MODULE 1
OPERATION OF A CONVEYOR
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INTRODUCTION:
Belt conveyors fall under the above. So it is of the utmost importance that
all safety rules related to the above be adhered to when working on or in
the immediate area of the systems.
Conveyor belts are among the most important and expensive items in the
MSP. It is therefore appropriate that we examine the operation and carry
out daily checks to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the
conveyors.
The traction force to drive the belt is provided by the friction developed
between the belt and the drive pulley. If for any reason this friction is
reduced, then slipping occurs between the pulley and the belt.
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PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION:
Tail Pulley.
Troughing Idlers.
Return Idlers.
Impact Idlers.
Conveyor Belt.
Scraper.
Conveyor Covers.
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PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION:
All pulleys are fitted with guards which prevent a person from putting his
hands or any cleaning objects between the pulley and belt, this is referred
to as a Nip Point.
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PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION:
Tail Pully:
The tail pulley is situated at the rear end of the belt and is normally the main
pulley to be adjusted when the belt needs to be tensioned or runs off track.
NOTE:
Any adjustment made to tension the conveyor belt e.g. the alignment
of the tail pulley will cause the belt to run off-centre.
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PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION:
Troughing Idlers:
Troughing idlers are consist of a horizontal roller in the centre and a angled
idler on each side.
The angled idlers partially fold the conveyor belt at each end which assists to
contain the mineral in the centre of the belt in order to prevent spillage.
Angled
Idler
Angled
Idler
Horizontal
Idler
Note: idlers that are not turning must be replaced before they wear through
the casing as they will damage the conveyor belt.
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PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION:
Return Idlers
Return idlers support the conveyor belt on the return (bottom) side of the
belt.
They must also be replaced if not turning in order to prevent belt damage
Return Idler
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PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION:
Impact Idlers
Impact idlers are normally installed under large feed hoppers where a large
amount of mineral falls onto the conveyor belt at one time.
A typical example is the HMC Feed hopper that is loaded by a Front End
Loader.
Impact Idler
The rollers are made out of hard rubber and with heavy duty roller bearings
to handle the heavy load that falls onto the belt.
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PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION:
PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION:
Conveyor Belt
The top and underside layer of a belt is made out of rubber, sandwiched
between these two layers you will find a number of layers made out of
woven nylon.
In some heavy duty cases a fine wire mesh or strands are used, which
gives the conveyor belt its extra strength.
Conveyor Belt
PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION:
The hold back is a safety device, which prevents the belt from running
backwards, should the drive motor trip or sop under load.
The back stop is located within the drive motor gearbox.
Inclined conveyors are more susceptible to run back because of the angle
that they operate at.
Belt Scraper.
A Belt scraper is installed on the return side of the belt at the discharge
pulley end.
A scraper is used when wet or moist mineral is conveyed, this is because
when the mineral is wet a small amount of mineral stays on the belt.
Discharge
Hopper
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PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION:
Take Up Pulley:
This system maintains the belt tension by means of weights acting under
gravity. The tension pulley carries the weights which moves vertically
between slide pipes or rails and operates on the return side of the
conveyor belt.
"Take-up Pulleys derive their name from the fact that they take up
changes in belt length. In taking up length, they maintain tension, which is
their primary purpose.
Manual take-up:
PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION:
Automatic take-up:
Weights
Slide Cage
PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION:
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Speed Switch
A speed switch is installed primarily to prevent damage to the conveyor
belt.
A proximity switch is installed on the side of the tail pully, welded to the
side of the tail pulley are a number of flat steel plates.
As the pulley rotates the proximity switch picks up the steel plates as they
rotate past it (this can be confirmed by a flashing LED on the proximity
switch)
The plant PLC counts the number of times the proximity switch is
activated, if the count drops below a certain point the conveyor will
automatically stop.
In both of the above cases the conveyor belt could be badly damaged, that
is why it is automatically stopped.
The reason why the proximity switch is fitted to the tail pulley is that if it
was on the head pulley the belt could snap but the drive motor will still
keep on turning the head pulley.
PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION:
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Conveyor Covers
Safety
Trip wires:
Pulling the trip wire will stop the belt; the belt will not re-start unless the
trip switch is reset.
Safety
Alarms:
All conveyors must have a pre start up siren to warn any personnel that
are on or close to a conveyor.
As soon as the start button is pushed and providing the trip switches are
reset and it is not isolated in the MCC, the alarm will sound for a time
period of 30 seconds before the belt drive motor starts.
Starting a Conveyor:
Ensure that all safety guards are in place and all are secured.
Check the head, tail and pulleys for any mineral build-up
NOTE:
Safety
Starting a Conveyor
Check the conveyor for any missing or holed idlers. Missing or holed
idlers can tear the belt.
Check for build-up and blockages in the feed Chute.
Ensure that the safety alarm is sounded before starting the conveyor.
The alarm warns people in the vicinity that it is about to start up.
Stopping a Conveyor:
Always stop the mineral feeding onto the first conveyor in a circuit, to
allow the down stream conveyors to run empty.
Stop the conveyor by pressing the stop button on the Scada system.
The conveyor can also be stopped by pulling the emergency pull cord
or the local stop button.
Safety
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Ensure tail, head and nip point guards are in position and in good
order.
All units start-up automatically. Keep away from any conveyor, which
appears to be standing, particularly if you hear the start-up siren or
warning.
Never poke your fingers or other objects through the mesh guarding of
any unit.
Safety
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.
No person may climb over or ride on a moving conveyor.
Do not remove any safety guards from a operating conveyor for the
purposes of cleaning or any other duty.
Always replace any guards, which have been removed before starting
the unit
.
Make use of the emergency pull cord to stop the belt should an unsafe
condition arise or use the local push button if closer to you.
Safety
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