FR3071238A1 - BELT CONVEYOR AND METHOD OF EXTRACTING THE STRIP - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a conveyor belt (10) and an implementation method. It comprises, on the one hand, a frame (16) extending longitudinally between two opposite ends (12, 14) and two drums (22, 28) mounted respectively at said ends to be able to receive a conveyor belt (30) in a closed loop, and on the other hand a motor unit (50) installed at one of said ends of said frame (14) to be able to rotate one of said drums (28). Said motor unit (50) and said one of said drums (28) are mounted integral with one another to form a single block; and said single block is pivotably mounted on said one end (14) of said frame (16) to be able to drive said one of said drums (28) to pivot toward the other of said drums (22) so as to release the one of the other said one of said drums (28) and said conveyor belt (30).

Description

Belt conveyor and belt extraction method

The present invention relates to a conveyor belt and a method of extracting the conveyor belt for replacement.

A field of application envisaged is in particular, but not exclusively, that of the supply of glass furnaces for which a rupture can cause the loss of the installation relating thereto. In fact, in normal operation, these ovens are in thermal equilibrium and any prolonged supply interruption disturbs this equilibrium and can cause a local increase in temperature contributing to the deterioration of the furnace equipment.

Known belt conveyors usually include a frame extending longitudinally between two opposite ends, a downstream end and an upstream end, and two drums mounted respectively at the upstream and downstream ends. The two drums, or rollers, are mounted in a transverse direction relative to the chassis in order to be able to receive in closed loop a conveyor belt extended between the two drums. The extended closed loop conveyor belt thus defines an upper belt portion for transporting and extends over a lower return belt portion.

The downstream drum is usually the drive drum and therefore a motor unit is installed on the downstream end of the chassis in order to be able to drive this downstream drum in rotation.

The downstream drum comprises a drive shaft having two opposite shaft ends extending axially on each side of the drum, and the two shaft ends are respectively mounted in two opposite bearings, themselves integral with the chassis. The power pack has an output shaft and is installed offset from the chassis so that the output shaft can be coaxially engaged with one of the two shaft ends extending from one of the bearings.

Thus, the conveyor belt is wound on the two end drums and, is driven in translation by the motor unit in the longitudinal direction of said chassis, the upper belt part, from the upstream end to the downstream end, and the lower strip part, in the opposite direction, from the downstream end to the upstream end.

These mechanical elements of the conveyor are robust to be able to operate continuously for long periods despite a sometimes aggressive environment, for example where the temperature is high. However, the conveyor belt is subjected not only to mechanical stresses, but also to thermal stresses and its accidental degradation requires its immediate replacement so as not to thermally unbalance the oven for example.

The rapid replacement of the conveyor belt, under disadvantageous thermal conditions, thus requires a large number of qualified operators to be able to dismantle the conveyor and its mechanical elements so as to be able to replace the conveyor belt quickly.

Also, a problem which arises and which the present invention aims to solve, is to provide a conveyor belt and a method of extraction and installation of the conveyor belt allowing faster replacement, without risk for installation with normal skills and less expensive.

For this purpose, and according to a first object, there is provided a belt conveyor comprising, on the one hand, a frame extending longitudinally between two opposite ends and two drums mounted respectively at said opposite ends of said frame in a direction transverse to said chassis to be able to receive in closed loop a conveyor belt extended between said two drums, and on the other hand a motor unit installed at one of said ends of said chassis in order to be able to drive one of said drums in rotation so as to be able to drive said belt conveyor in translation in the longitudinal direction of said chassis. Said power unit and said one of said drums are mounted integral with one another to form a single block; and said single block is installed pivotally movable on said one of said ends of said chassis in order to be able to drive said one of said drums in pivoting towards the other of said drums so as to be able to release from one another said one of said drums and said strip conveyor.

Thus, a characteristic of the invention lies in the implementation of the motor unit and the downstream drum of the conveyor in a single block, which single block is pivotally mounted at the downstream end of the chassis. In this way, the worn or deteriorated conveyor belt, which is in longitudinal tension between the two end drums, can be quickly released from the downstream drum to then be more easily removed from the opposite upstream drum, as will be explained below. -after, to be able to be extracted. Indeed, the belt conveyors according to the prior art, first of all require to cut the band to open it and to disassemble it manually. Then, still manually, the new strip, open, having two opposite ends, is put in place. It is then necessary to prepare the junction of the two opposite ends of the strip. Also, this preparation includes the following stages: tracing the cutting lines, cutting and removing the upper covering and the first fold of the first end of the strip, removing a strip from the upper covering for making the cover -joint, the realization of the stages by layer according to the number of folds of the band, the removal of a band of the lower covering for the realization of the joint cover, the preparation of the second end of the band according to the same procedure as the first end of the strip, applying a solution, sanding on the surfaces to be joined, cleaning the surfaces to be joined, applying the solution, applying a thin sheet of rubber, l 'coupling of the ends, finishing with joint cover, finishing with covering and finally, waiting during the cold bonding time which reaches approximately four hours.

