UNIT TWO

Conveyors
UNIT OUT LINE
1. Belt conveyors
2. Chain conveyors
3. Haulage conveyors
4. Cable conveyors
5. Bucket conveyors
6. Roller conveyors
7. Screw conveyors
8. Pneumatic conveyors
9. Hydraulic conveyors
CONVEYORS

 Used primarily for conveying bulk materials in

process industries and also for conveying certain
types of unit loads in large quantities.
BELT CONVEYORS
Definition / Description
 A belt conveyor consists of an endless flat and flexible
belt of sufficient strength, made of fabric, rubber,
plastic, leather or metal, which is laid over two
metallic flat pulleys at two ends, and driven in one
direction by driving one of the two end pulleys.
 Material is placed on this moving belt for
transportation.
 The active half of the belt is supported by idler rollers
or slider bed. The return half of the belt may or may
not be supported.
 The endless belt is kept taught by a belt tensioning
arrangement.
CONT…
General Characteristics
 Belt conveyors operate in vertical plane, horizontally or
with an inclination depending on the frictional
property of the load.
 For changing direction in the horizontal plane, more
than one belt conveyors are needed.
 Conveying capacity of a conveyor can be controlled by
changing belt speed.
 Belt conveyors are generally employed for continuous
flow of materials.
 Metal/special belts can carry hot, abrasive or reactive
materials.
CONT…
Types of Belt Conveyors
(a) Flat Belt Conveyor
(b) Troughed Belt Conveyor
(c) Closed Belt Conveyor
(d) Metallic Belt Conveyor
(e) Portable Conveyor
(f) Chain or Rope Driven Belt Conveyor
(g) Submerged Belt Conveyor
CONT…
a) Flat Belt Conveyor
The active side of belt remains
flat supported by cylindrical
rollers or flat slider bed.
They are short in length and
suitable for conveying unit
loads like crates, boxes,
packages, bundles etc
Flat belts are conveniently
used for conveying parts
between workstations or in
an assembly line in mass
production of goods.
CONT…
b) Troughed Belt Conveyor
Wide flat belt is supported on troughed carrying
rollers or shaped supporting surface so that the
two edges of the active side of the belt are
elevated from the middle part to form a trough.
This provides a greater carrying capacity than a
flat belt for conveying bulk materials or those
materials which would slide off on flat belts.
These conveyors are used in handling bulk
materials of different classes.
These are comparatively of shorter lengths, and
path of movements are in straight line in a
horizontal or an inclined plane.
However, used for transportation of bulk materials
over long distances, by means of a series of
conveyors, by combination of inclines, declines
and horizontal sections. These are generally
termed ‘‘long-centre’’ conveyors.
Long center conveyors belt tension is high warrant
use of high tension quality belts with less belt
stretch, and low acceleration through gradual
starting controls for the drive.
By using a number of conveyors in series, it is
possible to change the direction of materials
movement at the junction of two conveyors, called
‘‘transfer terminal’’.
CONT..
Long-centre conveyors are used for jobs like:
i. transportation of the output of mines to the
processing plants,
ii. materials from shipping ports to the
storage/transport loading sites,
iii. materials from outdoor storage yards to inside
plants,
iv. movement of materials between plants etc.
CONT…
c) Closed Belt Conveyor:
The specially fabricated belt, after being loaded with the
material, can be wrapped completely around the load.
It essentially forms a closed tube moving along with the
material.
The advantages of a closed belt conveyor are:
(i) it can handle fragile materials safely and without
breaking by reducing inter particle collision,
(ii) it can handle fine bulk materials without being
swept by air
(iii) ability to handle corrosive and reactive materials
without contamination and
(iv) the tubed belt can travel around bends in more than
one plane and hence versatile in layout.
CONT…
d) Metallic Belt Conveyor:
The flexible belt is replaced by a cold rolled carbon
or stainless steel strip belt of thickness from 0.6
mm to 1.2 mm.
 A steel belt runs flat on cylindrical idlers or runs
troughed on resilient idlers.
 Apart from all rolled strip steel belts, wire-mesh,
belts of different designs have been used. The
wire-mesh belts are more flexible and the design
considerations are similar to a rubberized textile
belt conveyors
CONT…
Metallic strip belt conveyors are used in food, chemical
industry and for conveying hot and reactive loads.
Wire-mesh belts are being widely used to handle unit
and lump materials through furnaces (up to 1000°C
temperature), as mobile base for baking industry and
also for wetting, cooling, dehydrating and similar
operations.
CONT..
e) Portable Conveyor:
Short length flat conveyors carried on a wheeled
structure.
These are particularly useful for loading and
unloading of trucks / transport vehicles.
f) Chain or Rope Driven Belt Conveyor:

