GB2053121A - Conveyor belt cleaning equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

Conveyor belt cleaning equipment 5 comprises a plurality of scraper blade units arranged in series along a cylindrical rod 9 mounted adjacent to a belt surface to be cleaned, each scraper blade unit has a resilient bush 12 threaded on the rod and two radially extending support arms 14 and 15 supporting scraper blade elements 16 and 17, respectively, the support arms being fixedly secured to the resilient bush such that the reaction on one of the support arms as it urges the associated scraper blade element into contact with the belt surface is transmitted via the resilient bush to affect the reaction on the other associated support arm. As seen in Figure 2, each of the blade elements 16 is common to a number of support arms 14 and the blade elements 16,17 of each series are arranged in mutually overlapping relationship. <IMAGE>

Description

;DEClFlCATION Conveyor belt cleaning equipment This invention relates to conveyor belt cleaning equipment.

In particular, the present invention relates to conveyor belt cleaning equipment comprising a scraper blade assembly having a scraper blade element urged to contact a surface of the conveyor belt thereby tending to scrape from that surface any material conveyed by the conveyor belt and adhering to the surface.

A prior known conveyor belt cleaning equipment comprised a scraper blade assembly having a plurality of scraper blade elements arranged transversely across the conveyor belt to define a single, effectively continuous scraper blade with each scraper blade element. resiliently urged to contact the moving belt surface.

An object of the present invention is to provide improved conveyor belt cleaning equipment which tends to have an efficient belt surface cleaning action.

According to the present invention conveyor belt cleaning equipment comprises an elongate member mountable adjacent to a conveyor belt surface to be cleaned, a scraper blade unit mounted on the elongate member and comprising two scraper blade element support means, the scraper blade unit comprising a resilient reaction component for urging the support means such that, in use, scraper blade elements supported by said two support means are urged to contact the conveyor belt surface and the reaction on one of the two support means acts via the resilient reaction component to affect the reaction on the other of the two support means.

Preferably, the reactions of the two support means on the resilient reaction component tends to counter balance each other.

Preferably, the resilient reaction component com- prises a resilient bush threaded on the elongate member Advantageously, the elongate member is a cylindrical rod or tube.

Preferably, the resilient bush is rotatably mounted on the cylindrical rod.

Alternatively, the resilient bush is fixedly mounted on the elongate member which is rotatably supported.

Preferably, each scraper blade element support means comprises an arm extending outwardly from the resilient bush.

Preferably, one outwardly extending support arm is fixedly mounted to a radially outer portion of the resilient bush and the other of the outwardly extending support arms is fixedly mounted to a radially inner portion of the resilient bush.

Advantageously, the two support arms are fixedly mounted to axially spaced portions of the resilient bush.

Conveniently, the mounting position of at least one of the outwardly extending arms is angularly adjustable relative to the resilient bush.

Preferably, mounting means are provided on the elongate member enabling the elongate member to be mounted on conveyor belt support structure.

Preferably, a plurality of scraper blade units are mounted in series along the elongate member.

Conveniently, at least some of the support means of a plurality of scraper blade units support a common scraper blade element.

The present invention also provides a conveyor belt installation including conveyor belt cleaning equipment as defined above.

By way of example only, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an incomplete diagrammatic side view of a discharge end of a conveyor belt installation including conveyor belt cleaning equipment constructed in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is an incomplete diagrammatic plan of a part of the belt cleaning equipment of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a front view of a detail of Figure 2 drawn on a slightly enlarged scale; Figure 4 is an end view of a detail of Figure 3; and Figure 5 is an end view of a further detail of Figure 3.

Figure 1 of the drawings shows an incomplete diagrammatic side view of a discharge end of an endless conveyor belt 1 which, in use, conveys, for example, broken rock or mineral material. The broken material is conveyed along the upper run of the belt towards a driven roller 2 drivably engaging the conveyor belt such that substantially all the broken material is ejected from the belt as it passes around the driven roller. The lower run of the conveyor belt leaves the driven roller and passes over a guide roller 4 before continuing its journey to a return roller (not shown) situated at the remote end of the conveyor where the conveyor belt is returned to the upper run travelling towards the driven roller.

Although substantially all the broken material is ejected over the discharge driven roller on to further conveyor means (not shown) a relatively small amount adheres to the conveyor belt surface and passes around the driven roller towards the lower run. in order to try and ensure that the broken material adhering to the belt surface does not travel along the lower run to be deposited on the ground somewhere along the length of the conveyor belt, cleaning equipment 5 is provided beneath the drive roller.

The conveyor belt cleaning equipment which also is shown in Figures 2 to 5 comprises a scraper blade assembly having a plurality of scraper blade units 8 mounted in series along an elongate member constituted by a cylindrical rod or tube 9 extending transversely across the conveyor belt 1 adjacent to the conveyor belt surface to be cleaned. The cylindrical rod is provided wth adjustable mounting means 10 (only one of which is shown in Figure 2), securable to the conveyor belt support structure (not shown) for retaining the cleaning equipment in a desired position adjacent to the belt surface.

Each of the scraper blade units 8 comprises a resilient reaction component constituted by a resi lienttorsion bush 12 rotatably threaded on the cylindrical rod 9, and two scraper blade element support means constituted by two radially outwardly extending support arms 14 and 15 supporting two scraper blade elements 16 and 17, which define two, parallel, effectively continuous scraper blade components, respectively.

