Trends in Technical Improvement of Conveyor Loading Stations
The loading station, where bulk material is received on belt conveyors is a critical area that is often exposed to a variety of problems. The high impact energy of the material being transported causes a large amount of wear and tear on the conveyor system. The shaft and bearing of idlers are often damaged and the top cover of the belt is torn off, sometimes even up to the structural carcass.
To overcome this phenomenon, closely spaced steel idlers with rubber rings were initially introduced. This was subsequently found to be inadequate, as a few millimetres of thick rubber material was not sufficient to absorb the high impact force. Fixed Impact Bar systems, with low friction UHMWPE at the top and impact absorbing rubber at the bottom, were then introduced. These pads, to a limited extent, did resolve the problems faced by impact idlers.
However, with the ever increasing demand for handling higher tonnage of material, it became imperative to develop a system that would absorb the high kinetic energy of the transferred material, more effectively. This resulted in Tega developing a totally new concept – Dynamic Impact Pads.