The specially designed belt is driven by a moving

chain or rope, where belt only serves as load
carrier, and motion is by a chain or rope
conveyor
CONT…
g) Submerged Belt Conveyor:
Portion of the belt moves through a metallic trough
(casing) which is filled with free flowing,
powdered material at the loading end. The
moving belt with holes, makes the material flow
to the unloading end of the trough.
Parts of a Belt Conveyor
1) Conveyor Belts
2) Idlers
3) Conveyor Pulleys
4) Drives for Belt Conveyors
5) Take-ups or Belt Tensioning Devices
6) Loading and unloading devices
7) Belt Cleaners
8) Training idlers
9) Conveyor structure
10) Transfer terminals
CONT…
1). Conveyor Belts:
Belt, which supports and conveys the load.
Most common type of conveyor belting is rubber/plastics
covered textile belting - the internal carcass of woven
fabric gives the longitudinal strength of pulling the
loaded belt and transverse strength for supporting the
load, and the cover of rubber and/or plastics protects
the carcass from damage.
Specification, Part I(1) covers the ‘‘general purpose
belting’’ while the subsequent parts cover ‘‘heat
resistant belting’’, ‘‘oil resistant belting’’, ‘‘hygienic
belting’’ and ‘‘fire resistant belting for surface
application’’ respectively.
CONT…
Belt Construction: Cotton fabric ply constructed rubber
covered belting is the mostly used belt for flat and troughed
conveyor.
The carcass consists of one or more plies of woven fabric or of
solid woven fabric impregnated with a rubber or plastic mix,
which after vulcanization binds the plies together.
Number of fabric plies varies from 3 for shorter belt widths
(300mm and above) to a maximum of 12 to 14 plies for belt
width of 2000mm.
Steel cord belting is used when good troughability, high
operating tensile strength and small elongation are desired.
 CONT…
Belt Covers: The primary purpose of the cover is to
protect the belt carcass against damage and to work
satisfactorily in contact with the materials to be carried
by the belt. For this purpose, sufficient thickness (not
less than 1.0 mm) of top and bottom surface covers of
different rubber compounds and plastics are used.
Covers grades available:
(i) Grade M24: Natural rubber compound with superior
resistance to cutting, gauging and abrasion.
(ii) Grade N17: Compound rubber with high abrasion
resistance with inferior cutting and gauging resistance
compared to M24 grade.
(iii) Grade N17(Synthetic): Composed mainly of synthetic rubber
with higher abrasion resistance. Belt made of carcass with
chemical or other superior bonding system should be used
for this grade.
CONT.
(iv) Grade HR: Suitable for handling load at high temperatures,
upto 150°C for lumps or 125°C for powdered materials.
(v) Grade FRAS: Used for underground mining and processes
where fire resistance and antistatic charge properties, are
required.
(vi) PVC Grade: Used in fire resistance, oil resistance and hygienic
belting.
Belt Designation: As per IS 1891 (Part I): 1994, belts are
designated by IS No., grade of the cover, the ‘‘type’’ of
belting defined by the full thickness breaking strength in
KN/m and number of plies.
For example, a conveyor belt with cover grade N17 and type
250 having 4 plies shall be designated as: Conveyor Belt
IS 1891 (Part I) N17-250/4.
Steel cord belting is designated by prefix ‘‘ST’’ followed by
the full thickness breaking strength in KN/m. Example
ST-1800.
CONT…
Belt Width: Unless otherwise agreed between the
manufacturer and buyer, the standard widths of belting as
per IS specification are: 300, 400, 500, 600, 650, 800, 1000,
1200, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1800 and 2000 mm with a
tolerance of ±5mm up to 500mm width and 1% of belt
width for widths higher than 500 mm.
Belt Splicing: Two ends of a belt may be joined either by
metallic belt fasteners or by vulcanization. Metal fastener
joining is easier and acceptable for flat belt conveyors.
Vulcanized belt splicing is a superior technique suitable for
troughed belt conveyors. The later is a stepped, lapped
splice in which several plies of two ends of the belt are
vulcanized together to make a joint of strength almost
equal to the solid belt. Skilled operator and vulcanizing
equipment are necessary for such splicing at conveyor site.
CONT…

2.Idlers:
The rollers used at certain spacing for supporting the
active as well as return side of the belt are called
idlers. Accurately made, rigidly installed and well
maintained idlers are vital for smooth and efficient
running of a belt conveyor.
There are two types of idlers used in belt conveyors:
(i) straight carrying and return idlers, which are used for
supporting active side of the belt for a flat belt conveyor and
also for supporting the return belt in flat orientation in both
flat or troughed belt conveyor.
CONT…
(ii) troughing idler set consisting of 2, 3 or 5 rollers
arranged in the form of trough to support the belt in a
troughed belt conveyor..

Three roll carrying idler with straight return idler in same

frame, and photograph shows set of assembled idlers
CONT…
Idler construction
Idlers are generally made from steel tubes conforming
to IS 9295:1983, uniformly machined all over at the
outer diameter and at the two ends of the inner
diameter.
The tubes are mounted on antifriction bearings over a
fixed steel spindle.
The ends of the spindles are flat machined to standard
dimensions for quick fixing in slots of idler structure.
The idlers may be made of heavy steel tubes for severe
service condition (like in material loading section) or
cast iron in corrosive application (handling coke etc.).
Different mountings for idler roller.
CONT…
Idler dimensions: Diameter, length and troughing angle
have been standardized by BIS in IS 8598 :1987(2). The
carrying and return idler diameters in mm are : 63.5, 76.1,
88.9, 101.6, 108, 114.3, 127, 133, 139.7, 152.4, 159, 168.3
and 193.7. The maximum diameter of 219.1mm is used for
carrying idler only.
These sizes correspond to the available tube sizes.
Selection of roller diameter depends on factors like bulk
weight of load in kg per cubic meter, particle size and belt
speed. Higher are these factors, higher is the roller size to
be selected.
Length of the idlers vary from 100 mm up to 2200 mm. The
smaller lengths are generally made in smaller diameters
while longer lengths are made in larger diameters.
Troughed idler sets are made with troughing angle (the angle
made by the inclined roller with horizontal) of 15°, 20°, 25°,
30°, 35°, 40° and 50°. Troughing angle of 15° is applicable
only to two roll troughed idlers. The value of troughing
angle of troughed return idlers are selected from 0°, (i.e.,
straight idler), 10° and 15° for all widths of belt.
 CONT…
The length of the straight or troughed idler set is
based on the selected width of belt, and desirable
edge clearance between belt and roller edges.
Edge Clearance

