Belt Tracking & Conveyor Maintenance

Training Presentation2013

Belt Tracking&

Conveyor Maintenance

Belt Tracking & Maintenance2013

What’s the Problem??


Objectives

Productivity

Reliability

Unexpected downtime

Maintenance costs

Operate safely without incidents.


Belt Tracking

• Efficiently

• Safely

• Reliably

The goal in achieving proper and consistent belt tracking is to ensure safe, consistent, trouble-free, economical conveyor system operation — in short, to be able to walk away from the system and not worry about its operation for reasonable periods of time.


What is belt tracking?

Tracking (or training) is defined as the procedure required to make the conveyor belt run “True” or “centered” under ALL operating conditions


A conveyor belt must run “true” to avoid:

•Material spillage at transfer points

•Damage to edge of conveyor belt

•Damage to conveyor components

•Damage to conveyor structure

Why bother?


Rubber Price Rise


Charles’s rule of maintenance

Material Spillage+

Belt Damage+

Component Damage+

Structure Damage=

Headaches, Wasted Time & Wasted Money


Belt Tracking – SO FAR

• Understanding that belt mis-tracking is the

root cause of spillage, reduced belt life, component failure and structure damage.

• Don’t accept that conveyors will not track true under all operating conditions and work towards rectifying the faults.


• Comes before any other rule

• Belt moves towards roller it contacts first

Rule Zero


Rule Zero

• ALL pulleys, snub rollers, carrying idlers and return idlers must be SQUARE with the frame and PARALLEL to each other.


Should we track at Pulleys

THIS

IS

NOT

FOR

BELT

TRACKING



180

°

ANG

LEO

FW

RAP



22

0°

ANG

LEO

FW

RAP



180

°

ANG

LEO

FW

RAP


Should we track Pulleys

• The Pulley has a massive affect on belt

tracking

• If it is not parallel - you will pay

2~4°





• LOW BELT TENSION

• HIGH BELT TENSION


VERY IMPORTANT: Corrective Action

• Before you start making adjustments to idlers and pulleys, try to find and correct the cause of mistracking


Common Causes of Belt Misalignment


Cause 1

Cause 1:Material Spillage / Carry Back


Cause 1Material Spillage / Carry Back

• CLEANLINESS is essential to good belt tracking.

• Foreign matter in essence creates a new roll or pulley face

• Ineffective scrapers

• Poorly designed or maintained transfer point




Possible solutions: Belt Support (K-SURE)

Before After



Possible solutions: Skirting



Possible solutions: R.D.R.T roller



Possible solutions: K-Polymer Roller



Possible solutions: Scrapers

Different ScrapersFor

Different Applications



Cause 2

Cause 2:Belt Loading Not Central


• Gravity is a harsh mistress



• Gravity is a harsh mistress





Cause 3

Cause 3:Extreme Weather


• Strong winds• Rain causing slippage• etc

Cause 3:Extreme Weather


Cause 4

Cause 4:Not Enough Belt Tension


• Belt should be tensioned enough to conform to crown on head pulley

• Belt should be tensioned enough to eliminate slippage

Cause 4:Not Enough Belt Tension


Cause 5

Cause 5:Rollers seized or uneven


• Seized trough rollers will cause belt to mistrack

Cause 5:Rollers seized or uneven


Cause 6

Cause 6:Belt Camber


If %camber exceeds ½% the belt manufacturer should be contacted

%camber = maximum deviation from straight x 100

----------------------------------------------------

straight belt length

Cause 6:Belt Camber


Cause 6:Belt Storage


Cause 7

Cause 7:Belt Camber


Cause 7:Disobeying ‘Rule Zero’


Windy day / Seized rollers / Not loaded centre / Build up







A Guide for Adjusting Idlers Back to True

SO YOU’VE DISOBEYED ‘RULE ZERO’


The training process should begin at the head pulley end of the return belt, with the work being carried out on the return idlers in the direction of the belt travel towards the tail end, then along the carrying idlers to the discharge end.

Belt Training


43

56

12

8 7

11109 12131514 181716 19

Belt Training


To correct belt wander always face in the direction of belt travel, then if the belt is running to the right, advance the right side of the idler set in the direction of the belt travel.

Several idlers should be adjusted slightly rather than one or two too much.

Belt Training


Equipment Options (current)


Equipment Options (new)


Equipment Options (new)


3.5 X BWALLOWS BELT TO TRACK

BEFORE PARALLEL PULLEYPARALLEL PULLEY WILL

KEEP BELT STRAIGHT

Position Trackers


Minimum 3.5 x Belt Width


• The picture below shows which direction the conveyor belt will track towards once rollers have been shifted from square to stringers.

• The angle has been exaggerated for demonstration and should not exceed 2 degrees in the field.


• Below is another technique used to help aid belt tracking.

• This is unbiased to a particular side. • This technique cannot be used on bi-

directional conveyors.


1. Square up all rollers and pulleys before adjusting anything

2. Ensure belt scraper is tensioned (lightly)

and effective

3. Ensure belt is being tracked properly into

tail drum

4. Ensure belt is loaded centrallyNOTE: If you have constantly changing conditions then a self tracker is a MUST

My Suggestions


Tracking problems cause huge and unnecessary expenses including:

- Material waste- Maintenance costs- Clean up costs- Component damage / failure- Structure damage

Conclusion


Any cost spent tracking your belt ‘true’ is NOT and will NEVER be a costly exercise compared to the expenses of NOT tracking your belt ‘true’

The great thing is…

You don’t necessarily need to spend a cent

Conclusion


Bulk Materials Handling Products

MADE BETTER - since 1985


Thank You

Business

Belt Tracking & Conveyor Maintenance