongation at break The percentage the rubber or belt can be stretched until it breaks.
Endless length The length of a closed belt (without splice allowances).
EOB Low energy consuming belt with reduced indentation rolling resistance. More.

Extrusion A process whereby rubber is forced through a shaping orifice.

Eytelwein's equation Determines the optimum difference between the forces F1 and F2 without belt slip. Equation.
Fatigue The weakening of a material occurring when repeated application of stress causes permanent strain.

Feeder belt A belt that discharges material onto another conveyor belt. Often used for belts extracting bulk materials from
under a dump hopper or regulating feed to a crusher or screen.
Filament A continuous fiber of discretionary length.
Fire or flame Retards the burning action of fire or flame. Achieved by adding fire retardants to the compound or by using fire
resistance resistant elastomers or plastomers. More.
The resistance to tangential motion between two surfaces. For rubber, the classical laws of friction are not
Friction applicable, since rubber has no rigid surface. The individual friction factor must de determined experimentally. In
general, higher hardness and abrasion resistance result in lower friction. Table.
The coefficient f (also called artificial or fictive friction or resistance coefficient) is resulting from the correlation
f value between the weights and the motional resistances of the belt conveyor. A typical f value would be 0,016.
In optimum installations with low rolling resistance belts, even f values of around 0.010 have been found. Chart.
Gauge The thickness of a belt or its individual elements.
Gouging The effect of sharp heavy material falling onto a conveyor belt cover to loosen or tear out pieces of the cover.
A mechanical system that adjusts for the stretch or shrinking of a conveyor belt automatically by a weighted
Gravity take-up pulley in the system.
Hardness Degree of resistance to indentation (° Shore A).
Head pulley The pulley at the discharge end of the conveyor.
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Glossary of conveyor belt terms

Normal belts usually are resistant up to 80°C. Special compounds can increase the temperature resistance to
Heat resistance
some 200°C.
Hooke's law of elasticity states that if a force (F) is applied to an elastic spring, its extension is linearly
Hooke's Law
proportional to its tensile stress σ and modulus of elasticity (E): ∆L = 1/E × F × L/A = 1/E × L × σ

Hysteresis loss A loss of mechanical energy due to successive deformation and relaxation, measured by the area between the
deformation and relaxation stress-strain curves. See also "Elongation".
Idler A non-powered roller supporting the belt.
Impact A stroke of a body dropping on the belt.

Impact idler A belt idler having a resilient roll covering, resilient molded elastomer rings, springs or other means of absorbing
impact energy at the place where material falls onto the belt.
The relative ability of a conveyor belt assembly to absorb impact loading without damage to the belt. See also
Impact resistance "transverse reinforcement".
Joint The connection of two belt ends.
Kevlar A trademark for para-aramide (aromatic polyamide).
Lagging A smooth or embossed covering on a pulley to increase friction between belt and pulley.
LRR Low rolling resistance.
Maximum tension The highest tension occurring in any portion of the belt under operating conditions.
Mechanical fastener Any mechanical device used to join the ends of belting. Illustration
The force divided by the percent elongation to cause the elongation, related to the belt width. The lower the
stretch, the higher the MoE. The MoE, sometimes called belt modulus, is influenced by the textiles (for instance
Modulus of elasticity the crimp of the yarn) or steel cords used and the way of belt manufacture, for instance the tension during
vulcanisation. The belt manufacturer should be consulted for exact figures. Equation.
Moulded edge A solid rubber belt edge formed in a mould.
Nylon See "polyamide".
Ozone cracking Cracks caused by exposure to an atmosphere containing ozone.
Overend discharge A discharge over the head of the conveyor.

Payne effect Is observed under cyclic loading conditions with small strain amplitudes, and is manifest as a dependence of the
viscoelastic storage modulus on the amplitude of the applied strain.

Permeability Usually the quality or condition of allowing passage of air through a steel cord to identify the degree of
rubberization.

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Glossary of conveyor belt terms

Plastisol A suspension of a finely divided polymer (PVC) in a plasticizer.

Ply A layer of fabric in a belt.

Polyamide High-elongation fiber, normally used for the belt's weft for good troughability. As warp recommended only for
specific applications because of its plastic elongation behavior.
Polyester Low-elongation fiber, normally used as belt warp.

Rating The minimum belt breaking strength (DIN) of a belt in Newtons per millimeter of belt width.
In the USA sometimes used as a term for the working tension.

Recycling Most conveyor belts are not pollutive because of their organic components. However, it is suggested to have
them recycled. This is possible for all kind of conveyor belts.
Regenerative A conveyor for which the head is at a substantially lower altitude than the tail (downhill conveying), generating
conveyor power.
Return idler Part of a conveyor's return run.
A device to measure the shear stress of rubber under the influence of temperature and pressure under a twisting
Rheometer cone. Illustration.
A system detecting a lengthwise damage of the conveyor belt. Most common are sensor loops embedded in the
Rip detection belt's cover at a certain spacing. See here. Also other external - mechanical or optical - systems can be used.
A system to prevent the intrusion of foreign bodies into the belt and its subsequent slitting. This may be done by
Rip protection a simple breaker (a fabric ply) or sophisticated systems like single synthetic transverse cords.
Also called indentation rolling resistance. The resistance by deformation that occurs when the conveyor belt
Rolling resistance moves over an idler. The energy of deformation is greater than the energy of recovery. The hysteresis energy
loss is depending on the viscoelastic properties of the belt. See also here.

