When you are at work, day after day, common belt conveyor problems may not be noticed because you are not actively looking for them. But for your integrated operation, a quick visual inspection can mean the difference between a prolific day and an expensive day.

Here is a list of the top 10 conveyor belt challenges. You can determine through a simple visual inspection, what problems they cause, and how to fix them in a short period of time.

1. Damaged belt cleaner, premature wear of fasteners, misalignment of straps and belts.

Reason: unflaked joints, fasteners interfere with the cleaning agent.

Solution: If possible, cut off your waistband before using splicing and use low-profile fasteners with raised edges. When splicing, make sure that all manufacturer’s instructions are followed, including the correct belt side.

2. premature failure of the belt joint, uneven wear of the hysteresis, and premature wear of the groove line cover.

Reason: poor transition distance.

Solution: Check your transition distance. Verify that your transition distance complies with CEMA standards. For fabric belts, CEMA usually recommends a transition distance of 4.0 x belt width.

3. The belt is torn after splicing, and the belt fails prematurely

Reason: The fastener is too large for the smallest pulley.

Solution: Check the diameter of the smallest pulley (belt winding 90 degrees or more) according to the belt manufacturer’s recommendations and the fastener manufacturer’s recommendations. Using a pulley diameter smaller than the recommended size of the belt and/or fasteners will cause excessive bending stress, which may cause the belt joint to fail.

4. Belt slipping problem

Reason: small pulley.

Solution: The proper pulley diameter is critical to the performance of the belt. When it comes to slippage, the surface area and “contraction” of the belt from full tension (top) to partial tension (bottom) puts a lot of pressure on the hysteresis to move with it and prevent slippage. Although CEMA does not specifically recommend the application of a pulley diameter, the engineer of the conveyor system proposes the pulley diameter according to the design of the conveyor. Usually, small pulleys will be replaced to save costs regardless of this belt shrinkage-if they minimize the size of the pulley, they also minimize the area, in which the lag can help the belt shrink as it surrounds the pulley. Reduce the size of the pulley, too large may cause slippage.

5. Mis-operation, poor splicing life

Reason: uneven belt.

Solution: Use suitable tools for square belts. The square belt consists of stitching about 20 feet every 3 to 5 feet in the center of the mark. Based on these marks, draw a line with a square perpendicular to the average center line of the belt width. Don’t forget to use a suitable belt knife (not a utility knife) for safer and straighter cuts.

6. There are spills in the loading area

Reason: bad skirting board, no impact protection.

Solution: Use an easy-to-use system to inspect and maintain the soles of the feet. The skirting is important in the load zone because it prevents material leakage, controls dust emissions and eliminates other problems such as belt damage and mis-operation. Look for a skirting system that is easy to repair, and has corrosion-resistant components that require less maintenance. You also need to ensure that proper impact protection is available and properly support the belt in the load area. Your impact protection should take into account the weight of the block and the height of the drop, and should provide maximum protection for your belt in the load zone.

7. belt damage, conveyor structure damage

Reason: Mis-tracking.

Solution: Find out the cause of the malfunction and install a belt trainer. Incorrect rollers or pulleys, incorrect splicing, and material accumulation are just some things that can make your belt off track. Friction and tension have been proven to provide effective tracking when used together. Choose a tracker with a pivot and tilt design to provide friction and change the tension profile of the belt.

8. The belt is damaged due to the jam of the roller

Reason: The jammed roller was cut into belts.

Solution: Regularly check whether the conveyor has jammed (non-rotating) rollers. For steel rollers, look for flat points with sharp edges; these should be replaced immediately, otherwise the belt may be cut. For steel core composite rollers, look for flat points with sharp edges; these should be replaced immediately, otherwise the belt may be cut. For composite rolls without steel cores, replace them when feasible.

9. The belt cleaner is not working properly

Reason: Incorrectly installed cleaner or belt cup when passing the cleaner.

Solution: Check the installation instructions to ensure that the cleaner is installed correctly. If the belt is cup-shaped, introduce a pinch roller to flatten the belt and ensure proper clean contact with the belt.

10. Poor cleaning edges and dirty belts

Reason: Poor angle of attack, blade wear, or blade incorrectly in the material path.

Solution: The pole position is critical to the success of the cleaning machine, because it allows the correct blade angle of attack, encourages maximum cleaning performance, and ensures maximum blade life, because the entire wear area of ​​the blade can be used. By paying close attention to the material path of the belt (usually the center 2/3 of the belt width), the best cleaning effect can be obtained. Choosing blades that are slightly wider than the material path can reduce blade wear and replacement.

In addition to daily visual inspections, the operating department should also conduct an annual belt conveyor audit. The audit can be done by an internal team, but the participation of a third party is helpful. Simple maintenance tasks that may be overlooked can be identified and handled by your team, or parts can be replaced to make your equipment run more efficiently. If nothing else, an audit can help your equipment run longer.

Over time, carry, spillage, incorrect fastener selection, and misuse can cause serious problems to your belt conveyor system. Although these seem to be daily problems, solutions are available and indispensable to the success of your operation. Normally, factory operators don’t even realize that there is a problem until production stops. Finally, all this will affect the bottom line of operations. Don’t let this happen to your actions.