ME 8403: MATERIAL HANDLING

DESIGN

ACADEMIC YEAR 2023/2024

MECHANICAL AND INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

MBEYA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
2.0 CONVEYORS
• Introduction to conveyors
• Application areas of conveyors
• Design of belt conveyors
• Maintenance of belt conveyors
2.1 What are Conveyors?
• Conveyors are the machines that move materials,
finished products or anything horizontally and vertically
(lifting), making sure that the products are not damaged
in between. Types: Belt, Bucket, Screw conveyors etc.

• Benefits of using conveyor systems

• They can safely transport all materials and items from
one level to another
• They can be installed in many situations, and they
might also add value to the safety of the workplace.
2.2 Belt Conveyors-Reinforced rubber material
Belt Conveyors
• Belt conveyors consist of two powered pulleys with a continuous loop of
belting material used to convey
products.
• Belt conveyors are the most economical powered conveyor and are typically
used for conveying products over long distances, at high speeds, or for
incline/decline applications.
• This is done with endless procession of hooks, gears, buckets, and a wide
rubber belt. The belt is then supported by a series of rollers along the path.
• Belt conveyors are simple method of moving products from one point to
another. Because of the simplicity of the flat, moving belt, they can be used to
move a variety of product sizes, shapes and weights effectively for long
lengths with a single drive.
• Belt Conveyors are also a great option to move products through elevations.
Incline Belt Conveyors from low to high and decline ones from high to low.
Belt Conveyors Layout
2.3 Belt conveyor-Kinetics

Fig. Basic belt conveyor system-basic components

electric drives, pulleys, idlers, and a long belt
2.4 Basics of Conveyor Belt design
• Drive and Driven Pulleys
• Tail (picks the cargo) and Head (discharge the cargo) of the conveyor
• Belt idlers-Supports the belt
• Drive motors-drives the belt head
• Tensioning device-automatic tensioning device referred to as a gravity
take-up, which uses a counterweight to create tension in the belt
• The cargo is usually loaded near the tail end in an area referred to as
the loading zone
• The loading zone will likely consist of a loading chute
• A conveyor’s head, or discharge, end will usually consist of the head
pulley, a discharge chute along with a belt-cleaning system, a dribble
chute, and other equipment to monitor and maintain flow.
• A transfer point is where the bulk material moves from on piece of
equipment to anotherA transfer point can be either a loading or
discharge zone, or in the case where one conveyor is feeding another,
one transfer point can contain both the loading or discharge zones.
2.5 Basic calculations of conveyor belt
(i) Belt tension (Tb)-tensile load due to the rotation of the electric drive, weight of the conveyed
materials, and due to the idlers
Tb = 1.37*f*L*g*[2*mi+ (2*mb + mm)*cos (δ)] + (H*g*mm)………………………………………………...Eq.1.1
Where,
Tb is in Newton.
f = Coefficient of friction
L = Conveyor length in meters. Conveyor length is approximately half of the total belt length.
g = Acceleration due to gravity = 9.81 m/sec2
mi = Load due to the idlers in Kg/m.
mb = Load due to belt in Kg/m.
mm = Load due to the conveyed materials in Kg/m.
δ = Inclination angle of the conveyor in Degree.
H = vertical height of the conveyor in meters.
Belt-Tight and Slack tensions relation
Basic calculations of conveyor belt cont.
(ii) Load due to idlers (mi)
mi = (mass of a set of idlers) / (idlers spacing)………………………..Eq.1.2
(iii) Power at drive pulley (Pp): The power required at the drive pulley
can be calculated from the belt tension value as :
Pp = (Tb*V)/1000……………………………………………………………………Eq.1.3
Where,
Pp is in kW.
Tb = steady state belt tension in N.
V = belt speed in m/sec.
Basic calculations of conveyor belt cont.
(iv) Belt tension while starting the system (Tbs): Initially during the start
of the conveyor system, the tension in the belt will be much higher
than the tension in steady state. The belt tension while starting can be
calculated as:
• Tbs =Tb*Ks…………………………………………………………………………….Eq.1.4
• Where,
• Tbs is in N.
• Tb = the steady state belt tension in N.
• Ks = the start-up factor=approximated as?...
Basic calculations of conveyor belt cont.
(v) Sizing of the drive motor (Pm): The minimum motor power can be
calculated as: Pm = Pp/Kd……………………………………………………….Eq.1.5
Pp = the power at drive pulley in Kw
Kd = Drive efficiency.
(vi) Acceleration (A) : The acceleration of the conveyor belt can be
calculated as:
• A= (Tbs – Tb)/[L*(2*mi + 2*mb+mm)]………………………………..Eq.1.6
• Where,
• A is in m/sec2
• Tbs = the belt tension while starting in N.
• Tb = the belt tension in steady state in N.
• L = the length of the conveyor in meters.
• mi = Load due to the idlers in Kg/m.
• mb = Load due to belt in Kg/m.
• mm = Load due to the conveyed materials in Kg/m.
 (vii) Belt breaking strength: This parameter decides the selection of the
conveyor belt. The belt breaking strength can be calculated as:
• Bs= (Cr*Pp)/ (Cv*V)……………………………………………………………….Eq.1.7
• Where,
• Bs is in Newton.
• Cr = friction factor-is estimating the main friction for
the conveyor-Estimated to be between 0.015 and 0.035.
• Cv = Breaking strength loss factor
• Pp = Power at drive pulley in Newton.
• V = belt speed in m/sec.
 Example-1
Input data
• Conveyor capacity (Cc) = 1500 t/h = 416.67 Kg/sec
• Belt speed (V) = 1.5 m/sec
• Conveyor height (H) = 20 m
• Conveyor length (L) = 250 m
• Mass of a set of idlers (m’i) = 20 Kg
• Mass of material, mm=C(kg/s)/V(m/s)=416.67(kg/s)/1.5(m/s)
• Idler spacing (l’) = 1.2 m
• Load due to belt (mb) = 25 Kg/m
• Inclination angle of the conveyor (δ) = 5-deg
• Coefficient of friction (f) = 0.02
• Start-up factor (Ks) = 1.5