For hot vulcanization, which allows the adhesion of the different layers of rubber sheet and joint cover to the carcass, the time required is approximately six hours.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, said single block is pivotally movable about an axis extending along a component perpendicular to said chassis. In this way, when the single block pivots, the downstream drum is driven in movement by means of a screw / nut system towards the upstream drum, and therefore moves away from the winding of the conveyor belt so that it can be released.

Preferably, said single block is pivotally movable about an axis extending between said motor group and said one of said drums. In this way, the downstream drum can then be pivotally driven completely outside the conveyor belt which can thus be extracted more easily.

Also, said one of said drums advantageously comprises a drive shaft having two opposite shaft ends extending axially from said one of said drums, while said motor unit has an output shaft engaged with one of said shaft ends . In this way, the output shaft of the motor unit is extended, in a collinear manner, by the drive shaft of the downstream drum, so that, on the one hand, the mechanical power supplied by the motor unit is transmitted to the lossless drum, and on the other hand, so that the motor unit and the downstream drum form a single rigid block.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the conveyor belt according to the invention comprises a removable end bearing so as to be able to connect the other of said shaft ends with said one of said ends of said chassis in a removable manner. Thus, the downstream drum is maintained in a fixed transverse orientation, on one side towards the motor unit, at the level of the fixed bearing, and on the other side by means of a wedge of the removable end bearing. In this way, the only disassembly of the shim of the end bearing, then releases said single block in overhang to be able to take out the conveyor belt and thus release it.

Furthermore, said extended closed loop conveyor belt defining an upper conveyor belt part superimposing a lower return belt part, said chassis further comprises retractable support rollers for supporting said upper conveyor part. Depending on the length of the conveyor, and the weight of the materials or equipment transported, it is necessary to provide intermediate support rollers between the upstream and downstream drums. These support rollers are retractable to be able to quickly extract the conveyor belt in the longitudinal direction of the chassis. Preferably, said retractable support rollers are pivotally mounted between a first position in which they extend transversely under said upper conveyor belt part and a second position in which they extend along said conveyor belt. Thus, in the working position, the support rollers extend between the two strip parts so as to be able to support the upper strip part. In order to be able to extract the conveyor belt longitudinally, the support rollers are pivoted outside the conveyor belt as will be explained below.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, said support rollers each comprise a cradle comprising a central guide roller and two lateral guide rollers inclined with respect to said central guide roller to conform said upper conveyor belt portion in trough . This conformation is particularly suitable for routing cullet to a glass furnace, for example, so that it does not leave the conveyor belt.

Also, one of said two lateral guide rollers is mounted adjustable between a working position inclined relative to said central guide roller and a collinear position to said central guide roller. In this way, the disengagement of the support roller and the conveyor belt is facilitated as will be explained below.

According to another aspect of the invention, a method of extracting the belt from a belt conveyor as described above is proposed, comprising the following steps: said one of said drums is pivoted towards the other said drums; one of the said one of the said drums and the said conveyor belt is released; and, driving said conveyor belt in translation on said chassis from the other of said ends of said chassis. Advantageously, the used conveyor belt is driven from the upstream drum by means of a controllable reel or reel, and it is retained at the other end by a cable winch controllable at the level of the downstream drum as will be explained in more detail below. after. In the same way, the new conveyor belt, wound in its controllable drum is unwound and inserted longitudinally in the conveyor through the upstream end and is pulled by means of the cable winch from the downstream end. Then, the downstream drum is pivotally driven in the opposite direction, in the loop of the new conveyor belt in order to be repositioned and so as to be able to extend the new conveyor belt between the two end drums. To do this, the upstream drum is driven in translation in a direction opposite to the downstream drum. Thus, thanks to the conveyor according to the invention, both the disassembly of the used conveyor belt and the reassembly of the new conveyor belt can be carried out in extremely short times without disturbing the thermal equilibrium of the installations which it allows. 'feed.