Idler spacing: Spacing of idlers in the loaded run is a

function of bulk weight of materials and width of belt.
CONT…
(3) Conveyor Pulleys: At each of the two ends of a belt
conveyor, one large diameter pulley is installed against
which the belt turns and changes direction. These pulleys
are called terminal or bend pulley.
Drive is imparted to the belt through friction by one of the
terminal pulleys called drive pulley. As the conveyor belt
passes around these bend pulleys, the plies of the belt are
elongated in proportion to the distance of the ply form
center of the pulley.
The differential elongation of one ply over the other is taken
up by the rubberized bonding between two plies.
Larger the pulley, less is differential elongation between the
plies hence less tendency to ply separation. This is the
reason the bend pulleys are made large.
The conveyor pulleys are either fabricated from rolled
steel plates or of cast iron construction.
The central steel shaft is keyed into the pulley drum
and then the finished dimensions are machined.
The pulleys are generally given a crowning at the face
for keeping the belt at the centre of the pulley.
The face length is generally 100 mm to 200 mm more
than the belt width.
The surface of the pulley may be left bare smooth, or
may be covered up to a thickness of 6 to 12 mm by
rubber, polyurethane or ceramic layer with
herringbone patterned grooves to increase the friction
between the pulley and belt.
The pulleys are mounted on heavy duty antifriction
bearings in suitable bearing housings
(4) Drives for Belt Conveyors: The belt conveyors
are generally driven at the head end pulley,
where material is discharged.
The drive pulley is connected to the drive motor
through suitable speed reduction gear box and
flexible shaft couplings.
Drive of an inclined conveyor necessarily includes a
braking device which prevents downward
movement of the loaded belt in case of power
failure of the motor.
 CONT…
(5)Take-ups or Belt Tensioning Devices: Endless conveyor
belt after being threaded through the entire length of the
conveyor need to be tightened so that sufficient frictional
force is developed between the drive pulley and the belt, to
make the belt move. Belts working under tension invariably
gets elongated with time, which needs to be taken-up to
maintain the desired tension in the belt.
A belt conveyor generally have a screw-type (mechanical) or a
gravity-type counterweighted take-up unit, also termed as
belt tensioning device.
In the screw-type take-up, the bearing blocks for the tail end
pulley are located in guide ways, so that these may be
moved by rotating two screws as and when belt tension
needs to be increased.
In gravity take up, the tail end pulley is mounted on a
movable carriage which is pulled backwards along the
length of the conveyor by a vertically hanging counterweight
connected through a steel rope and deflecting pulleys.
Typical gravity take-up arrangements.
(6)Loading and unloading devices: Free flowing
material may be directly delivered from a hopper, bin
or storage pile through a chute, the delivery rate
being controlled by a regulating gate at the hopper /
bin output.
For non free flowing materials a suitable feeder unit
with a chute is used for loading the material centrally
onto the belt as evenly and gently as possible.
Side boards or skirt plates, extending a considerable
length (2 to 3 m), is generally attached to the
conveyor structure to be placed centrally to the belt,
covering 2/3rd to 3/4th width of the belt, and
maintaining a small clearance with the moving belt.
For unloading of materials at the end of the head
pulley, no device is required excepting proper
chutes to guide the discharged materials.
For discharging at any point along the length of the
conveyor, a plough or a belt tripper is used.
A plough consists of a rubber tipped blade
extending across the belt width at an angle of
60°. The plough may be oneside discharge or a V-
shaped blade for two-side discharge.
Plough is pivoted so that its position can be
adjusted above the belt to allow control of
material being discharged.
(7) Belt Cleaners: For cleaning the outer surface of the
belt a wiper or scraper blade is used for dry particles
adhering to the belt. A rotary brush type cleaner is
used for wet and sticky materials. To clean the inner
surface of belt, if necessary, a scraper is placed near
the end of return run before the tail end pulley
(8) Training idlers: For various reasons like eccentric
loading, sticking of material to belt or idlers etc.,
particularly for a long-centre conveyor, the belt may
tend to move out of centre line. To prevent this
tendency, belt training idlers are used which
automatically maintain belt alignment.

Troughed belt training idler

(9)Conveyor structure: The structure supporting the
pulleys and idlers consists of suitable sized channel
stringers, with supporting legs to the main structure or
floor.
For long conveyors, lightweight truss sections are used that
permit longer spans between supporting legs, and
economical structural cost. For long centre conveyors,
sidewalk ways are provided for inspection and adjustment
to idlers. The structures are often covered by tin plate at
the top and sides to protect the materials being conveyed
under the sky outside the plant.
(10) Transfer terminals: In a long-centre
conveyor, direction of the conveyor is changed in
a transfer terminal where materials from one
conveyor is transferred into another conveyor.
The second conveyor is laid out at certain angle
(generally 90°) to the first one. The discharge
from first conveyor takes place at a higher point,
and materials is directed to the second conveyor
situated at a lower height, through properly
shaped and sized transfer chute.
The transfer terminal is enclosed within a
structural framework, covered in all sides, called
a junction tower.
Aspects of Belt Conveyor Design
The major points in selection and design of a belt
conveyor are:
a) Checking/determining capacity of a conveyor.
b) Calculating maximum belt tension required to
convey the load and selection of belt.
c) Selection of driving pulley.
d) Determining motor power.
e) Selection of idlers and its spacing.
(a)Checking/Determining Conveyor Capacity This
basically means to check at what rate (tons/hrs. or
units/min) a belt conveyor of a given belt width and
speed can convey a particular bulk material or unit
loads. Conversely, it is to find out the size and speed
of the conveyor to achieve a given conveying rate.
Belt Width: (i) On a flat belt, free flowing materials will
assume the shape of an isosceles triangle. The angle of
dynamic repose ‘‘ϕ1’’ may be considered to be equal to
0.35ϕ, where ‘‘ϕ’’ is the static angle of repose for the
material.
To avoid spillage, the belt width ‘‘B’’ is taken at least
25% more than the base of triangle ‘‘b’’. Thus b = 0.8B.
As per table 7 and 8 of IS 11592, b = 0.9B-0.05 m for B
≤ 2 m. Therefore, the assumption b = 0.8B is more
conservative for B > 500 mm.
(i) the cross sectional area of the load on a flat belt
is
(ii) For a three roller troughed belt conveyor, where the length
of the carrier rollers are equal, the length of each roller lr
can be taken as a lr = 0.4B. Let the trough angle be ‘‘λ’’.
Then, cross sectional area of the load, F = F1 + F2.
The trapezoidal area F2.