Each support arm 14 is fixedly secured to a radially outer portion of the resilient bush 12 via a mounting 19 (see Figures 2 and 3) provided on the outer cylindrical face of the bush.

Each support arm 15 is fixedly secured to a radially inner portion of the resilient bush 12 via an adjustable mounting comprising a first annual flange 20 fixedly secured to the resilient bush 12 and a second annular flange 21 fixedly secured to the support arm 15 and having two curved siots 22 for engagement by bolts (omitted for the sake of clarity) also engaged in holes 23 provided in the first annular flange 20.

Thus, upon assembly of the cleaning equipment the angular displacement between the two support arms of each scraper blade unit can be suitably adjusted to give a desired reaction between the conveyor belt surface and the scraper blade elements.

The mountings 19 and 20, 21 on each scraper blade unit 8 are provided on axially spaced portions of the resilient bush.

In use, the assembled conveyor belt cleaning equipment is secured to the conveyor belt support structure by the adjustable mountings 10 provided on the elongate member 9 with the scraper blade elements 16 and 17 of each scraper blade unit 8 adjacent to the conveyor belt surface to be cleaned.

The mountings 10 then are adjusted to urge the scraper blade elements 16 and 17 into contact with the belt surface, upwards adjustment continuing with the associated relative angular displacement of the pairs of support arms until the reaction between the scraper blade elements and the belt surface is adjusted to have reached a desired level. It will be appreciated thatthe reaction on either of the scraper blade support means 14 or 15 when the associated scraper blade elements 16 or 17 is urged into contact with the belt surface is transmitted via the associated resilient bush 12 to the other of the scraper blade support means 14 or 15. Thus, the reaction on either of the two support means 14 or 15 act via the resilient reaction component to affect the reaction on the other ofthetwo support means 15 or 14.Asthe reaction on the support means 14 acts in an anti-clockwise direction (as seen in Figure 1) and as the reaction on the support means 15 acts in a clockwise direction the two reactions tend to counter balance each other.

Thus, as the conveyor belt conveys broken material, the leading, effectively continuous scraper blade component defined by the scraper blade elements 16 contacts the belt surface to scrape off a substantial proportion of the broken material adhering to the belt surface as the belt passes around the discharge end. Any material not removed by the leading scraper blade elements tends to urge the associated elements 16 downwards away from the belt surface against the reaction of its resilient bush 12.The increased reaction on the associated support means 14 due to the downward movement is transmitted via the resilient bush material to the support means 15 which thereby tends to increase its reaction on the support means to urge the associated scraper blade element 17 with an increased thrust tending to ensure any broken material adhering to the belt surface is removed by the scraper blade elements 17. Thus, an efficient belt cleaning action is achieved.

From Figure 2 it can be seen that in the described embodiment each scraper blade element 16 is supported on a plurality of support arms 14 and that each scraper blade element 17 is supported on a single support arm 15. However, the arrangement of the support arms and scraper blade elements can be modified to suit any particular installation. For example each scraper blade element may be support on a single support arm or alternatively, at least some of the scraper blade elements may be supported on a plurality of support arms fixed secured to a common resilient bush.

In further embodiments of the present invention comprise a single leading scraper blade element 16 and/or a single trailing scraper blade element 17.

Claims (15)

1. Conveyor belt cleaning equipment comprising an elongate member mountable adjacent to a conveyor belt surface to be cleaned, a scraper blade unit mounted on the elongate member and comprising two scraper blade element support means, the scraper blade unit comprising a resilient reaction component for urging the support means such that, in use, scraper blade elements supported by said two support means are urged to contact the conveyor belt surface and the reaction on one of the two support means acts via the resilient reaction component to affect the reaction on the other of the two support means.

2. Equipment as claimed in claim 1, in which the reactions of the two support means on the resilient reaction component tend to counter balance each other.

3. Equipment as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the resilient reaction component comprises a resilient bush threaded on the elongate member.

4. Equipment as claimed in claim 3, in which the elongate member is a cylindrical rod or tube.

5. Equipment as claimed in Claim 4, in which the resilient bush is rotatably mounted on the cylindrical rod.

6. Equipment as claimed in claim 5, in which the resilient bush is fixedly mounted on the elongate member which is rotatably supported.

7. Equipment as claimed in claim 3,4,5 or 6, in which each scraper blade element support means comprises an arm extending outwardly from the resilient bush.

8. Equipment as claimed in claim 7, in which one outwardly extending support arm is fixedly mounted to a radially outer portion of the resilient bush and the other of the outwardly extending support arms is fixedly mounted to a radially inner portion of the resilient bush.

9. Equipment as claimed in claim 7 or 8, in which the two support arms are fixedly mounted to axially spaced portions of the resilient bush.

10. Equipment as claimed in claim 8 or 9, in which the mounting position of at least one of the outwardly extending arms is angularly adjustable relative to the resilient bush.

11. Equipment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which mounting means are provided on the elongate member enabling the elongate member to be mounted on conveyor belt support structure.

12. Equipment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which a plurality of scraper blade units are mounted in series along the elongate member.

13. Equipment as claimed in claim 12, in which at least some of the support means of a plurality of scraper blade units support common scraper blade element.

14. Conveyor belt cleaning equipment substantially as described herein and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

15. A conveyor belt installation comprising belt cleaning equipment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.