Other particularities and advantages of the invention will emerge on reading the description given below of a particular embodiment of the invention, given by way of indication but not limitation, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is a partial schematic perspective view of a belt conveyor according to the invention;

- Figure 2 is a schematic detail view in perspective of the object of the invention shown in Figure 1 in a disassembled position;

- Figure 3 is a flow diagram of a method of implementing the object of the invention shown in Figure 1;

- Figure 4 is a partial schematic view in axial section of the object shown in Figure 2;

- Figure 5 is a schematic view of a detail shown in Figure 1; and,

- Figure 6 is a schematic detail view from above of the object of the invention shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1 illustrates a belt conveyor 10 according to the invention. It has an upstream end 12 opposite to a downstream end 14. Also, the belt conveyor 10 comprises a frame 16 having two parallel uprights 18, 20. It also comprises an upstream drum 22 held transversely at the upstream end 12 by means of two upstream bearings 24, 26 respectively connected to the two parallel uprights 18, 20. It comprises a downstream drum 28 mounted transversely to the downstream end 14 of the conveyor 10, and a conveyor belt 30 mounted in a closed loop on the two upstream drums 22 and downstream 28.

Thus, the conveyor belt 30 extended in a closed loop between the two upstream 22 and downstream drums 28 defines an upper conveyor belt part 32 and a lower return belt part 34 extending below. Between the two strip parts 32, 34, are installed gradually, in a transverse direction of the chassis 16, support rollers 36, making it possible to support the upper transport strip part 32. It will be observed that the support rollers 36 are in V so as to conform the upper conveyor belt portion 32 into a trough as will be explained below. Thus, the face of the upper strip part 32, opposite to the lower return strip part 34, receives the materials to be transported. The upper strip portion 32 is driven in translation in the longitudinal direction of the chassis 16, from the upstream end 12 to the downstream end 14 according to the arrow Fm, while the lower return strip portion 34 is driven in one direction reverse according to arrow Fd. Furthermore, the conveyor 10 has support rollers 35 installed under the lower return band portion 34 so as to be able to support it and guide it in translation.

Also, it will be observed that the belt conveyor 10 also comprises, substantially upstream of the downstream drum 28, and bearing against the lower return band part 34, a support roller mounted on a pivotally movable frame. This movable frame is also equipped with a scraper, obscured in the figure, and located at the level of the downstream drum 28.

Thanks to the belt conveyor 10 as shown, the disassembly and replacement of the conveyor belt 30 can be achieved in very short times. Indeed, its structure and in particular the mounting of the downstream drum 28 of the downstream end 14 and which will be detailed below with reference to Figure 6, allow rapid disassembly.

Figure 6 is a schematic top view of the downstream end 14 of the belt conveyor 10 precisely freed from the conveyor belt 30 shown in Figure 1. There is thus the downstream drum 28 extending transversely. It has a drive shaft 38 shown in broken lines and which passes through it. The drive shaft 38 has two opposite shaft ends 40, 42. One 40 is free and is mounted in a removable bearing 44, the other 42 passes through an intermediate bearing 46 and extends to engage with an output shaft 48 of a motor group 50. The motor group 50 comprises an electric motor 52 extended by a reduction gear 54 from which the output shaft 48 comes out in return. The output shaft 48 and the shaft d 'drive 38 of the downstream drum 28 advantageously form the same shaft.

Also, the intermediate bearing 46 is mounted on an intermediate spacer 56 itself installed on one of the uprights 20 of the chassis 16. The reduction gear 54 and the motor 52 which it extends in one piece, are connected to the intermediate spacer 56 by means of a plate 58. In this way, the downstream drum 28 is intended to be driven in rotation by means of the electric motor 52 by means of the reduction gear 54.

However, the downstream drum 28 and the motor unit 50 form a single block, with the intermediate bearing 46 also and the intermediate spacer 56.

As will be explained below with reference to FIG. 4, the assembly constituted by the downstream drum 28, the power unit 50, the intermediate bearing 46 and the intermediate spacer 56 are pivotally mounted around the intermediate bearing 46 according to a axis perpendicular to the chassis 16.

Figure 4 partially illustrates in vertical section along the plane IV-IV of Figure 6, the drive shaft 38, the downstream drum 28, the shaft end 42 extended by the output shaft 48 exiting the reducer 54, and the intermediate bearing 46 integral with the intermediate spacer 56.

In addition, it will be observed that the intermediate spacer 56 has a member of revolution 60, of axis A, mounted for rotation through the upright 20 of the chassis.

Returning to FIG. 1, it will be observed that the removable bearing 44 is itself installed on an end spacer 62.