This is based on the assumption that the base “b” of top

triangular area is given by b = 0.8B, as considered in (i)
earlier.
(iii) In case of flat belt carrying unit load the belt width B
is taken to be ≅ width of the load + 200 mm. The
capacity of the conveyor in terms of number of unit
loads conveyed per unit time depends on orientation of
unit loads on belt and speed of belt. Orientation of load
depends on strength of the belt to carry unit load as
well as on stability of the load on conveyor.
Example:
Boxes of size 220 mm × 180 mm × 100 mm have to be
conveyed by a belt conveyor of sufficient belt strength,
at the rate of 2000 boxes per hour. What will be the size
and speed of the conveyor?
Solution:
For stability, 100mm side as height. For safe
conveying of boxes without moving off 220 mm side
as width.
So belt width 220 + 2 × 100 = 420 mm
Maximum corner dimension of the box

= 284 mm

1/2(420 – 284) = 68 mm.

Therefore:- 500 mm wide belt is chosen.

If the boxes are placed with a gap of say 200 mm,
then the maximum speed of conveyor

It is low speed for a 500 mm belt conveyor,

i.e., at a rate of 3600/2000 =1.8 seconds per box.

This may not be possible by manual loading and some

type of automatic loading device needs to be
incorporated.
 Belt Speed: depends on the width of the belt as well
as lump size, its air borne factor and also its
abrasiveness factor.

Lump size factor

 Abrasiveness Factor

Maximum Recommended Belt Speeds (m/s)

(b) Belt Tension
In belt conveyor, motive force to draw the belt with
load is by friction between the belt and the
driving pulley.
From Euler's law of friction drive, considering no
slip between the belt and pulley,

Tensile forces on belt

 T1 – T2 = ‘‘Te’’
effective pull against all resistances belt movement.

Estimation of effective pull Te:

‘‘Te’’ is the sum of all the resistive forces against the
motion of belt carrying the load.
1. Main resistance ‘‘R’’ comprising of :
(i) The resistance force caused by rolling friction in
the bearings and seals of the carrying and return
idlers.
(ii) The belt advancement resistance caused due to
sagging of belt between idlers.
2. Secondary resistance ‘‘Rs’’ comprising of :
(i) The inertial and frictional resistances Ra due to the
acceleration and friction of the material at loading area.
(ii) The force Rw required for bending (or wrapping) of the
belt over pulleys.
(iii) Resistance Rska due to sliding friction between belt and
side walls of the skirt at loading area.
(iv) Bearing resistance Rb of pulleys (with the exception of
driving pulley, which is overcome directly by driving
motor).
3. Special main resistance ‘‘Rsp1’’ comprising of:
(i) Drag due to forward tilt of idlers.

4.Special secondary resistance ‘‘Rsp2’’ comprising of:

(i) Resistance from belt cleaners.
(ii) Resistance from discharge ploughs and belt
trippers.
5. Slope resistance ‘‘Rsl’’, is the vertical component
of the loaded belt when the conveyor is inclined to
horizontal by an angle ‘‘δ’’.
effective pull ‘‘Te’’ can be written as:

where f = artificial coefficient of friction rolling

resistance of idlers and belt advancement resistance
Calculation of secondary resistance is based on,
Rs = Ra + Rw + Rska + Rb
where, Ra is inertial and frictional resistance of
material at loading area.
Ra = Q × 1000 × ρ(V – V0)

Rska, Rb ,Rsp1 and Rsp2, are either small in values or

not always applicable.
Rw is wrapping resistance between belt and pulley,

Wrapping force is approximated as a percentage of

maximum belt tensions on tight and slack side.
Checking for belt sag : The minimum tensile
force ‘Tmin’ exerted on the belt to limit belt sag
between idlers :
If the Tc min and Tr min are higher than the tensions T1
and T2 these higher values of belt tensions should be
achieved through proper belt tensioning.
To increase the effective pull without slippage, need to
increase wrap angle of belt over driving pulley.

Different belt drive arrangements

(c) Selection of Driving and Other Pulleys

Large driving and tail end pulley fabricated from steel

plates.
The pulley faces ‘‘crown’’ 0.5% of the pulley diameter, but
not less than 4mm.
Diameter of pulley is selected based on the construction of
the belt .
diameter ‘D’ can be approximated

D ≥ ki, where i = number of plies of belt,

k = 125 to 150 for i between 2 to 6,
and k = 150 for i between 8 to 12.
(d) Motor Power
The power required at the driving pulley;

