8/10/2017 Troughed: Design Guidelines and standards

Beginners Guide
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Design Guidelines and Standards

Some of the fundamental conveyor design parameters and standards are included here to acquaint the learner with the norms
of the technology.

Once the learner has progressed to the stage of detailed design and engineering of troughed belt conveyors, then the
appropriate sections in this Handbook should be consulted for a more comprehensive explanation of terms and design
information.

a) Troughed Belt Conveyor Capacities

Material surcharge angles vary between 0 degrees and 35 degrees and greater however, for the purposes of an indication of
belt conveying capacities, the chart below assumes that the material surcharge angle is 20 degrees and has a bulk density of
1000 kg/m3.

The graph indicates the theoretical capacity of a conveyor at a belt speed of 1 m/s and three different idler trough angles
namely 20, 35 and 45 degrees.

BG19

The capacity of a troughed belt can also be viewed/calculated on the Ckit "Load & Capacity" calculator.

b) Belt Speeds

A number of factors should be considered when determining the correct conveyor belt speed. These include the material
particle size, the inclination of the belt at the loading point, degradation of the material during loading and discharge, the width
of the conveyor structure, belt tensions and power consumption.

The following tables provide an indication of the recommended belt speeds for different materials.

Max. Belt Speed

c) Standard Belt Data

Troughed conveyor belting usually complies to the following standard dimensions and ratings.

- Belt widths

Standard Belt Widths

450 mm
600 mm
750 mm
800 mm
900 mm
1000 mm
1050 mm
1200 mm
1350 mm
1400 mm
1500 mm
1650 mm
1800 mm
2100 mm
2400 mm
3000 mm

- Belt classes :-

Steel Cord Belt Rating Fabric Belt Rating Fabric Belt Plies*

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ST 500 EP 160 2 ply
ST 630 EP 200 3 ply
ST 800 EP 250 4 ply
ST 1000 EP 315 5 ply
ST 1250 EP 400 6 ply
ST 1600 EP 500
ST 2000 EP 630
ST 2600 EP 800
ST 3000 EP 1000
ST 3150 EP 1250
ST 4000 EP 1600
ST 5000 EP 2000
EP 2500
EP3150

'*' Click here to view standard number of plies for different belt classes

- Belt covers :-

Cover
Temperature Service Conditions
Grade
Heavy Duty Service
M Normal Temp. Superior in abrasion resistance, cut and gouge resistance.
Suitable for conveying large sized lumps, sharp and rugged materials.
Normal Duty Service
N Normal Temp.
Superior in abrasion resistance but inferior to grade M in cut-and-gouge resistance.
General Light Duty Service
B (G) Normal Temp.
Suitable for conveying moderately abrasive materials and small sized materials.
Super abrasion resistance
SA Normal Temp.
Suitable for conveying materials tending to cause fast wear on belts.
Belt Surface:
Superior in heat resistance and also in cut, abrasion and tear resistance.
max. 100C
HRS Suitable for conveying the following materials:
Material: max.
Hot sintered ore, hot pallet, hot clinker, hot chemical, fertilizer, etc.
200C
Highly exellent in heat resistance and also superior in abrasion resistance,
Belt Surface:
cut and tear resistance.
max. 150C
HRE No cracks will result. So suitable for hot materials.
Material: max.
Typical applications:
400C
Hot clinker, hot cement, hot powder, hot sintered ore, hot chemical, fertilizer, etc.
Oil & Heat Resistance
Material: max.
OHR Having oil resistance suitable for conveying hot materials.
100C
Recommendable for conveying the material containing some mineral oil.
Oil Resistance
OR Normal Temp. Excellent in oil resistance, lubricating oil, animal fat, mineral oil, oil treated coal,
phosphate involved oil, vegetable oil, fish oil, corn oil, etc
Fire Resistance
FR Normal Temp. Resistant to flame propagation. Extremely low burning rate.
Suitable for underground operation.

d) Types of Idlers

There is an array of idlers available in the market for use on conveyors in different applications.

Some examples of the different types of idlers available are provided below. For more details on the types and design of idlers
available, refer to the idler section on the contents bar.

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e) Idler Spacing

The spacing or pitch of idlers has a direct bearing on the sag of the belt between the idler sets. The idlers on the carrying side
of a conveyor must support both the belt and the load carried by the belt while on the return side, the idlers must only support
the empty return belt. It follows therefore that the idlers on the carrying side must be positioned at smaller intervals than on
the return side.

Excessive sag in the belt between idlers results in a higher absorbed power for the conveyor and therefore the pitch of the
idlers in conjunction with the tension in the conveyor should ensure that the sag is limited to between 1,5% and 3%.

