Peter B:

Conveyor Dynamics, Inc. (CDI) does both. Please be specific in your interest. If I understand you correctly, you wish to analyze the belt details. Might these details include fabric and steel cord selections for:

1. troughing ability or limitation

2. training/ tracking

3. splice design

4. load support of carcass for a given idler spacing

5. Idler junction stress limits, trough angle ,and x-section loading

6. idler roll pressure limit

7. pulley diameter limits

8. belt safety factor

9. and many more.................

Obviously, the belt manufacturer is the first place to go. They set the limits on what the belt is designed for. CDI specializes in non-standard , unpublished designs for large systems. If this is the case, please contact us for further discussion.

Lawrence Nordell

Conveyor-Dynamics, Inc.

www.conveyor-dynamics.com ■

The calculation of the belt itself is done by the factory and as far as I know based on experienced calculations and tests. The belt supllier decides what his belt can do (which strength it will have).

If you want a good help to determine the type of belt for a beltconveyor in a typical situation, you can visit our website www.jh.nl. Choose english as language, choose bulkconveyors and then the calculation program.

Good luck. If you have any question: Please e-mail me.

Jur Lommerts

Jansen & Heuning Bulk Handling Systems

The Netherlands

e-mail: jfl@jh.nl

www.jh.nl ■

With our program you calculate the nett forces only in the moving direction of the belt. Normally a safety factor of 8 times is taken (you can change this) and this determines the needed 'strength" of the belt.

The otherway is also simple: with our program calculate the nett needed power (kW) and divide it by the speed (m/s) giving the nett force in KN.

If you want to consider hysteresis etc. you come to a very special field and you should read the several more or less scientific publications about that in different magazines like Bulk Solids Handling. ■

OK, now I understand.

Why worry about it. At the intake part make a good support of steel cover it if necessary with RCH1000 or else and the belt will last for many years.

We use this in waste handling and big stones, diesel engines (weight 1000 kgs) fall from 3 meters high without damaging the belt. The belt can not go anywhere, so there will be no big forces on the belt itself. ■

In case, your requirement is to decide belt specification (i.e. carcass style, carcass strength, cover thickness, name of cover grade, etc) to suit particular belt conveyor, you can buy the book I have published. This also includes / covers information / examples for the require belt to suit impact energy of lumps.

However, it does not include information for internal design of belt, which is the purview of belt manufacturers and possibly they may not part with such information / data / formulae.

Regards,

Ishwar G Mulani.

Author of Book : Engineering Science and Application Design for Belt Conveyor.

Email : parimul@pn2.vsnl.net.in

Tel.: 0091 (0)20 5882916 ■

Peter B:

The analysis of large and variable shaped rock impacting onto the belt can be done by DEM software.

DEM code can handle the rock interactions flowing from chute to belt. Many belt and idler support input variables need to be defined.

The belt orthotropic properties, given by lab/mfg for the degrees of elasticity, and idler support system spring and mass constants need to be determined by lab measurements or by prior data.

Casting any rock size and shape through the chute of any geometrical form, can be integrated with the rock contact physics interactions.

Unfortunately you cannot download it. You can have access to its results.

Lawrence Nordell

Conveyor Dynamics, Inc.

website: www.conveyor-dynamics.com

email: nordell@conveyor-dynamics.com ■

Dear Peter B,

We sell the softwear you are looking for. Our program is called Chute Maven. It will work in US or metric units and it will output amongst other things the forces acting on the belt.

Our address is www.hustrulid.com

Regards,

Andrew Hustrulid ■