Thus, when it comes to extracting the conveyor belt 30, the movable frame is first unlocked to lower the support roller and the scraper. Then, the demountable bearing 44 is removed from the upright 18, by dismantling the end spacer 62. The downstream drum 28 and the motor unit 50, in one piece, are then free to pivot around the intermediate bearing. 46 along the axis A. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the downstream drum 28 is driven in pivoting according to the arrow V towards the upstream drum not shown here, while the member of revolution 60 is rotated in the upright 20 of the chassis 16. The downstream drum 28 is pivotally driven with the motor unit 50, the intermediate bearing 46 and the intermediate spacer 56. In this way, the conveyor belt 30 is released in a loop. We will see in Figure 2, the pivoted frame and consequently, the scraper and the support roller lowered.

Reference will again be made to FIG. 6 also illustrating a support roller 36. The latter has a cradle 64 mounted transversely on the frame 16. The cradle 64 has a first end 66 pivotally mounted on one of the uprights 20, and a second opposite end 68 connected to the other upright 18 by means of an unlockable member, not shown. For example, the opposite end 68 is provided with a bolt returned in extension by means of a spring, while the other upright 48 has a keeper in which the bolt can engage. A tongue is advantageously provided on the other upright to form a lateral indexing support at the opposite end 68, so that the targette can more easily engage inside the keeper.

The first end 66 is pivotally mounted about an axis O perpendicular to the plane of the Figure. The support roller 36 is divided into 3 parts, a central roller 70 substantially parallel to the plane of the chassis 16 and two lateral rollers, 72, 74 inclined towards one another relative to the central roller 70 so as to form a structure in V as indicated above.

Also found in Figure 2, the support roller 36 comprising the cradle 64 and its 3 rollers 70, 72, and 74. It will be observed that the support roller 36 is pivoted 90 ° relative to its position shown in Figure

6. And it extends in this way, substantially in line with the upright 20 of the chassis 16. This is done for all the support rollers 36 of the conveyor 10 shown in FIG. 1, after having released the downstream drum 28 from the conveyor belt 30.

The support rollers 36 located near the upstream drum 22 of the upstream end 12 of the conveyor 10 have particular characteristics making it possible to facilitate their pivoting. Indeed, at the upstream end 12 of the conveyor 10, the two strip parts 32, 34 are relatively close to one another, because the upstream drum 22 has a smaller diameter compared to the downstream drum 28. Also, as shown in Figure 5, an alternative embodiment of the support roller 36 '. Also, the elements functionally equivalent to the support roller 36 described above will bear the same references assigned a prime sign: "'>>. We then find the cradle 64 ', the central roller 70' and the two side rollers 72 ', 74'. The lateral roller 72 ', located on the side of the second end 68', is itself installed in a clean mini cradle 76, which is pivotally mounted around an axis P located in the vicinity of the central roller 70 ', and perpendicular to the mean plane of the cradle 64 'so as to be able to drive the lateral roller 72' between an inclined position where it is symmetrical with the other lateral roller 74 'with respect to the central roller 70', and where it is held in this position thanks to a stand 78, and a retracted position in which it aligns with the central roller 70 '. It is then understood that in this latter position, the cradle 64 ′ is easier to be driven in pivoting, without being hindered by the conveyor belt in order to be able to be carried along the upright 20 of the chassis 16. This variant is recommended in 'upstream end 12 of the belt conveyor 10, in the product reception zones on the belt, in order to be able to pivot the stations in a trough without dismantling the product guides which come to extend above the side rollers 72', 74 '.

We will now describe with reference to Figure 3 the method of extracting the conveyor belt 30 according to the invention. We will obviously refer to the Figures previously described.

The belt conveyor 10 shown in FIG. 1 is in fact covered so that the transport of the materials is carried out in a relatively sealed manner. For example, the conveyor has a length of 23 m, with a width of conveyor belt 30 of 650 mm in order to be able to feed a cullet oven at a height of 30 m ³ hours for example.

In a first step 80 of the method, the belt conveyor 10 is stripped down. Then, in a second step 82, the removable bearing 44 is detached from the upright 18, after having lowered the support roller and the scraper. Then the downstream drum 28 is pivotally driven towards the upstream drum 22 so as to release the conveyor belt 30. Also, simultaneously in this second step 82, the bearings 24, 26 of the upstream drum 22 are loosened and the two tensioning screws located at the rear on the uprights 18, 20 in order to be able to drive the upstream drum 22 in translation towards the downstream drum 28, over a stroke of approximately 150 mm, so as to further relax the strip. Then, the spacer is dismantled between the bearing 24 and the upright 18 so that the lower part of the strip can come out laterally. Also, all the support rollers 36 of the conveyor 10 are rotated by 90 ° so that they are all carried in line with the upright 20 of the chassis 16.