A multiplier applied to the calculated maximum force to which a conveyor belt splice (as the weakest link in a
conveyor belt) will be subjected. A factor of safety accounts for imperfections in materials, flaws in assembly,
material degradation, and other uncertainties.
Safety factor Conventional safety factors range from approx. 7 to 10 for steady operating conditions, related to the splice
strength.
Major steel cord conveyor belts are designed based on more realistic safety factors considering the dynamic
splice efficiency as per DIN 22110.
A take-up for a conveyor system in which movement of a pulley-bearing block is accomplished by means of a
Screw take-up screw.
Sealed edge A cut edge sealed by heat applied to the protruding carcass fibers and/or rubber frictioned on the edge.
If set under fire the belt will generate gases that extinguish the fire. Test procedures require that a minimum
Self-extinguishing
undamaged length remains after the belt has been set on fire.

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Glossary of conveyor belt terms

Used in the USA for the ratio between the working tension and the belt breaking strength (f.i. 10:1), not
Service factor
considering the splice efficiency.
The belt service life depends on many influences like type and quality of the belt and the splice, feeding situation,
Service life lump size, weight and shape, tonnage, bendings, velocity, pulley lagging, maintenance, safety factor, starting
and stopping etc.
The period of time prior to use during which a product retains its intended performance capability. Important for
Shelf storage life (uncured) splicing material.

Shuttle conveyor A belt conveyor having overend discharge, the whole being mounted on a travelling carriage capable of being
shuttled backwards and forwards.
Skim coat A layer of rubber material laid on a fabric but not forced into the weave. Normally laid on a frictioned fabric.

Skirt board In a conveyor system, the vertical or inclined plates located longitudinally and closely above the belt to confine
the conveyed material.
Grinding equipment to bevel belt ends for an overlap splice. There are sanding belt, drum and disk skivers in
Skiver
use.
Slab belting Belting made in wide widths and long lengths for later slitting into narrower widths and cutting into shorter lengths.
Slope belt A conveyor belt used to carry material along an inclined flight. Sometimes called drift conveyor.
Snub pulley A non-driven pulley located close to the drive pulley to provide a greater arc of contact around the drive pulley.
Solid woven A single ply ("monoply") interwoven fabric. Illustration.
Splice allowance Additional length required to make a splice.
Splicer A field splicing engineer.

Straight warp Made of high tenacy polyester fibres for the warp and weft polyamide yarns, both held together by a polyamide
composite yarn.
Tail pulley The pulley near the loading end of the conveyor system.
Take-up pulley A pulley which can move in space in order to maintain relatively constant tension.
Tensile member The fabric, cord and/or metal reinforcing section of a belt, as distinguished from the rubber cover.
The usual term for the rubber's ultimate tensile strength, i.e. the maximum stress that the rubber can withstand
Tensile strength while being stretched (MPa).
Tension Stress on the belt tending to cause extension.
Established belt manufacturers are testing all parameters agreed in the purchase order of every belt produced
Testing before shipment. Independent test labs can be consulted to review the results.

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Glossary of conveyor belt terms

Tie gum A thin sheet of unvulcanized rubber inserted between plies in vulcanized repairs of splices.
Training idler An idler mounted on a mechanical device, actuated by the belt moving against it to make the belt run straight.
Transition distance The distance between the last fully troughed idler and the flat driving or discharge pulley.
Transverse An additional layer of single polyamide cords in custom-made pitch and diameter for increased rip and impact
reinforcement resistance.
Tripper A device for discharging material from a belt.
Troughability The property of a belt that permits it to conform to the contour of troughing idlers.
A belt-to-belt booster drive to reduce belt tension. Originally from the German term "Treib-Traggurt".
TT drive
Increases belt wear, maintenance and system availability.

Viscoelasticity The property of materials that exhibit both viscous and elastic characteristics when being deformed.
Viscoelasticity is the result of the diffusion of atoms or molecules inside of an amorphous material.
Viscosity The resistance of a material to flow under stress. The higher the viscosity, the thicker the material.
An irreversible process during which a rubber compound, through a change in its chemical structure, becomes
Vulcanization elastic. See more here.
Vulcanizer A mobile curing machine for field splicing (also called press).
Warp The lengthwise yarns in a woven fabric.
Wear resistance A combination of abrasion and cut resistance. New test methods have been developed recently by ITA Germany.
Weft The crosswise yarns in a woven fabric.

Working tension Used in the USA to determine the belt rating (piw). It is up to the belt manufacturer to decide on the real belt
breaking strength.
Wrinkle An appearance usually resulting from curing with separation paper or cloth.
Young's modulus The stress per unit strain for elastic materials. Equation.
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