Actual power requirements by considering the

wrap resistance and driving pulley bearings
resistance

Actual motor is chosen with a power rating of 15%

to 20% greater than the calculated power ‘PM’.
(e) Selection of Idlers
The major selection criteria for the roller diameters
and spacing of these idlers are;
 type of belt conveyor,
 carrying idlers,
 return idlers
 belt width,
 maximum belt speed and
 type of materials to be conveyed
Idler Classification
Recommended Idler Spacing
CHAIN CONVEYORS AND BUCKET
ELEVATORS
Chain conveyor made up of high quality material is
an excellent means of conveying abrasive and high
temp. materials, or withstanding impact when
handling larger lumps.
They are single or double stands of continuous warped
around head and tail end sprockets.
Chains are kept taught by suitable chain tensioning
device at the non-driven end.
Materials can be carried on aprons or pans or pushed by
flights attached on the chains
Bucket Elevators conveyors convey bulk loads in
bucket shaped vessels which are attached to a system
of moving chains or belt.
Advantages and disadvantages of chain conveyors
compared to belt,
Advantages
 Easily wraparound sprockets of small diameter, and
 The drive is positive i.e. no slippage
 The chain stretch is also little.
Disadvantages
 high weight, high initial cost, higher maintenance
cost, and limited running speed because intensive
wear at high speeds
There are seven types of chain conveyor
1. Apron or Pan Conveyor
2. Cross-Bar or Arm Conveyor
3. Car-Type Conveyor
4. Carrier chain & Flat-top chain conveyor
5. Trolley Conveyor
6. Power and Free Conveyor
7. Suspended Tray Conveyor
1. Apron or Pan Conveyor
One or more endless chain link plate
roller(ensure minimum pulling
effort) type, running in steel guides.
The carrying surface is composed of a
series of plates or shapes called
apron, attached to the chains.
For carrying bulk materials as well as
unit loads.
Vertical flanges on all sides to form a
pan called a pan conveyor.
Materials carried by the apron is
discharged over the sprockets at the
driven end.
Applications:
Conveying large quantities of
bulk load such as coal, ore,
slag, rock, foundry sand etc.
feeding materials to large
crushers, breakers, grinders
and similar machines.
Specially designed aprons are
used for conveying unit loads,
coils, hot forgings. Run
through a liquid or water
bath for washing and then
allow drainage of liquid.
Apron/pan design
 Flat spaced apron and
 Corrugated apron
 Special types
2. Cross-Bar or Arm Conveyor
Chains are attached spaced, removable or fixed
arms (or cross members) from which materials
are hung or decorated.
Applications: used for
conveying and elevating or
lowering unit loads
like barrels, drums, rolls, bags,
bales, boxes etc. also used in a
wide range of process
applications such as dipping,
washing, spraying, drying and
assembly etc.
3. Car-Type Conveyor
A series of small platform cars, drive by an endless
chain, running on a closed track.
 Applications: used for carrying heavy or irregular
shaped large objects like moulds in foundries, coils for
rolling plants etc.
4. Carrier chain & Flat-top chain conveyor
Function of carrying unit materials, material being
directly in contact with the chains.
Widely used in canning and bottling plants.
5. Trolley Conveyor

A series of trolleys supported from an overhead endless

track and drive by an endless chain or cable, with the
loads usually suspended from the trolleys.
Used for carrying materials continuously through
different processes, like cleaning, washing, painting,
drying, baking, degreasing, sand blasting etc. and
used as a storage conveyor, at the same time as a
processing and delivery conveyor.
6.Power and Free Conveyor: These conveyors
are basically a special design of the Load-
propelling or pusher trolley conveyors.
The special features of automatic dispatching,
switching and transfer have resulted in
remarkable savings in labor and manufacturing
cost in automobiles, foundry, graphite anode
handling in aluminum pot shop etc.
7.Suspended Tray Conveyor
Consist of two strands of chains between pivot mounted
a series of trays to carry in-process movement of
various unit loads (forged components, boxes etc.)
along complex contours comprising horizontal and
vertical paths in one vertical plane.

Used in power
plants in carrying
coal and ashes, in
cement mills,
ceramic industry,
stone crushing
plants etc…
Components of Chain Conveyor
The major components of a chain conveyor are :
(i) Pulling chain,
(ii) Sprocket to drive and support the chain,
(iii) Take-up arrangement,
(iv) Drive arrangement and
(v) Various other components specific to various type of
chain conveyors.
(i) Pulling chain
Round-link chains are low in cost and high
flexibility in all directions.
This have flexibility desirable in trolley conveyors.
Limitations of this chain are less contact area, high
stretch under load and rapid wear.
Combination chains are widely used in many different
conveyors.

Link-plate chains are the most common type used in

chain conveyors

Chain selection is based on largest practical pitch ,

allowable tension load, capital cost and degree of
maintenance needed.
(ii) Sprocket to drive and support the chain
 Made of good grade cast iron.

 The advantage of using a large sized sprocket

with greater number of teeth is to obtain
smoother operation. Larger the size of sprocket,
costlier it is and taking larger space.
(iii) Take-up arrangement
 adjusting screw type for positioning, alternative
design is counterweighted-type used
(iv) Drive arrangement
 For a conveyor having a simple configuration (as
in an apron conveyor), the drive is located at the
sprocket at the end of loaded strands of chain.
 For conveyors like trolley, car, tray etc. having a
complicated path of motion, the drive location is
determined by analysis of tension variation in the
path of conveyor motion.
Aspects of Chain Conveyor Design
(a) Dynamic Phenomena in Chain Conveyors

The engagement of sprocket to chain being

discontinuous in nature, the linear velocity of the
chain between two successive engagements with
sprocket teeth becomes non-uniform.

i.e. time taken by the sprocket to rotate by one pitch

Where ,
 v0 = ωR while the chain translator speed in the
direction of the chain movement will be
v = v0 cos φ
φ= ω Rcos φ, where φ is the variable angle
formed by the contacting tooth radius O1 with
vertical axis OY.
peak value, vmax = v0 = ωR
and its minimum when

Where ‘f ’ is acceleration

It becomes zero when ϕ =0 and reaches its peak value at

As the force is applied instantaneously, the
dynamic inertial force
FA = 2 × 2Mfmax = 4Mfmax
This inertial force is to be added to the static tight
side tension of the chain
Where, ‘M’ is the reduced mass of the moving parts
of the conveying machine and the load, the
inertial force at the moment is 2Mfmax.
b)Chain Pull and Conveyor Horsepower
The tension or pull necessary to move conveyor chains is
sum total of live load i.e. the force required for
conveying the material plus the dead load and the
resistance to the movement of conveyor parts.