The designer must also consider the load which the idlers must support and the effects
of this load on the design rating of the idlers' shaft and bearings. Spacing idlers too far
apart will result in excessive loading of the idlers which will reduce the life expectancy
of the idlers.

f) Conveyor Drive Units

The location, layout and configurations of drive units on a conveyor depends on the size of the drive required, the tensions in
the belt under various operating conditions, the physical space available for the drive unit, access to the drive for maintenance,
and so on.

Some examples of drive arrangements and locations are provided below.

In selecting the appropriate drive for a conveyor it is common practice to standardise on commercially available drive sizes and
configurations. This is important from a cost point of view as well as the clients spares holding requirements and the required
delivery period.

Generally speaking drive assemblies comprising motor, high speed coupling, gearbox/reducer and low speed coupling are rated
for the following duties. Reducers have different reduction ratios and the Suppliers should be consulted for specific information.

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0.25 kW 45 kW
0.37 kW 55 kW
0.55 kW 75 kW
0.75 kW 90 kW
1.1 kW 110 kW
1.5 kW 132 kW
2.2 kW 160 kW
3.0 kW 185 kW
4.0 kW 200 kW
5.5 kW 225 kW
7.5 kW 250 kW
11 kW 315 kW
15 kW 400 kW
18,5 kW 450 kW
22 kW 500 kW
30 kW 550 kW
37 kW 600 kW

g) Pulleys

The width and diameter of the pulley to be used are determined by the width of the conveyor belt, the belt rating or class and
the required conveyor belt speed.

Some standardisation in pulley diameters and widths exists although pulley shaft diameters and lengths are usually selected
for each specific conveyor.

An indication of pulley dimensions and commonly used terms is provided in the following table.

h) Take-up Assemblies

Take-up assemblies are required on all conveyors to maintain the required tension in the conveyor under all operating
conditions.

The location of the take-up, orientation of the take-up and design of the take-up depends on factors such as the length of the
conveyor, the available headroom for the take-up and the mass of the counterweight.

Some examples of take-up assemblies are provided below.

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i) Loading Stations

The layout and design of the loading point is often critical to the successful operation of the conveyor in as much as the
alignment of the belt along the conveyor is concerned and whether or not spillage occurs at the loading point.

A number of standard loading point configurations exist which are shown in the following diagrams. The choice of loading point
design is often dependent on for example, the height through which the loaded material falls before impacting onto the belt,
whether or not the material is dusty or wet, to minimise the damage caused to the belt at the impact point.

j) Belt Cleaning Devices

Whenever material is transported on a conveyor a certain small percentage of product is not discharged as the belt passes
around the head pulley. In instances where the material conveyed is wet and sticky, more material can be expected to carry
over onto the return side of the conveyor.

The problem with carry over is that the residual material is gradually removed from the belt as the return belt passes over the
return idlers and as the material dries along the return strand. Small heaps of product can be seen forming beneath each
return idler and these piles of material can grow rapidly and have a high cleanup cost over the life of the Plant.

For this reason belt scrapers are used at the head end of the conveyor and belt ploughs are employed ahead of the tail pulley.
In extreme cases belt turnovers are used which physically turn the return belt upside down along the returned strand thereby
preventing the dirty side of the belt coming into contact with the idlers.

Three main types of belt cleaning devices are used namely primary scrapers, secondary scrapers and belt ploughs. Pictures of
each of these devices are provided below together with an indication of where each of these items may be found on a
conveyor. For additional information consult the appropriate section in this Handbook.

k) Field Instrumentation

Conveyor belts are designed to operate reliably and continuously for many years. During commissioning and after maintenance
the performance of the conveyor is usually monitored and once the initial setting up has been completed, it can be expected
that the conveyor will operate safely under normal operating conditions.

In practice however, abnormal conditions develop for example, material fed onto the conveyor may misalign due to gradual
buildup in the feed chute resulting in a misaligned belt which could run dangerously close to the structure and which could
damage the belt. Catastrophic failures also occur from time to time examples of which include a belt splice failure on an
inclined conveyor.

These abnormalities may occur when the conveyor is not being monitored and if left unattended, serious damage to the
equipment and possibly to personnel could arise.

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Field instruments are therefore used on conveyors and serve to warn the operator that an abnormal condition is developing
and will trip the conveyor should be problem become serious enough.

Most conveyors are fitted with the following instrumentation (click on the thumbnail for the full image) :-

Item Description Function when actuayed

1 Misalignment detector Trip belt if seriously misaligned BG29a
2 Under speed switch Trip drive and feeding conveyor BG29b
3 Blocked chute detector Trip drive and receiving conveyor BG29c
4 Pull wire and switch Trip drive and feed conveyor BG29d
5 Emergency stop Trip drive and feed conveyor BG29e
6 Rip detector Trip drive and feed conveyor BG29f
7 Thermal Plug Trip drive and feeding conveyor BG29g

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