Trade Fair Preview of the Schüttgut (Dortmund, November 7-8, 2012)
Reduced maintenance and increased conveyor efficiency: robust components for belt conveyors protect both plants and resources
Conveyor systems are called upon to give constant performance under heavy loads, often in three-shift operation, while being subjected to extreme forces under rough climatic conditions. Which is why belt conveyor components made by Schulte Strathaus are designed to protect conveyor systems and ensure that they can be subjected to continual use for long periods, with no need for maintenance. The components' sturdiness results from the interplay between highly resistant materials and sturdy construction, and also serves to keep wear to a minimum. The components also play a major role in ensuring the efficient use of resources. The scrapers, for example, achieve optimum performance for cleaning the belt conveyor and removing any soiling adhering to the surface. The soiling simply falls into the belt transfer, and there is no need for intensive manual removal of the material beneath the machinery. These wiper systems will be displayed along with other components made by Schulte Strathaus for belt conveyors at this year's Schüttgut.
The various products are available in a number of variants and can be configured to suit the individual requirements of the operator. Starclean scrapers ensure optimum cleaning of the belt conveyor. The cleaning tools in the secondary scrapers are in the form of polyurethane feet inserted into the core of each segment, comprising special rotating spatulas made of stainless steel with a hard-metal inlay. The individual segments overlap each other, to ensure continuous cleaning over the entire width of the scraper. Moreover, all scrapers are equipped with the patented twist-swing function, which adjusts the individual segments to precisely match the belt and compensate for any irregular wear or irregularities in the surface. The segment pressure can be set individually as required. This prevents material from sticking to the belt and falling off further down or sticking to the rollers. Furthermore, insufficient cleaning means that the belts are subjected to increased wear, necessitating cost-intensive and premature replacement. Any worn out parts on the scraper can be replaced quickly and without tools thanks to the simple but secure plug-in mechanism.
Specially surfaced impact bars absorb the fall energy; chute seals reduce clogging from dust
Friflo impact absorbers from Schulte Strathaus are designed to absorb the energy from falling bulk material and provide protection against damage from large angular materials and long drop distances. The belt is supported by impact bars with rubber dampers in the area of the product transfer. Their surface is coated with a layer of highly smooth HDPE with a very low frictional coefficient of <0.1.The HDPE bars are vulcanised with the rubber damper and not simply stuck on as in conventional systems. This ensures that the rails do not become detached under constant operation and damage the belt. The impact bars are mounted with positive-locking and frictional-contact aluminium profile strips using standard screws, resulting in a far higher clamping force than with standard T screws. This prevents the impact bar being pulled out by the belt and causing damage.
In addition to the impact absorbers, Spillex chute seals are employed for extremely low-dust material charging. These serve to effectively seal off the transfer points, ensuring low-dust and low-loss transfer of the material. Unlike standard sealing systems, the Schulte Strathaus system uses a series of individual segments rather than a single continuous rubber strip. These segments can be adjusted to match the belt and in the event of uneven wear, each segment can be individually reset to suit the irregularities of the surface. The special rubber mixture minimises impacting on the belt and reduces belt wear.
Avoiding uncentered belts: deflector rollers restore belt tracking
Another common problem with belt conveyors for bulk materials is that the belt can run off centre. This can be due to a number of causes: the material is deposited off centre, the belt system is poorly oriented or the rollers are defective. It can also be due to alternating weather conditions or non-aligned belt joints. Wear of the belt, rollers and all other components results in considerable cost. Starclean belt trackers deflect the belt reliably back towards the centre in all of the aforementioned conditions, in turn reducing operating costs. The angle of the conical external rollers is steplessly adjustable, to allow them to fit precisely into the trough of the belt assembly. Furthermore, all rollers are vulcanised with special, diamond-patterned rubber, to ensure ideal frictional values and long service times; the robust, permanently lubricated bearing unit is located in the oil bath. The three-section system is also suitable for operation in reverse mode.
Loop belt conveyors
Closed-belt conveyors round off the Schulte Strathaus product range. They allow the safe movement of material even through the smallest radii, both horizontally and vertically. The closed system also prevents dust from building up and protects the conveyed material from weathering.
Operation under the toughest conditions
Schulte Strathaus scraper systems are used all over the world. Since the surface mining of brown coal often requires belt widths far in excess of 2 metres, coupled with belt speeds of up to 10 m/s, the scrapers are required to perform under increasingly tough operating conditions. Excavators first need to penetrate other layers of material before they can even access the brown coal deposits; the dead rock is then used to fill the excavated coal fields. Bearing in mind that the scrapers are required to work under heavy-duty conditions, with constantly changing materials, not to mention the effects of sedimentation, rain and frost, they must ensure continuous operation for up to 20 million tonnes of material under all conditions. However, the high performance of the scrapers and the ease of maintenance of the primary and secondary scrapers increases the material yield while reducing soiling of the overall belt assembly and protecting the environment.
The Schulte Strathaus team will be available at the Schüttgut 2012 at stand G 15 for both initial talks and specific enquiries.