• Drive efficiency (Kd) = 0.9

• Friction factor (Cr) =0.015
• Breaking strength loss factor (Cv) = 0.75
Example-1 cont.
Solution
• First, we will use the eqn.1.2 for finding out the load due to idlers:
• mi = (20/1.2) = 16.67 Kg/m
• We will use the eqn.1.1 for finding out the belt tension in steady state:
• Tb = 1.37*0.02*250*9.81*[16.67+ {2*25+ (416.67/1.5)}*cos (5)] + (20*9.81*
(416.67/1.5)) = 77556.88 N.
• Alternative Calculated Answer: Tb=78677.76N
• The belt tension while starting the system can be calculated by using the eqn.1.4:
• Tbs = 1.5 * 77556.88 = 116335.32 N
• For calculating the power at drive pulley, we will use the eqn.1.3:
• Pp = (77556.88*1.5)/ 1000 = (116.335 Kw)
Example-1 cont.
• We will use the eqn.1.5 estimate the size of the motor:
• Pm = 116.35/0.9 = (129.261 kW)
• We will use the eqn.1.6 to find out the acceleration of the motor:
• A = (116335.32 - 77556.88)/ [250*{(2*16.67) + (2*25) + (416.67/1.5)}]
= 0.429 m/sec2
• Lastly, we will use the eqn.1.7 to find out the belt breaking strength:
• Bs = (1.015*116.35kW) / (0.75*1.5) = 104kN/m

• This Bs value is used to select the conveyor belt from the manufacturer’s
catalogue.
The coefficient of friction between the belt and the pulley depends
upon the following factors: Material of belt; Material of pulley; Slip
of belt; and Speed of belt.
 Standard Belt Thicknesses and Widths
• The standard flat belt thicknesses are 5, 6.5, 8, 10 and 12
mm.
• The preferred values of thicknesses are as follows:
• 5 mm for nominal belt widths of 35 to 63 mm,
• 6.5 mm for nominal belt widths of 50 to 140 mm,
• 8 mm for nominal belt widths of 90 to 224 mm,
• 10 mm for nominal belt widths of 125 to 400 mm, and
• 12 mm for nominal belt widths of 250 to 600 mm.
• The standard values of nominal belt widths are in R10
series, starting from 25 mm upto 63 mm and in R 20 series
starting from 71 mm up to 600 mm. Thus, the standard
widths will be 25, 32, 40, 50, 63, 71, 80, 90, 100, 112, 125,
140, 160, 180, 200, 224, 250, 280, 315, 355, 400, 450,
500, 560 and 600 mm.
2.6 Belt conveyor maintenance
• Abnormal noise must not be present.
• Rollers, pulleys, and other rotating parts must rotate uniformly without
slipping or noise.
• The mechanical rotating parts must be properly lubricated.
• The belt should start without any jerk or vibration.
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• Check whether the conveyor belt is cut, cracked, pierced, or damaged by
other reasons.
• Whether there is interlayer peeling damage, or breakage especially at the
joints.
Belt conveyor maintenance cont.
• Whether the conveyor belt sag between the rollers is normal
• Overflow of materials on the conveyor belt due to sagging
• Whether the conveyor belt is slipping on the driving roller
• Check if tensioning is correct
• Check the cleaning device: Check whether the scraper moves well, and is there
any material on the rollers and idlers
• On the roller idlers: Check whether the bearing is damaged or lack oil, and make
sure that the movement is normal, and replace the worn idler in time.
Belt conveyor maintenance cont.
• Monthly maintenance checklist should include a drive motor, motor
mounting bolts, gearbox and bearings
• Any signs of abnormal vibration or noise need to pay immediate
attention
• Adjust the transmission chain and conveyor belt to make it track
correctly
• Apply lubrication to bearings and other needy parts
• Prepare for Emergency maintenance-Keep stock of repair kits,
include cold bond repair material, hot splicing repair material, metal
fasteners, sprockets, motors, and belts etc.
 Belt conveyor maintenance cont.
• Track lifetime of the belt conveyor and compare with the
manufacturer recommended lifespan
• Keep Documentation-You should make a note of any repairs you
perform, and write down the state of your parts regularly in your
conveyor belt plan. If there are any problems, you can check the
notes to see repairs you’ve made in the past, then make the conveyor
belt preventive maintenance schedule with a technician.
2.7 Belt conveyor safety
• Ensuring the safe operation of belt conveyors is of utmost importance to
prevent accidents and maintain productivity. Proper safety measures
should be implemented to protect workers and prevent equipment
damage. The following aspects are crucial for belt conveyor safety:
• Guarding and Enclosures: These are put in place to ensure that there’s
minimal risk of something ending up in the system of the conveyor that
should not be there.
• Emergency Stop Systems: Given the risk of something getting caught in
some types of belt conveyors, it’s crucial to have functional emergency
stop systems in place.
• Training and Awareness: Anyone who will operate a belt conveyor must be
trained on the right way to operate it so that they don’t cause an issue.
• Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment: It should be possible for those
operating and manning belt conveyors to identify hazards before they get
out of hand.