Received 12 March 2008; accepted 15 July 2008

Corresponding author. Tel: +86-13805207270; E-mail address: hyfcumt@sohu.com

Dynamic characteristics of conveyor belts
HOU You-fu, MENG Qing-rui
School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221116, China
Abstract: The dynamic characteristics of a belt conveyor are determined to a large extent by the properties of the belt. This paper
describes experiments designed to establish the dynamic properties of belting material. The dynamic elastic modulus, viscous
damping and rheological constants of the belt were measured. Several properties were studied as a function of the tensile loading on
the belt. These included longitudinal vibration, the natural vibration frequency in the transverse direction and the response to an
impulse excitation. Vibration response was observed under several different excitation frequencies. Most of these properties have
not been tested previously under conditions appropriate for the ISO/DP9856 standard. Two types of belt were tested, a steel rein-
forced belt and a fabric reinforced belt. The test equipment was built to provide data appropriate for designing belt conveyors. It
was observed that the stress wave propagation speed increased with tensile load and that tensile load was the main factor influenc-
ing longitudinal vibrations.
Key words: experimental investigation; dynamic characteristics; conveyor belt
1 Introduction
Belt conveyors are, in most cases, the most
cost-effective solution for handling bulk material
mass flows over short and medium conveying dis-
tances. The belt is a key component of these convey-
ors and its dynamic characteristics determine the
working performance to a great extent. At present,
experimental research on the dynamic characteristics
of conveyor belts is mainly concentrated on testing
dynamic elastic modulus and viscous damping fol-
lowing the ISO/DP9856 standard. Little research on
other dynamic parameters has been carried out.
F. Langebrake et al. tested the breaking and splice
strength of steel cord belts by using a large magnetic
flux leakage tester
[1]
. Blaej et al. tested the tensile
strength of the belt and the strength parameters of the
rubber used for the adhesive-bond joint in splices by
using a ZP40 testing machine
[2]
. Hou et al. reviewed
the experimental research work on the dynamic char-
acteristics of the belt published over the past two
decades. They considered that the test piece used in
the previous research work, based on the
ISO/DP9856 standard, was too small (50 mm300
mm) to acquire reliable test data and suggested that a
larger one should be adopted
[3]
.
This paper describes the design and construction
of an apparatus to investigate the dynamic character-
istics of conveyor belting. Two types of belt, a fabric
belt and a steel cord belt, commonly used in coal
mines were examined.
2 Experimental
2.1 Parameters
The main parameters studied by the experiments
are:
1) The dynamic performance parameters of the
belt.
2) The relationship between the stress wave
propagation speed and the tension force on the belt.
3) The dynamic response characteristics of the belt
under different tension forces and exciting frequen-
cies.
4) The natural frequency of transverse vibration of
the belt.
2.2 Methods
The first step is pretreatment of the test piece,
which includes the measurement of its size and peel-
ing two ends off for gripping. Then the test piece is
installed on the test apparatus and kept in tension for
24 hours under a given tension force. Each individual
test is repeated ten times and the average value is re-
ported as the final test data.
1) By using the shock response method, the stress
wave propagation speed C was found and used to
J China Univ Mining & Technol 18 (2008) 06290633
JOURNAL OF CHINA UNIVERSITY OF
MINING &
TECHNOLOGY
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Journal of China University of Mining & Technology Vol.18 No.4 630
calculate the dynamic elastic modulus
d
E . Accelera-
tion sensors were fixed at certain points to record the
response signal. The stress wave propagation time t
can be obtained by comparison of the signals of an
impact force and the response signals picked up by
the acceleration sensors. The stress wave propagation
speed C can be calculated and
d
E is then given by
the equation d
E
C

=
, where is the density of the
belt.
2) The rheological constant , of the belt is ob-
tained by analyzing the shock and vibration signals
from displacement and acceleration sensors mounted
at the same place. The viscous damping , of the belt
can be calculated by the relationship between ,
and
d
E .
3) The response signals of the belt were tested un-
der different tensile loads and exciting frequencies by
mounting two displacement and two acceleration
sensors at specified places and then analyzing the
interaction between the respective signals.
4) The natural frequency for transverse vibration of
the belt was identified by using a swept sine-wave
excitation.
