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EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF LATERAL BELT MOVEMENT AND SIMULATION OF MISTRACKING OF CONVEYOR BELTS

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Mistracking of the conveyor belt is one of the common problems during the operating of a belt conveyor. Reasons and counter-actions for belt mistracking are widely known. However, the cause of mistracking and the effect on the belt can only be predicted based on empirical experience. Known numerical simulation approaches like the Finite Element Method (FEM) cannot be used for a simulation of the belt mistracking because of its high computational effort and the incomplete understanding of the interaction between belt, idlers and the influencing boundary conditions. This paper is divided into two parts. The first part contains experimental investigations of belt mistracking on a new belt conveyor test rig. These tests were carried out to generate a quantitative understanding of belt mistracking and the influencing parameters. The test rig allows a forced mistracking of the belt on a conveyor with a belt width of 650 mm and an axial distance of 15 m. The measured belt movement is a result of disturbance variables within the belt conveyor. The influence of skewed idler stations to the belt tracking can be quantified with this experimental approach. In the second part of the paper a simulation method is presented which can be used for the prediction of the belt deformation and the sideways movement of belt on a conveyor with a tracking problem. Beside the mathematical background of the approach, a comparison of the simulated and the measured results are shown. This validation shows that the simulation method can be used for the prediction of belt mistracking. The developed approach will help to find the most efficient location for counter actions like training idlers or to identify the most influencing mistracking reason for a given belt conveyor design in the future.
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Conference Paper
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Mistracking of the conveyor belt is one of the crucial operating problems of a belt conveyor. Reasons and counter-actions are known, however, the cause of mistracking and the effect on the belt can only be predicted based on empirical experience. A satisfying simulation method did not exist so far, because of the huge size of a belt conveyor and its nonlinear deformation with a high number of contact problems. This paper will give a short overview about the main causes and the possible counter-actions of belt mistracking. Furthermore a simplified mathematical approach will be presented for the numerical simulation of the belt's sideways movement. This approach is validated with measurements on a flat belt test rig. Therefore, a test system was developed, which allows the definition of a mistracking factor caused by one skewed idler. The validated model was extended for the simulation of a troughed belt conveyor. With this simulation a prediction could be given about the type, number and the position of the possible skewed idlers to reduce the mistracking of the belt.
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