Therefore, total chain pull = Force required to raise

material up an inclination + Force required to raise
conveyor parts up the inclination + Frictional
resistance to the movement of loaded conveyor parts in
the carrying run + Frictional resistance of empty
conveyor parts during return run.
 Then,

Where,

If V in the quantity mcg (fH – V) exceeds fH, the conveyor

return run will move down by the gravitational pull
overcoming the frictional resistance of the return run.
The term mcg(fH – V) is taken to be zero. If fH > V, then
this additional pull is necessary to pull the return part of
the conveyor.
 Where,

‘C’ is capacity of the conveyor in tones /hr

The basic power for driving the conveyor is calculated as,

BUCKET ELEVATOR
 Bucket elevator consists of an endless chain or belt to which
are attached to buckets for elevating crushed, granular, or
lumpy materials along a vertical or a steeply inclined path.

 The driving element is a chain or a belt.

 Unit loads are conveyed with the aid of arms or candles

attached to the traction element.

 Bucket elevators lifts up to 60 m, with handling capacity b/n

5 and 600m3/hr.
The principal elements of a bucket elevator are:
1. Head shaft with pulley for belting or sprockets for chain
2. The drive, gear reducer, and motor drives,
3. Foot shaft with pulley or sprockets
4. Elevator buckets mounted on belting or chain
5. The elevator enclosure houses the bucket and belting or chain
assembly and generally provides mounting and enclosure for the
rotating machinery

Platforms, ladders, and hoist beams arc frequently

mounted on elevator housings for maintenance access.
TYPES OF BUCKET ELEVATORS
1. Centrifugal Discharge

The materials are discharged by centrifugal action as the buckets pass

over the head wheel. They are comparatively high-speed elevators,
used where the percentage and size of lumps are at a minimum.
Traveling speed 1.2 and 1.4 m/s.

It is the most common type.

2. Positive Discharge
The buckets at interval are carried between two strands of chain snubbed under
the head wheels to bring them into an inverted position above the
discharge chute.

The buckets are completely inverted by snubbing the chains after they have
passed over the head wheels, giving them opportunity for complete
discharge at relatively slow speed. This is a slow speed machine for
fragile, sticky or slow flowing materials.
CONT’D…
3. Continuous Bucket

The buckets are mounted continuously along the chain.

At the head, the discharge from each bucket is over the front of
the preceding bucket, which forms a chute or guide to the fixed
discharge.
4.Gravity Discharge sometimes called a combination elevator conveyor,
can elevate and convey material. Material is loaded as in type 1 by v-shaped
bucket, but discharge is in through gates as in flight conveyors. Lower
travelling speeds (0.5 and 1.0 m/s).
Fig. 9.10 Bucket Elevator
Method of Loading and Unloading of a Bucket Elevator; a) loading through a
chute; b) loading by digging from the boot; c) positive discharge; d) central
discharge
93
 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
The tendency of material to pack in the elevator boot is one of the
factors deciding bucket choice.
Free-flowing non-packing material as, for example, grain is
handled by high front round-bottom buckets.

Buckets; a) low-front round-bottom type; b) high-front round-bottom

model; c) flat-front or V-shaped bucket with side guides; d) open flat-
94
bottom configuration for sticky materials
 In the case of sticky loads more suitable are open buckets of
the flat-bottom configuration Bucket width b is adopted taking
into account the lump size, from the relationship.

b  ka
Where a is the maximum lump size and k is a
factor taken at 2-2.5 for unsized material and
at 4-5 for a sized one.

95
The method of unloading is depending on the bucket speed and
head wheel diameter. The material will be subject to the
combined effect of
mg = gravitational force and
m2r = centrifugal force

The resultant R changes in the direction and magnitude yet

its line of action invariably passes through the pole M a point
located in the vertical axis at a distant h form the center

96
Determination of the Pole Distance
97
CONT’D
 Considering the two similar triangles OMG and ACG

OM r

mg m 2 r
g g g
OM   
 2
v
2
 2n 
2

   
r  60 

2
gr 3600 g 895
 2   2
v 4 n
2 2
n
Where, n is the rpm.
98
 In other words, the polar distance h is a function of the head-
wheel speed only, n in rpm, increasing inversely with it.

 When the pole distance is equal or greater than the head

wheel radius r, the centrifugal force is by far exceeded,
resulting in a gravity discharge.

99
 CONT’D
The weight of a bucketful load in kg is given

G=i 
Where, i = the strike volume of bucket [m3]
 = specific weight [kg/m3]
 = capacity factor ranging between
0.6 and 0.9 depending upon the nature of the
material (lower values are ascribed to coarsely broken
loads)

100
 CONT’D
The hourly capacity of an elevator can be calculated by the as,

G
Q = 3 .6 v
t
Where,
Q = Capacity [tons/hr]
t = Bucket spacing commonly (2 to 3)
h, where h is the bucket height [m]
v = the bucket speed [m/s]
Chain can be selected knowing tight- side tension only; however, for
belt selection, tight and slack- side tension must be known. In either
case, in calculating tensions for component selection may be taken.

T  (WC  Wb  Wl ) H
'
1

T2  (Wc  Wb) H
Where,
T1 = tight-side tension [kg]
'

WC = weight of belt or chain with fasteners and

attachments [kg/m]
Wb = weight buckets [kg/m]
Wl = weight of live load [kg/m]
H = elevator shaft center [m]
T2 = slack-side tension [kg]
102
Tight-side tension T must have an additional factor added to
compensate for digging in the boot.

T1  T1  TD
'

Where, T1 = tight-side tension with digging factor

TD = additional loading for digging in boot

103
 The power required to drive bucket elevators can be estimated,
in most cases, as follow.
For spaced-bucket elevators with digging boot

N  0.0194Hm' kW

For continuous-bucket elevator with loading leg

N  0.0176Hm' kW

Where m’ = material flow rate [kg/s]

H = vertical lift [m]
 Screw Conveyors
The screw conveyor is one of the oldest and simplest methods used
for the movement of bulk materials.

The movement of the materials is forced through the channel by a

rotating screw, which is formed by a helical blade attached to the
drive shaft.
CONT’D
SCREW CONVEYOR COMPONENTS
a. The Conveyor Screw consists of spiral flying mounted on a
pipe and is made either right or left hand to suit the screw
rotation and the desired direction of material travel.

