WO2015103660A1

WO2015103660A1 - A belt primary cleaner blade

Info

Publication number: WO2015103660A1
Application number: PCT/AU2014/001134
Authority: WO
Inventors: Terry Thew
Original assignee: Ess Engineering Services & Supplies Pty Limited
Priority date: 2014-01-07
Filing date: 2014-12-17
Publication date: 2015-07-16

Abstract

A conveyor belt cleaner (10) to clean a conveyor belt (11). The belt cleaner (10) includes an arm (23) that supports at its remote end, at least one blade (17). The blade (17) is attached to a base portion (27), with the base portion (27) having. a contact portion (28) that engages a clip (14) of the belt (11) to aid in eliminating contact between the clip (14) and the blade (17).

Description

A BELT PRIMARY CLEANER BLADE

FIELD

[000 ] The present invention relates to conveyor belt cleaner blades, and more particularly but not exclusively to primary cleaner blades.

BACKGROUND

[0002] A conveyor belt primary cleaner usually consists of a mainframe made from pipe or similar material, with a set of cleaning blades attached in a row. The ends of the mainframe are supported either side of the conveyor and the mainframe is rotated using an adjusting mechanism to provide and hold load on the blade tips when they contact the belt.

[0003] Conveyor belt primary cleaners are mounted on the face of the head pulley and lean against the travel direction of th belt. The are intended to peel off the adhering material from the belt surface and deliver it into the receiving chute.

[0004] A number of wear resistant materials are used for primary cleaner wear tips, including polyurethane, ceramic and tungsten carbide.

[0005] The conveyor is a flat rubber (or similar material) belt that has a joint or a number of joints to form a continuous band. These joints are called splices and in many cases are formed by vulcanising the two ends together to form a smooth surface.

[0006] Where vulcanising is not used, the bel t ends are joined using a mechanical splice, often called a clip. These clips resemble a hinge, with each side of the hinge fastened to one end of the belt, and a pin installed to join the hinge halves. This allows the mechanical splice to be flexible as the belt travels and wraps around pulleys.

[0007] One of the problems with a mechanical splice is that it is not smooth and the leading edges of the clip can be raised several millimetres above the belt surface. This raised edge impacts on anything that the belt runs against including rollers and belt cleaners. The primary belt cleaner, with a blade angled against the direction of travel of the belt, has little scope for deflection or absorption of the splice impact. [0008] Tungsten carbide and ceramic tips are chipped and damaged by this impact, and can also cause severe damage to the splice itself and/or the belt. For this reason, primary cleaners used on "clipped" belts will usually be fitted with the polyurethane blades.

[0009] When used i very harsh applications and with very abrasive materials, the polyurethane blades sometimes have a short wear life, in this case, the option is to use a more wear resistant material such as tungsten carbide or ceramic. However, if the belts in these applications are clipped, the use of these materials is precluded. The end result is that the convey or belt owner is burdened with very high costs in terms of blade replacement and maintenance.

[0010] Accordingly previous belt cleaners have a number of disadvantages including being vulnerable to damage via impact and excessive wear due to contact with clips.

OBJECT

[001 1 ] It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the above disadvantage.

SUMMARY

[0012] There is disclosed herein a belt cleaner for a conveyor belt having a surface to be engaged by the cleaner by movement of the surface past the cleaner in a predetermined direction, the cleaner including:

blade to engage the surface to clean the surface;

a support to which the blade is attached so as to be supported thereby, the support providing for movement of the blade away from the surface; and wherein

the blade includes a contact portion. to engage the surface to clean the surface, with, the cleaner further including a deflection portion to engage a raised part of the belt to deflect the contact portion away from the surface to at least reduce contact between the contact portion and the raised portion as the raised portion passes the contact portion.

[0033] Preferably, the blade includes the contact portion and the deflection portion.

[0014] Preferably, the deflection portion projects from the contact portion in a direction opposite said predetermined direction. [0015] Preferably, the deflection portion includes a ramp sui'face that engages the raised part of the belt to move the contact portion in a direction away from the surface.

[0016] Preferably, the contact portion causes movement of the blade so that the contact portion leaves contact with the surface as the raised portion of the belt passes the contact portion,

[00 i ?] There is further disclosed herein, in combination:

the conveyor belt;

a roller mounted for rota tion about which the belt passes so that the surface adjacent said roller is downwardly moving; and

the above belt cleaner with the contact portion positioned to engage the surface adjacent the roller.