Consequently, the conveyor belt 30 rests only on the support rollers 35.

According to a third step 84, the conveyor belt 30 is pulled at the upstream end 12 of the conveyor 10 and is mounted on a motorized mechanical reel carried at the upstream end 12 so as to be able to extract the conveyor belt 30 from the conveyor 10 while winding it.

Once the operation is complete, conversely, a new conveyor belt in a closed loop pre-wound on another reel is carried at the upstream end 12 of the conveyor 10. According to a fourth step 86, the new conveyor belt through the conveyor 10 on the support rollers 35 by means of a cable and a winch installed at the downstream end 14 of the conveyor 10. Consequently, said other reel is unwound.

When the conveyor belt 30 is fully extended between the upstream end 12 and the downstream end 14 of the conveyor 10, according to a fifth step 88, while the upstream drum 22 is engaged inside the loop of the new conveyor belt , and connected to the upstream end 12 of the chassis 16, the downstream drum 28 is pivotally driven inside the conveyor belt. The bearing 24 is installed on the upright 18 via the spacer. Then, the demountable bearing 44 is connected to the upright 18 by means of the end spacer 62. The two tensioning screws located at the rear on the uprights 18, 20 are then rotated to drive the drum. upstream 22 in translation opposite the downstream drum so as to come to tension the conveyor belt. The bearings 24, 26 of the upstream drum 22 are then tightened.

According to a final step 90, the covers of the belt conveyor 10 are closed, so that it can be put back into operation.

For such a type of conveyor belt, the change of conveyor belt is of the order of 30 minutes. This indicative time is incommensurate with the conveyor belts according to the prior art, where the change of belt greatly exceeds 120 minutes. Within the limit of 60 minutes, the risk of damage to the equipment of glass furnaces is limited.

Claims (10)

1. Belt conveyor (10) comprising, on the one hand a frame (16) extending longitudinally between two opposite ends (12, 14) and two drums (22, 28) mounted respectively at said opposite ends of said frame in a direction transverse to said chassis so as to be able to receive in closed loop a conveyor belt (30) extended between said two drums (22, 28), and on the other hand a motor unit (50) installed at one of said ends of said chassis (14 ) in order to be able to drive in rotation one of said drums (28) so as to be able to drive said conveyor belt (30) in translation in the longitudinal direction of said chassis; characterized in that said motor unit (50) and said one of said drums (28) are mounted integral with one another to form a single unit; and in that said single block is installed pivotally movable on said one of said ends (14) of said chassis (16) so as to be able to drive said one of said drums (28) in pivoting towards the other of said drums (22) so as to be able to releasing said one of said drums (28) and said conveyor belt (30) from each other. 2. Belt conveyor according to claim 1, characterized in that said single block is pivotally movable about an axis (A) extending according to a component perpendicular to said chassis (16). 3. Belt conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said single block is pivotally movable about an axis (A) extending between said motor group (50) and said one of said drums (28). 4. Belt conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said one of said drums (28) comprises a drive shaft (38) having two opposite shaft ends (40, 42) s' extending axially of said one of said drums (28), while said motor unit (50) has an output shaft (48) engaged with one of said shaft ends (42). 5. Belt conveyor according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises a removable end bearing (44) to be able to connect the other of said shaft ends (40) with said one of said ends of said frame (14) removable. 6. Belt conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said conveyor belt (30) in an extended closed loop defines an upper belt portion (32) of transport superimposing a lower return belt portion ( 34), and in that said chassis (16) further comprises retractable support rollers (36) for supporting said upper transport strip part (32). 7. Belt conveyor according to claim 6, characterized in that said retractable support rollers (36) are pivotally mounted between a first position in which they extend transversely under said upper conveyor belt part (32) and a second position in which they extend along said conveyor belt (30). 8. Belt conveyor according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that said support rollers (36) each comprise a cradle (64) comprising a central guide roller (70) and two inclined side guide rollers (72, 74) with respect to said central guide roller (70) to conform said upper conveyor belt portion to a trough. 9. Belt conveyor according to claim 8, characterized in that one of said two lateral guide rollers (72 ') is mounted adjustable between a working position inclined relative to said central guide roller (70') and a position collinear to said central guide roller (70 '). 10. Method for extracting the belt from a belt conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: - driving one of said drums (28) in pivoting towards the other of said drums (22); - One of the other releases said one of said drums (28) and said conveyor belt (30); and, - driving said conveyor belt (30) in translation on said chassis (16) from the other of said ends (12) of said chassis.