AU2003100794A4 - Conveyor belt scraper - Google Patents

Description

P/00/012 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Invention Title: "CONVEYOR BELT SCRAPER" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 2

TITLE

"CONVEYOR BELT SCRAPER" FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a device for cleaning conveyor belts. In particular, although not exclusively, the invention relates to a device for scraping carry back material from the return section of a conveyor belt.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION The use of conveyor belts for transporting materials is well known in mining and materials handling applications. Conveyor belts are fitted between a drive pulley and an idler pulley and have an upper side, upon which material is transported, and a return side. A conveyor belt encircles the drive pulley and the idler pulley. In use, the belt travels from the drive pulley to the idler pulley on the upper side of the conveyor belt while carrying material. Once the belt reaches the idler pulley, the material located upon it is unloaded and the conveyor belt then wraps around the idler pulley, below the upper section, and returns to the drive pulley devoid of any material along the drive section. The upper section and the return section of the conveyor belt are spaced by the diameter of the idler pulley.

A problem that plagues conveyor belts is material becoming stuck on the outer surface of the belt. This material is called carry back material. Carry back material is especially problematic during the return movement of the conveyor belt as it may cause blockages and/or mechanical failures of the drive pulley.

3 There have been various devices created to scrape carry back material from the return side of a conveyor belt. Conveyor belts develop a downwardly extending trough on the upper side of the conveyor belt due to the load of the conveyed material. Hence, the return side of the belt has an upwardly extending trough.

Australian patent 592714 describes a belt cleaner having a scraper and a holder. The belt cleaner is used to remove the carry back of conveyed material from the return side of a conveyor belt. The scraper has a plurality of support members which are arranged in a row and flexibly secured with one another by a resilient hinge.

The support members are embedded in a resilient board which forms the resilient hinge between each pair of adjacent support members. Each of the support members have scraping tips and the scraping tips of each pair of adjacent support members are connected with each other to prevent adjacent support members being separated from each other during use. In use, the scraper is fitted within a holder adjacent the return side of a conveyer belt.

A problem with the scraper described in Australian patent 592714 is that the scraper is susceptible to excessive vibration while in use. This vibration causes the resilient board member to crack and split. This cracking and splitting reduces the life of the scraper and hence increases the costs of any operation using these scrapers. Furthermore, this vibration fatigues the metal that forms the holder and creates cracks within the holder reducing the useable life of the holder.

Additionally, the manufacturing process of the scraper is time consuming and costly.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to overcome or alleviate at least one or more of the above disadvantages or provide the consumer with a useful or commercial choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one form, although it need not be the only or indeed the broadest form, the invention resides in a conveyor belt scraper comprising: an elongate base member; and a single elongate support member bonded to said elongate base member; a plurality of slots located at an upper end of said elongate support member; and a plurality of scraping tips located adjacent an upper end of said elongate support member.

Preferably, said scraping tips are separately formed and bonded to said elongate support member between said slots. Optionally, this bonding occurs by said scraping tips being brazed to said elongate support member.

Optionally, said scraping tips may be integrally formed with said elongate support member.

Preferably, said elongate base member has an angled back face terminating at a flange at an upper end of said elongate base member.

Suitably, said scraping tips may be formed from tungsten carbide.

Preferably, said elongate base member is formed from polyurethane.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS To assist in understanding the invention and to enable a person skilled in the art to put the invention into practical effect preferred embodiments of the invention will be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG 1 shows a perspective view of a conveyor belt scraper according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG 2 shows a side view of the conveyor belt scraper shown in FIG 1; FIG 3 shows a front view of the conveyor belt scraper shown in FIG 1; and FIG 4 shows the conveyor belt scraper of FIG 1 when in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIG 1, FIG 2 and FIG 3 shows conveyor belt scraper 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention in perspective view, side view and front view respectively. Conveyor belt scraper 1 has a single support member 2 bonded with base member 3.

Support member 2 is an elongate member formed from a single piece of rigid durable material. Preferably, support member 2 is formed from mild or stainless steel. Optionally, support member 2 is formed from a different alloy, platinum, tungsten carbide a durable fiber composite or another type of metal.

Support member 2 has a stem section 4 and a head section 5 formed at an upper end of stem section 4. A plurality of spaced slots 7 are located at an 6 upper end of the support member 2 and partition head section 5 as shown in FIG 2.

Scraping tips 6 are located adjacent an upper end of head section 5 of support member 2 as shown in FIG 2. Scraping tips 6 are formed from. tungsten carbide. Optionally, scraping tips 6 may be formed from a different metal alloy that is durable or from the same material as elongate support member 2.