[0018] Preferably, the support includes an upwardly extending arm having an upper portion to which the blade is attached, with the contact portion extending laterally relative to said arm,

[0 19] Preferably, said arm is pivotally mounted to provide for angular movement to allow the contact portion to deflect away from said surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] Preferred forms of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic side elevation of a belt cleaner and portion of a conveyor belt;

[0022] Figure 2 is a schematic side elevation of the belt cleaner of Figure 1 engaging a clip of the conveyor belt;

[0023] Figure 3 is a schematic side elevation of the belt cleaner of Figure 3 , with the belt cleaner deflected away from the belt; and

[0024] Figure 4 is a schematic side el evation of the belt cleaner of Figure 1, with the belt cleaner returned to engagement with the belt. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0025] I the accompanying drawings there is schematically depicted a belt cleaner 10 to clean a conveyor belt 11. In the accompanying diawings the conveyor belt 11 is depicted as engaging an end roller .1 of a conveyor belt assembly. The roller 22 i rotatable about a generally horizontal axis. The roller 22 can be a drive or discharge pulley. The conveyor belt 1 1 has adjacent end portions 1.3 connected by a clip 14. The belt 11. has a longitudinally extending surface 15 that is cleaned by the belt cleaner .10. The surface 15 adjacent the roller 12 is movin in a do wnward direction,

[0026] The belt cleaner 10 includes a support assembly 1 that supports blades ! 7 that slidably engages the surface 15 to clean the surface 15. The surface 15 passes in the direction 18 to engage the blades 17,

[0027] There is a plurality of blades 17 located across the transverse width of the belt 1 1.

[0028] The support 16 inc l udes a tubular shaft 19 to which there is fixed a plurali ty of mountings 21. Each mounting 21 includes a pah of spaced flanges 20 that secure a base 22 to the shaft 1.9. The base 22 would be typically formed of resilient plastics material. As an example, the base 22 could be moulded from poiyurethane.

[0029] Fixed to each base 22 is an arm 23 preferabl y formed of steel, to which there is attached a respective one of the blades 17. Typically each blade 17 would be atta ched to the arm 23 by threaded fasteners 24. The aims 23 are generally upwardly extending.

[0030] The shaft 19 would be supported for angular movement about a longitudinal axis 25 of the shaft 19. That is, the base 22 can move angularly in the direction 26 about the axi 25.

Typically a further assembly would urge the shaft 19 to move angularly so as to bias the blades 17 into contact with the surface 15.

[0031] Each blade .17 includes a base portion 27 that is engaged by the threaded fasteners 24 to secure the base portion 27 to the end extremity of the associated arm 23. Fixed to the base portion 27 is a contact portion 28 that would be typically a strip of tungsten or ceramic material, that is a wear resistant material. The contact portion 28 projects laterally relative to the arm 23. Projecting forward of the contact portion 28 i a direction opposite the direction 18 is a deflection portion 29 which in this embodiment is a flange 2.9. The flange 29 has a ramp surface 30 tiiat extends away from the surface 15 at an acute angle and is positioned to engage the clip 14.

[0032] Upon engagement of the clip 14 with the ramp surfaces 30, the blades 17, more

particularly the contact portions 28, are moved away front the surface 15. More preferably, the ramp surfaces 30 by engaging the clip 14 provide the blades 17 with sufficient momentum that the contact portions 28 are removed from contact with the surface 15 as well as contact with the clip 14. The blades 17 are allowed to move by angular movement of the arms 23 about the axis 25.

[0033] This movement of the blades 17 away from the surface 15 is provided by angular movement, of the shaft 19 angularly about the axis 25. However as the shaft. 1.9 is resiUently urged to move angularly to move the blades 17 into contact with the surface 15, ultimately the contact portions 28 again engage the surface 15 as shown in Figure 4. This sequence of

operation is shown progressively from Figure 1 to Figure 4.

[0034] An advantage of the above described preferred embodiment is that the contact portions 28 are at least partly removed from contact with the surface 15 and clip 14, more preferably the contact portions 28 are removed entirely from engagement with the clip 14. By doing so damage to the contact portions 28 is minimised.

[0035] In a further preferred embodiment in addition to angular movement of the shaft 19, the arm 23 may also resiliency deflect to provide for movement of the contact portion 28 away from the surface 15.

Claims

CLAIMS:

.1. A belt cleaner for a conveyor belt having a surface to be engaged by the cleaner by movement of the surface past the cleaner in a predetermined direction, the cleaner including: a blade to engage the surface to clea the surface;

a support to which the blade is attached so as to be supported thereby, th support provi di ng for movement of the blade away from the surface ; and wherein

the blade includes a contact portion to engage the surface to clean the surface, wit the cleaner further including a deflection portion to engage a raised part of the belt to deflect the contact portion away from the surface to at least reduce contact between the contact portion and the raised portion as the raised portion passes the contact portion.

2. The belt cleaner of claim 1, wherein the blade includes the contact portion and the deflectio portion,

3. The belt cleaner of claim 1 or 2, wherein the deflection portion projects from the contact portion in a direction opposite said predetermined direction.

4. The belt cleaner of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the deflection portion includes a ramp surface that engages the raised part of the belt to move the contact portion in a direction away from the surface.

5. The belt cleaner of any one of c laims 1 to 4, wherein the contact portio causes movement of the blade so that the contac t portion leaves contact with the surface as the raised portion of the belt passes the contact portion.

6. In combination:

the conveyor belt;

a roller mounted for rotation about which the belt passes so that the surface adjacent said roller is downwardly moving; and

tite above belt cleaner with the contact portion positioned to engage the surface adjacent the roller.

7. The combination of claim 6, wherein the support includes an upwardly extending arm having an upper portion to which the blade is attached, with the contact portion extending laterally relative to said arm.

8, The combination of claim 6 or 7, wherein said ami is pivota ly mounted to provide for angular movement to allow the contact portion to deflect away from said surface.