Splicing Situation
Dear Mr. Davis,
in Europe the belt manufacturers are beginning to introduce again US Flex style belting because of the advantages (stronger splice, better protection against impact damages etc.). Most of the vulcanizing companies don't like it because the splice is very difficult to make. It's difficult to remove the rubber in the middle between the plies if you use the method with Kevlar. If you use the finger method you need a very good cuting system and a high quality vulcanizing press with a constant pressure all over the plate (the best solution is with a water bag!). Further you need highly skilled people...
Some vulcanizing companies decided to use the Super-Screw fastener because it's very easy to installe and you can reach a quite good life time if it is good installed (on biais directly on the carcass after removing the top and bottom rubber cover in order to have no over thickness). As example, in Germany Rheinbraun AG has installed on a bucket wheel excavator a Super-Screw on a US Flex style belt (widthness 9.84 ft. and approx. 400 ft. long) which works since approximately 18 months without any significant fatigue sign. For installation in 100 ft. height, the people of the company Tip Top in Germany have done the job within only 4 hours instead of more than 2 days with the previous hot vulcanizing.
So if you think that mechanical fasteners are not a viable solution, maybe because you never have tried Super-Screw. If you want more information about this solution please contact Jim Godfrey from MLT Inc. in West Virginia (Phone: 1-304-425-7161). ■
Usflex
Mr Davis
I use alot of Usflex 440 and Usflex II 660 at our operation and have always had problems with vulcanized splices due to our high tensions. I have pushed Scandura for years to come up with a proper finger joint splicing procedure which they now have. You can find the results of their joint testing on their website www.scandura.net. The finger joint is far superior than the butt joint splice. There are more than one Scandura certified splicing contractor in Canada and they are listed on the Scandura site.
Most splicing contractors are more than capable of doing the finger joint splice. But be careful Scandura will not warranty if the splicer is not certified.
I would highly recommend the finger joint splice in a high tension application using Usflex. But if you are only running low tension then the standard butt joint should be adequate.
You can contact Ivan Beljo at Rematech Industries in Sudbury Ontario (tell him Gary sent you) and he should be able to get you the kits you would need including the kevlar breaker strips. Keep in mind that all splice kits have a limited shelf life.
Telephone: (705) 674-0742, 1-800-461-1164
Rematech Ind.,
777 Martindale Road,
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada,
P3E 4H6
Fax: (705) 671-0941
sales@rematech-sudbury.com
Good luck,
Gary Blenkhorn ■
Gary Blenkhorn
President - Bulk Handlng Technology Inc.
Email: garyblenkhorn@gmail.com
Linkedin Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-blenkhorn-6286954b
Offering Conveyor Design Services, Conveyor Transfer Design Services and SolidWorks Design Services for equipment layouts.
What do you think?
Recent changes in splicing practices for US Flex style belting and the non availability of Kevlar scab materials from Scandura have me concerned. Being the Distributor for Legg belting in my area I am currently at a bit of a standstill on promoting their exceptional Viper 1 and 2. I do have definitive areas where this belting would outlast reduced ply constructions substantially. These conveyor systems are not high tension the only real concerns are high cut and gouge factors and punctures. Cut and gouge resistance are related to rubber compound in the covers and proper selection based on material and operating conditions. The diamond bullet so to speak is the puncture resistance these belts supply in primary applications. Rema Tip Top used to be able to supply pre fabricated or bulk supply splice kits, since Scandura has gone to the finger splice method the Kevlar material is no longer available from Scandura through Rema. Finger splicing here on this end would be a costly option as more equipment would be required to accommodate the longer finger lengths (not to mention retraining of personnel and the chance of having failures when doing something new and foreign) Legg recommends the use of Rema materials for splicing their belts, and as of yet I have not seen a change from scab style splice to finger splice from Legg (these things do take time I suppose).
I have in the past out of dire necessity spliced US Flex 2 600 -660 using a standard 2 ply single step method with cover fill in strips and breaker fabric inserts. I would stress that these systems were not high tension, and I would not attempt this on any system that was high tension, or if pulley sizes were less than ideal. This is going back a few years and this was only done because of IOR (immediate operational requirements) and mechanical fasteners were not a viable option. The company I worked for at that time would not stock the higher end splice materials (cost versus professionalism) and getting such materials on short notice from thousands of miles away was a no go.
I would inquire to the members of this forum on what your thoughts are on the whole situation. Any input would be greatly appreciated and a discussion on the pros and cons on the above would be an interesting read.
Best Regards
D W Davis ■