Typical Screw Configurations: (a) Helical Spiral (b) Ribbon Spiral

(c) Cut Flights
 b. The Drive Shaft, End Shaft and Coupling
The drive shaft supports the conveyor screw section and keeps it
in alignment. The end shaft is located at the end opposite the
drive shaft.

Couplings are used to connect successive conveyors screw

section when more than one section is necessary to make up the
total length of conveyor.
CONT’D

Installing Screw Section in channel and Fitting it onto

Coupling
c. The End Seals

The plate close is an economical, effective sealing device,

designed for exterior mounting between the end bearing and the
channel end.

Split gland seals are designed for interior or exterior mounting.

Universal type of seal is arranged for use with waste packing or

with cartridge type lip or felt seals.

Packing gland seals are effective means for sealing the conveyor
both internally and externally.
 CONT’D
Air purge shaft seals are arranged for attaching to standard or
special trough ends. A constant air pressure is maintained to
prevent material from escaping from the trough along the shaft.

(a) (b) (c)

Various End Seals

 CONT’D

(d) (e)
Various End Seals

d. The Conveyor Complete with the Trough and the Drive

The trough is the enclosure in which the material is confined and
guided in its movement. A shaft mounted speed reducer makes a
simple and compact drive combination.
 Typical Drive Arrangements

With specialised design, the unit may operate at a slope or in the

vertical position.

There could be many drive arrangements to meet the practical

limitation like space, type of drive, etc.
 CONT’D

Fig.10.5 Typical Drive Arrangements: (a) Vertical

(b) Horizontal and Vertical (c) Steep Slop
 Typical Applications

Screw conveyors serve a wide variety of purpose in many

industries.

1. When the materials are extremely hot, cast screws and troughs
may be used or the screws and troughs may be made of high
temperature alloy metals.

2. If the materials are sticky or viscous, ribbon flight screws may

be the choice. Furthermore, special coatings applied to the
screw and troughs may also aid the flow of the material.
CONT’D
3. When extremely abrasive materials are to be conveyed they
may require screws and troughs made of abrasion resistant
metals or the screws may be provided with hard surface
flights.

4. When the materials are corrosive it may be desirable to make

the conveyor screws and troughs of stainless steel, Monel
metal, nickel, aluminium, etc.
CONT’D
5. When the materials are to be mixed, a conveyor screw of
ribbon flights or cut flights or one of these combined with
paddles may be used to obtain the desired results.

6. If materials are to be heated or cooled, while conveying, they

may require jacketed troughs arranged for circulating heating or
cooling media.

7. When contaminable materials are handled they may require

self lubricated bearings, screw and trough construction which
will eliminate pockets, creels, etc.
 Design Considerations

The trough is commonly fabricated from flat sheet from 2 to 8mm

thick.

The screw pitch t = (0.5 to 1.0) D.

The screw diameter D is at least twelve times that for loads of

uniform lump size and at least four times the maximum lump
size in case of unsized bulk materials.

Conveyors handling heavy materials operate at around 50rpm and

those designed to convey light loads, at up to 150rpm.
The cross-sectional loading of a screw conveyor is given by

 D2
A = Where, = the capacity factor which
4 take account of the accumulation of
load at inner bearing
D = screw diameter

Values Capacity Factor

Material 

Heavy-weight abrasive loads 0.125

Heavy-weight mildly abrasive 0.250

Light-weight mildly abrasive 0.320

Light-weight non abrasive 0.400

 The hourly capacity can be calculated by

Q = 3.6 A v k tons/hr
where , k= is a factor introduced in designing inclined
conveyors
= the speed of the conveyor [m/s]
 = specific weight of the material [kg/m3]

Values of k corresponding to the Inclination 

 (degrees) 0 5 10 15 20

k 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.65

 The speed of the conveyor

tn
v=
60
where , t = pitch of the screw (lead) [m]
n = rpm of the screw

The capacity formula can be rewritten,

 D2 tn
Q = 3600   k
4 60

 47  t  n  D  k  
2
 From practical experience

n = 60/ D for light non  abrasive load

n = 45/ D for heavy non  abrasive load
n = 30/ D for heavy abrasive load

The power requirement in kW at the drive shaft for horizontal

conveyors,
QL
N h  C0
367

Nh
where , = power requirement for horizontal
conveyor
Co = friction factor
L = conveyor length [m]
 CONT’D
QH QL
And for sloping installation Ns   C0
367 367

Where, Ns = power requirement for inclined conveyor

H = level difference
Q
Load per meter [kg/m] q =
3.6 ν
The friction factor is adopted based on experimental data.
Material
Co
Flour, cereal, saw dust 1.2
Peat, Soda ash, pulverised coal, finely ground chalk 1.6
Coal (lump anthracite and bituminous, air dry brown), rock salt 2.5
Gypsum, dry clay, sand, cement, ash, lime, moulding sand 4.0
CONT’D
Axial force, P [kg]

Mo where ,
P M0 = the resisting moment
r tan    N 0 = N h for horizontal conveyor
= N for inclined conveyor
s

102 N o  60 r = radius at which the force P

Mo  is applied
2n
r  0.7 to 0.8  
D
N0 2
 975 kg  = reduced friction angle,
n tan  = 
 = screw helix angle
 OSCILLATING CONVEYORS
A vibrating conveyor consists of a trough supported by tined
springs and/or hinged links having a drive system. Thus these
conveyors are sometimes called oscillating conveyors.

