PT Smart? Tracking Insights0 pages

Belt Conveyor Maintenance t
TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS FOR BELT CONVEYOR PRODUCTIVITY
Keeping Your Belt on Track
The causes of mistracking
Safety regulations also a factor
When your operation is working at full speed, trying
to move product or fulfill orders, the last thing you
need to worry about is your belt. Unfortunately,
sometimes even the slightest movement or change
in the conveyor can throw your belt off track.
Misalignment of rollers or pulleys, an incorrect
splice, and material build up are just a few things
that can get your belt off track. Sometimes a slight
bump by heavy machinery or even the weather –
high winds, frost, and even sunshine - can interrupt
your belt’s path.
Many areas around the world have implemented
safety regulations to address these problems. In
the U.S., for example, MSHA enacted code 30CFR
75.1731, specifically citing that “conveyor belts must
be properly aligned to prevent the moving belt from
rubbing against the structure or components. Failure
”
to comply with these regulations may lead to fines
and/or work stoppages.
Damaged belt
The potential dangers of mistracking
If caught early and fixed, a mistracked belt does
little damage to the conveyor. However, if missed
or left unfixed, other types of damage can occur.
If a belt is constantly hitting a structure, it can not
only damage the structure, but it could shave layers
off the belt until there is little left. The width of
the belt could also be affected, which reduces the
amount of material it can carry. If a belt mistracks
enough, it will spill material off of the topside onto
the area around it, which could result in safety
violations. In rare cases, friction heating begins and
the belt becomes a source of ignition, causing even
more safety problems.
Temporary belt fixes
A total overhaul of the conveyor isn’t often in the
budget for most operations. Instead, some turn to
temporary fixes – like attaching side rollers to the
conveyor – that could actually make the problem
worse. A roller on the edge of the belt is not always
effective because belts prefer to pull not push, so
you are working against the belt. Another way to
adjust the belt is to use friction – skewing the roller
in comparison to the direction of the belt. The third
way is to affect the tension profile. Belts naturally
want to “walk away” from a higher tension. If
tension is increased on one edge, it will walk the
other way.
Friction and tension
combine for effective tracking
Field testing has proved that a combination of friction
and tension is the best way to put a belt back on
track when the structure cannot be properly aligned.
Many equipment manufacturers offer a steel return
roller with an edge roller next to it that causes the
roller to pivot or skew relative to the travel of the
belt. The friction of the roller on the belt steers it
back. The problem with this method is that the edge
of the belt strikes the roller with heavy force without
much effect, exerting heavy pressure to the belt
edge. This situation can generate high force into the
roller that can damage the belt.
To avoid exerting heavy pressure, choose a tracker
with a “pivot and tilt” design that provides friction
and changes the tension profile of the belt. When
both the pivoting and tilting mechanisms work
together, they are more than three times as effective
at restoring belts back to the center of
the conveyor.