Preferably, scraping tips 6 are bonded to head section 5 of support member 2 by being brazed to support member 2. Optionally, scraping tips 6 may be bonded in another way or may be integrally formed with support member 2.

Base member 3 is an elongate member formed from a resilient material.

Preferably, base member 3 is formed from polyurethane although it will be appreciated that base member 3 may be formed from a different resilient plastic compound, rubber or the like.

Base member 3 has a stem section 8 and a head section 9 formed at an upper end of stem section 8. Head section 9 has an angled back face terminating at a flange 11 as shown. Base member 3 has a front face 12 as shown and support member 2 is embedded along the majority of the length of front face 12 such that it is embedded within base member 3 adjacent front face 12.

As previously described, support member 2 is formed from a single elongate member. During the formation of conveyor belt scraper 1 support member 2 and scraping tips 6 are placed within a mould having substantially the same dimensions as conveyor belt scraper 1. The polyurethane from which base member 3 is formed is poured within the mould around support member 2 and scraping tips 6 and is allowed to set and harden thus bonding support member 2 flush with front face 12 of base member 3.

Hence, in the preferred embodiment support member 2 is bonded to base member 3 by the setting of the polymer that forms base member 3. Optionally, support member 2 may be fixed to base member 3 by means of a glue or other type of chemical fastener.

In use, conveyor belt scraper 1 is located adjacent the underside of a conveyor belt below the return section of the belt and is held in place by a holder as is known in the art.

Conveyor belt scraper I contacts the conveyor belt and is orientated such that the direction of movement of the belt is from the front face 12 of base member 3 to the angled back face 10. Support member 2 contacts any carry back material on the surface on the conveyor belt and removes this material. In particular, scraping tips 6 of support member 2 directly contact any carry back material on the surface of the conveyor belt although any part of support member 2 may contact and remove carry back material present on the conveyor belt. As support member 2 and scraping tips 6 are formed from a durable material they do not wear readily and hence are well suited to the rugged task of contacting and removing carry back material present on the surface of the conveyor belt.

Hence, there is a substantial force applied to the conveyor belt scraper 1 in the direction of the movement of the belt. Conveyor belt scraper 1 is able to deform in the direction of the force applied on it by contact with the conveyor belt. FIG 4 shows conveyor belt scraper 1 bent while in use. It will be appreciated that the holder will be rotated such that scraper 1 may clean all areas of the conveyer belt.

8 The angled back face 10 of base member 3 supports conveyor belt scraper 1 and ensures the force applied to it by the moving conveyor belt does not significantly deform that scraper 1. Additionally, as support member 2 is a single rigid member it offers additional support to conveyor belt scraper I against deformation.

While base member 3 is formed from a resilient material and is easily bent, support member 2 is formed from a more rigid material. The slots 7 located at an upper end of support member 2 facilitate the deformation of support member 2 as shown in FIG 4. The slots 7 allow adjacent partitions of head section 5 to move independently of each other and hence facilitates the bending of conveyor belt scraper 1 as shown in FIG 4.

The conveyor belt scraper 1 of the present invention offers clear advantages over prior art conveyor belt scrapers in that the single support member allows for easier and cheaper manufacture of the scraper. As only one support member needs to be embedded within the base member, and not a plurality of support members as is known in the art, significantly less time is required to manufacture the belt scraper of the present invention. This reduced manufacture time results in a cheaper, more commercially viable product.

Additionally, the inventors have found that a single support member results in a reduction in vibration experienced by the conveyor belt scraper. This feature has a clear advantage over prior art scrapers because the reduced vibration results in reduced cracking in the scraper and reduced fatigue in the holder resulting in longer lives for both components and hence a reduction in replacement costs.

Throughout the specification the aim has been to describe the invention 9 without limiting the invention to any one embodiment or specific collection of features. Persons skilled in the relevant art may realize variations from the specific embodiments that will nonetheless fall within the scope of the invention.

Claims (4)

1. A conveyor belt scraper comprising: an elongate base member; a single elongate support member embedded bonded to said elongate base member; a plurality of slots located at an upper end of said elongate support member; and a plurality of scraping tips located adjacent an upper end of said elongate support member.

2. The conveyor belt scraper of claim 1, wherein said scraping tips are separately formed and bonded to said elongate support member between said slots.

3. The conveyor belt scraper of claim 1, wherein said scraping tips are integrally formed with said elongate support member.

4. The conveyor belt scraper of claim 1, wherein said elongate base member has an angled back face terminating at a flange at an upper end of said elongate base member. The conveyor belt scraper as substantially hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying figures. Dated this 18th day of September 2003 Razer Industries Pty Ltd By their Patent Attorneys FISHER ADAMS KELLY