The vibrating conveyor consists of the following elements:

a) Watertight stainless steel tray riveted to a rigid mild steel frame

b) Swinging arms

c) drive
 Classification of vibratory conveyor

Vibratory conveyors may be classified on the basis of 3

considerations:
1) The pattern of motions of the trough or load

2) Drive mechanism

3) Frequency of excitation

126
Pattern of motion of the trough or load
1. Reciprocating or inertia-type conveyors
As the trough moves forward during its forward motion, it carries
the material with it
2. Vibrating or oscillating conveyors
The load is periodically thrown above the trough (jumps) with the
vertical component of the trough acceleration greater than the
acceleration due to gravity

127
Drive Mechanism

1. Direct mechanical type, use crank and connecting rod

2. Single or double eccentric weight on a rotating shaft

3. Electromagnetic exciter using pulsed single-phase AC supply

1/22/2020 128
Frequency of Excitation

According to the range of frequency of excitation of the trough,

the vibratory conveyor can be classified as

1. Sub-resonant

2. Resonant

3. Super-resonant system

1/22/2020 129
Oscillating conveyors move materials in a uniform, continuous
flow by the upward and forward oscillating motion of a
continuous metal trough, mounted on sturdy inclined reactor
legs. The angle of inclination of the conveyor arm may vary
from 25 to 30 degree.

130
 CONT’D
S = A sin t
Where, S = the magnitude of the movement of
the conveyor in time t.
A = maximum amplitude of the vibration

k
  2f 
m

where k = rigidity and m = mass

131
 Vibrating conveyors operating
frequencies normally range from 200
to 3600 vibrations per minute with an
amplitude or stroke range from 0.08 to
3.75cm total movement.

Oscillating Conveyor with Variable Pressure on Deck 132

The velocity of the deck changes roughly as a sine wave whereas
the deck displacement rectilinearly.
Its acceleration can be resolved into two components, a horizontal
and a vertical.
In the forward stroke a particle of material with a mass m is subject
to a vertical component of inertia force press the load against the
deck, a horizontal component of inertia force tending to displace
the load along the deck, and a friction force acting along the deck
in the direction of the stroke.
 F f  fFN ; G  m  adeck y

F f  f  m  g  m  adeck y ;
F f  Fx For a particle to move forward

Fx  madeck x ; F f  madeck x

adeckx  adeck cos  ; adeck y  adeck sin 

fg
adeck >
cos  - f sin  ;

f  m g  jdeck y  m  jdeckx ;
f g
j deck 
cos   f  sin  ; 134


m  jdeckx  f  m g  jdeck y  , mg  j   0 deck y
, j deck y  g
 1/22/2020
Velocity of the Deck as a Function of Time
135
CONT’D…
 This conveyor is used for handling:-
 All granular free flowing materials

 Hot, abrasive, fine, dusty, lumpy, stringy and other materials which
are difficult to handle or where contamination or corrosion is a
problem.

 In addition to conveying, it is used for

 cooling, heating and drying

1/22/2020 136
BASIC DESIGNS
Basic elements

1. A trough supporting system.

2. The source of the controlled vibrating.
Reviewing of the elements:
1. The trough is the only portion of the vibrating conveyor that
comes in contact with the material being conveyed.
2. The base is primarily a means of mounting the conveyor and
is usually of a simple design incorporating structural steel
members.
1/22/2020 137
 CONT’D

3. The trough supporting system's primary function is to control

and direct the motion of the trough

4. The drive is the prime element in a vibrating conveyor because

it is the source of the controlled vibration.

5. The reactor spring system can assume many forms including

steel coil springs, flexible steel, rubber blocks, circular
rubber toroids, and torsion bars.

1/22/2020 138
 Types of Oscillating Conveyors

a. Flexmount Oscillating Conveyors are used for light duty

applications. They have simple construction, remarkably rugged,
compact and require minimum maintenance and attention.

b. Coilmount Oscillating Conveyor are rugged, well reinforced

and require minimum maintenance. The coil springs operate in
the natural frequency range. They are used for medium duty
service. The trough is supported by separate legs that are rubber
bushed at articulated points and do not require lubrication.
1/22/2020 139
CONT’D
c. Torqmount Oscillating Conveyor are rugged, dependable

and easy to adjust and maintain. They are used for

heavy and extra duty applications. Torsion bars fixed at
one end and steel backed rubber bushed at the other
end, absorb the energy of the trough movement at the
end of the stroke at all points of support along the
trough length.

1/22/2020 140
Selection of Oscillating Conveyors

i) Determining the trough width for the required capacity

ii) Selecting the drive for the required capacity

1/22/2020 141
 CHARTS FOR SELECTION OSCILLATING CONVEYOR

1/22/2020 142
Charts for Selection of Flexmount Oscillating Conveyor
CONT’D

Charts1/22/2020
for Selection of Coilmount Oscillating Conveyor
143
Charts for Selection of Torqmount Oscillating conveyors
1/22/2020 144
 CONT’D

Charts for Selection of Torqmount Oscillating conveyors

1/22/2020 145
Advantages of Vibratory Conveyor

 Hot and abrasive materials can be handled.

 Cooling, drying and dewatering operation can be done during transport

 Scalping, screening or picking can be done

 Units can be covered and made dust tight

 Simple construction and low head room

 Can be made leak proof

 Low maintenance

1/22/2020 146
Advantages of Vibratory Conveyor

 Low spillage of fines

 Controlled feeding and material alignment

 Heavy duty drive assemblies are fitted to all conveyors

 Optional screening section can be built in for separation of

fines and sawdust

 Optional fiberglass section for material detection can be built

into conveyor
1/22/2020 147
 Limitations

There are few limitations, with today's technologies, to

the successful application of this class of equipment.
Some materials that tend to fluidise, or adhere to the
feeder trough may be more efficiently handled by other
means. In addition, a dusting problem may occur at the
outlet of a feeder handling some dry, powdery
materials, and require special handling.
1/22/2020 148
CONT’D
 The equipment is subject to high accelerations and high
reversing stress cycles; consequently, to achieve acceptable
fatigue life, the structures must be designed with stress limits
much below that considered good design practice for structures
not subjected to vibration.

1/22/2020 149