2.3 Apparatus
The data from the experiments carried out in this
paper are intended to assist in engineering applica-
tions. To acquire reliable test data, the apparatus is
built to simulate a real belt conveyor. The main fea-
tures of the apparatus are as follows (see Fig. 1):
Tape recorder
Signal
generator
Tension
screw nut
Displacement or
acceleration sensor
Tension sensor Test
piece
E
x
c
i
t
e
r
Fig. 1 Experimental apparatus
1) The test piece is supported on carrying idlers,
just as real conveyor belts are.
2) The distance between two carrying idlers is ap-
proximately the same as in actual belt conveyors.
3) The test piece is placed horizontally so that the
sag is similar to that of actual belt conveyors.
4) The test piece is tensioned by a screw nut.
5) The longitudinal exciting force is applied by a
vibration exciter.
The signals were recorded with a TEAC MR 30
tape recorder and were analyzed with an HP3562A
dynamic signal analyzer. The test pieces included
fabric belts and steel cord belts commonly used in
coal mines. The cross sections of the belts are shown
in Fig. 2. The design parameters of the belts are given
in Table 1.
Fig. 2 Cross section of the belts
Table 1 Parameters of the belts
Test pieces Belt type
Length
(m)
Width
(m)
Tensile strength
Steel cord belts ST1000 3.2 0.25 1000 N/mm
Fabric belts 800*4 3.2 0.25 70 N/mm/layer
3 Results
3.1 Propagation speed of a stress wave along the
belt
The stress wave propagation time can be obtained
from the recorded impact force and response signals.
The stress wave propagation speed can be calculated
from the time. The results are shown in Table 2.
The data in Table 2 show that the stress wave
propagation speed varies with the belt type and with
tensile load. The speed increases nonlinearly with an
increase in tension. Under lower tension the stress
wave propagation speed increases more quickly. As
the tension force increased above a threshold the
stress wave propagation speed changed only slightly.
The stress wave propagation speed in the steel cord
belts is greater than that of the fabric belts for a given
tensile load.
Table 2 Stress wave propagation speed under different tensile loads (m/s)
Tension force (kN) 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Steel cord belts 1107.5 1304.5 1534.8 1525.2 1538.7 1554.1 1500.6 1582.8
Fabric belts 835.4 946.9 1008.1 1073.7 1085.4 1106.6 1187.2 1147.7
3.2 Dynamic parameters of the belts
The dynamic elastic modulus of the belts can be
calculated from
d
E
C

=
. The results are shown in
HOU You-fu et al Dynamic characteristics of conveyor belts 631
Table 3.
The rheological constant of the belts can be found
by analyzing the acceleration and displacement from
an impact; the results are shown in Table 4.
Viscous damping coefficients can be calculated
using the relationship between dynamic elastic
modulus, the rheological constant and the viscous
damping; the results are shown in Table 5.
Table 3 Dynamic elastic modulus under different tensile loads (N/mm)
Tension force (kN) 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Steel cord belts 25734.4 35708.7 49416.2 48838.1 49674.3 50713.2 47250.6 52557.2
Fabric belts 2788.9 3579.6 4064.2 4605.3 4708.9 4892.9 5135.8 5262.4
Table 4 Rheological constants under different tensile loads (s)
Tension force (kN) 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Steel cord belts 0.207 0.171 0.151 0.155 0.149 0.147 0.145 0.140
Fabric belts 0.255 0.245 0.250 0.253 0.248 0.261 0.249 0.246
Table 5 Viscous damping under different tensile loads (Ns/mm)
Tension force (kN) 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Steel cord belts 5326.9 6106.1 7461.8 7569.9 7401.4 7454.8 6851.2 7357.9
Fabric belts 710.9 876.8 1016.0 1165.1 1167.5 1276.8 1403.1 1294.4
From Tables 3, 4 and 5, it can be seen that the dy-
namic performance parameters of the belts vary over
a large range as the tensile load changes. This indi-
cates that because of viscoelastic behavior the dy-
namic characteristics of the belt vary under different
boundary conditions.
3.3 Natural frequency of transverse vibration of
the belt
The natural, transverse, vibration frequency is that
frequency where the response of the belt to a swept
sine wave excitation is greatest. The results of swept
sine wave tests are shown in Table 6.
The data in Table 6 show that the natural frequency
for transverse vibration in the two types of belt in-
creases slightly with an increase in the tensile force in
a nonlinear way. The natural frequency for transverse
vibration of the steel cord belt is greater than that of
the fabric belt. According to belt transverse vibration
theory, the steel cord belts are suitable for high speed
belt conveyors.
