Conveyor belt

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This article is about industrial conveyor belts. For information on the global flow of sea currents, see Thermohaline circulation.

Point of contact between a power transmission belt and its pulley. A conveyor belt uses a wide belt and pulleys and is supported by rollers along its path.

These conveyor structures contain belts for moving bulk sulfur from railcars to storage piles and from the piles to ships.

A belt conveyor consists of two pulleys, with a continuous loop of material - the conveyor belt - that rotates about them. The pulleys are powered, moving the belt and the material on the belt forward. Conveyor belts are extensively used to transport industrial and agricultural materials, such as grain, coal, ores, etc. Material flowing over the belt may be weighed in transit using a beltweigher. Belts with regularly spaced partitions, known as elevator belts, are used for transporting loose materials up steep inclines. Conveyor belts are used in self-unloading bulk freighters and in live bottom trucks. This technology is also used in conveyor transport such as moving sidewalks or escalators, as well as on many manufacturing assembly lines. Stores often have conveyor belts at the check-out counter to move shopping items. Ski areas also use conveyor belts to transport skiers up the hill. A wide variety of conveying machines are available, different as regards principle of operation, means and direction of conveyance, including screw conveyors, vibrating conveyors, the moving floor system, which uses reciprocating slats to move cargo, and roller conveyor system, which uses a series of powered rollers to convey boxes or pallets.

The longest belt conveyor system in the world is in Western Sahara. It is 100 km long, from the phosphate mines of Bu Craa to the coast south of El-Aaiun. The longest single belt conveyor runs from Meghalaya in India to Sylhet in Bangladesh. It is 17 km long and conveys limestone and shale.

Conveyor mechanisms are used as components in automated distribution and warehousing. In combination with computer controlled pallet handling equipment this allows for more efficient retail, wholesale, and manufacturing distribution. It is considered a labor saving system that allows large volumes to move rapidly through a process, allowing companies to ship or receive higher volumes with smaller storage space and with less labor expense.

1 Vibrating Conveyor Systems
2 Flexible conveyor systems
3 History
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Vibrating Conveyor Systems

A Vibrating Conveyor is a machine with a solid conveying surface which is turned up on the side to form a trouph. They are used extensively in food grade applications where sanitation, washdown, and low maintenance are essential. Vibrating conveyors are also suitable for harsh, very hot, dirty, or corrosive environments. They can be used to convey newly cast metal parts which may reach upwards of 1500° F. Due to the fixed nature of the conveying pans vibrating conveyors can also preform tasks such as sorting, screening, classifying and orienting parts. Vibrating conveyors have been built to convey material at angles exceeding 45° from horizontal using special pan shapes. Flat pans will convey most materials at a 5° Incline from horizontal.

[edit] Flexible conveyor systems

The flexible conveyor is based on a conveyor beam in aluminium or stainless steel, with low friction slide rails guiding a plastic multi-flexing chain. Products to be conveyed travel directly on the conveyor, or on pallets/carriers.

[edit] History

Primitive conveyor belts were used since 19th century. In 1901, Sandvik invented and started the production of the Steel Conveyor belts. In 1913, Henry Ford introduced Conveyor belt-based assembly-line in Ford Motor Company's factory production.