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Overview of Belt Mistracking

Causes of Belt Mistracking

A good and exact alignment contributes to good tracking of the conveyor belt. True alignment of the idlers improves the running behaviour of the belt and decreases the energy consumption of the belt each idler station.

 

In the following 9 chapters several possible causes for the mistracking of a conveyor belt in the conveyor are demonstrated.

  • A good and exact alignment contributes to good tracking of the conveyor belt. <br><br> True alignment of the idlers improves the running behaviour of the belt and decreases the energy consumption of the belt at each idler station. <br><br> Here the mistracking of the belt can be seen, which results from an idler station which has moved out of the conveyor line to one side.

    1. Idler Station out of True Alignment

  • Idlers where the axis is not perpendicular to the running direction have a steering influence on the belt. <br><br> In some cases this may be wanted, as for instance with curved conveyors. However in a straight conveyor this leads to mistracking and can cause damages at the belt edge as well as increased energy consumption. <br><br> Here the mistracking of the belt can be seen, which results from an idler station that has been turned around the vertical axis.

    2. Idler Station Rotated Horizontally

  • When a belt conveyor is not covered wind can push the belt out of the center. <br><br>This depends on <ul> <li>the wind speed</li> <li>the belt width</li> <li>the troughing angle therefore the vertical area of the belt in the wind</li> <li>the belt weight which pulls the belt into the trough</li></ul> Here the mistracking of the belt can be seen, which results from constant wind force acting on the belt.

    3. Belt Conveyor in Wind from the Side

  • A good and exact alignment contributes to good tracking of the conveyor belt. <br><br> The angle must be the same for both side idlers. The idler station must be symmetric regarding the running direction of the belt. Horizontal curves are an exception. Here it can be necessary to tilt the idler stations. <br><br> Here the mistracking of the belt can be seen, which results from an idler station which is tilted around the axis in line with the running direction of the belt.

    4. Idler Station Rotated Vertically

  • Centered and perpendicular loading of the bulk material onto the belt enables a good tracking of the belt. <br><br> The weight of the bulk material and also the impulse of the material hitting the belt have a steering effect on the belt. <br><br> Here the mistracking of the belt can be seen, which results from bulk material which is loaded onto one side of the belt or in a non-perpendicular direction.

    5. Influence of the Loading of the Bulk Material

  • Pulleys change the running direction of the belt at the transition from top to bottom run and vice versa. <br><br> For good tracking of the belt these pulleys must be cylindrical. In case of a cambered pulley the pulley must in any case be symmetric. <br><br> Here the mistracking of the belt can be seen, which results from dirt adhesion on one side of the pulley with the result that the radius of the pulley is larger on this side.

    6. Material Sticking to one Side of the Pulley

  • Pulleys change the running direction of the belt at the transition from top to bottom run and vice versa. <br><br> Jammed particles of the bulk material reduce the passage width for the belt. <br><br> Here the mistracking of the belt can be seen, which results from a pulley that is not perpendicular to the running direction of the belt.

    7. Pulley not Perpendicular to Belt Running Direction

  • Exact tracking of the belt avoids contact of the belt edge with the structure of the conveyor and therefore avoids damages of the belt edge. <br><br> Jammed particles of the bulk material which reduce the passage width for the belt. <br><br> This leads not only to mistracking, but may also damage the belt edge.

    8. Foreign Object Stuck in Conveyor Structure

  • In order to achieve exact tracking of the belt it is imperative that the belt itself is straight. <br><br> In the manufacturing process modern methods – for instance prestressing during the vulcanization – ensure that the belt is straight. However the splicing of the belt in the conveyor is a process which depends on good workmanship. When the splice is not optimally made and the alignment of the two belt ends is not precise, then the alignment of the belt in the splice is not true either. <br><br> Here the mistracking of the belt can be seen, which results from a splice which was manufactured with an angle.

    9. Badly Aligned Belt Splice