Table 6 Natural frequency of transverse vibration under different tensile loads (Hz)
Tension force (kN) 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Steel cord belts 11.5 12.3 14.9 14.7 15.3 15.7 15.4 15.8
Fabric belts 9.8 11.7 12.2 11.8 12.1 11.9 12.3 12.2
3.4 Response characteristics under different ex-
citing frequencies
Harmonic excitation was applied to the belt at dif-
ferent frequencies (5 Hz, 10 Hz, 15 Hz, 20 Hz, 25 Hz
and 30 Hz) under various tensile loadings. The longi-
tudinal vibration of steel cord belts was measured.
The results are shown in Figs. 3 and 4.
From Figs. 3 and 4, it can be seen that:
1) The basic frequency of the longitudinal vibra-
tion of the belt is the same as the exciting frequency.
2) Waveform in the time domain varies with the
exciting frequency under the same tension force.
Higher-frequency harmonics decrease gradually with
an increase of the exciting frequency. At an exciting
frequency of 30 Hz the longitudinal vibration is close
to a first harmonic waveform.
3) By comparing the longitudinal vibration wave-
form shown in Fig. 3 with the one in Fig. 4 under the
same exciting frequency, it can be seen that the
higher-frequency harmonic components are more
obvious when the tension is greater. Different vibra-
tion waveforms have different effects on dynamic
stress. Higher frequency harmonics intensify vibra-
tion of the belt and lead to increased dynamic stress.
This is also the harmful effect from excessive tension.
3.5 Response to shock excitation
The vibration response of steel cord belts to an
impulse excitation is shown in Fig. 5. It can be seen
that the response decays exponentially, similar to the
response characteristics of an elastic body. This indi-
cates that the vibration characteristics of the belts are
mainly determined by the elastic properties of the
framework material of the belts.
Journal of China University of Mining & Technology Vol.18 No.4 632
2.4
0.8
0.8
80 160 240 320 400
W (ms)
8
(
N
)
0
2.0
0.0
1.2
80 160 240 320 400
W (ms)
8
(
N
)
0
1.5
0.0
1.5
80 160 240 320 400
W (ms)
8
(
N
)
0
3.2
0.0
3.2
80 160 240 320 400
W (ms)
8
(
N
)
0
1.5
0.0
1.5
80 160 240 320 400
W (ms)
8
(
N
)
0
2.0
0.0
1.2
80 160 240 320 400
W (ms)
8
(
N
)
0
Fig. 3 Longitudinal vibration of the belt in response to different excitation frequencies, 10 kN tensile load
Fig. 4 Longitudinal vibration of the belt in response to different excitation frequencies, 20 kN tensile load
HOU You-fu et al Dynamic characteristics of conveyor belts 633
(a) Shock response: 5 kN load (b) Shock response: 10 kN load
Fig. 5 Response of steel cord belts to a shock excitation under different tensile loads
6 Conclusions
The following conclusions can be drawn from the
results of the experimental investigation:
1) Stress wave propagation speed increases
nonlinearly with an increase in tension in the belts.
For the same tension force, the stress wave propaga-
tion speed of the steel cord belt is greater than that of
the fabric belt.
2) The dynamic performance parameters of the
belts, including the dynamic elastic modulus, the
rheological constant and the viscous damping, vary
with tension force.
3) The natural frequency of the transverse vibration
in the belts slightly increases with the tensile load in a
nonlinear way. The natural frequency of the trans-
verse vibration in the steel cord belt is greater than
that in the fabric belt.
4) Tension force on the belt is the main factor that
influences longitudinal vibration: The effect of exci-
tation frequency is smaller. This indicates that more
attention should be paid to controlling tensile loading
in belt conveyor design.
5) Steel cord belts have the same response charac-
teristic to shock excitation as an elastic body. This
indicates that the vibration characteristics of a belt are
mainly determined by the elastic properties of its
framework material.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge
Prof. Zhang Yong-zhong for his valuable contribu-
tions.
References
[1] Langebrake F, Klein J, Gronau O. Non-destructive test-
ing of steel-cord conveyor belts. Bulk Solids Handling,
1998, 18(4): 565569.
[2] Blaej R, Hardygra M. Modeling of shear stresses in
multiply belt splices. Bulk Solids Handling, 2003, 23(4):
234241.
[3] Hou Y F, Huang M, Zhang Y Z. Dynamic Performance
and Control Technology of Belt Conveyor. Beijing: Coal
Industry Press, 2004. (In Chinese)