WO2016108702A1

WO2016108702A1 - Chain conveyor with convex load carrying plates

Info

Publication number: WO2016108702A1
Application number: PCT/PL2014/000162
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marian WUWER; Mariusz PORDZIK
Original assignee: Wuwer Sp. Z O.O.
Priority date: 2014-12-29
Filing date: 2014-12-29
Publication date: 2016-07-07

Abstract

Belt conveyor consisting of numerous subsequent, parallel, profiled transport plates (1), each having a general outline of an obtuse triangle with variably convex, arcuate longest transport side, which is a part of the transport surface of the plate transport belt, and a concave arcuate shortest overlapping side and a third, side with a straight base, constituting the bottom of the transport plate (1), which is used to attach a transport plate (1) to the chain. This enables to maintain constant and minimal gaps between the plates on the horizontal path as well as the reversing path around the gears, therefore increasing safety of operation. In most embodiments the gaps are no larger than 5 mm, protecting users from injuries such as cuts and crushing. It also protects the device against penetration by small objects like nuts, which might damage it. The plate is an aluminium profile.

Description

CHAIN CONVEYOR WITH CONVEX LOAD CARRYING PLATES

The invention relates a transport belt of a plate conveyor constituting the main subassembly of the conveyor notably used for transport of material containers or materials with properties requiring solid surface of the transport device.

Marketing materials of HASTEN, (CH), show a construction of segmented conveyor belts, consisting of profiled sections of identical length positioned next to one another, embedded on a flexible base, or with both ends attached to flexible flat elements. The profiled sections can be attached to the flexible elements with profiled pads, which act as protrusions meshing with cogs of a driving gear.

International patent application WO 2008/058409 Al describes a construction of a modular belt consisting of flat modules connected with joining members made of a flexible material, which enable the belt to bend.

International patent application WO 2008/057449 Al describes a construction of a modular conveyor belt built of plastic modular links, which have on opposite sides: on one side projections facing down, and on the opposite side recesses matching the projections into which protruding pins are inserted, enabling suspension of projections of subsequent modular links on pins in recesses of the preceding links.

Also, an international patent application WO 2009/082481 Al discloses a plastic plate conveyor belt for arcuate conversion consisting of jointed plates, where on one side of the plate there is a pin-in-slot joint consisting of a slot on one side of the plate and a pin of the subsequent plate's opposite side sliding inside of it.

Japanese patent application JP2011533749 presents a transport belt of a plate conveyor, consisting of a series of nearly semicircular plates overlapping over one another, set on a chain adapted to work with a driving gear.

Plate belts known from prior art are in general sufficiently tight while horizontal; however, when they turn round or down gaps between the plates increase unfavorably, thus causing risk to safe operation, as well as risk of damage to transported items.

Prior art, for instance Encyklopedia Techniki - Budowa Maszyn [Technical Encyclopedia - Mechanical Engineering] (WNT 1968, Warsaw, PL), describes construction of a roller chain, consisting of alternating inner and outer links. Each link of the known chain consists of two parallel nearly rectangular plates with strongly rounded short sides with ports. Each pair of plates of the outer links is tightly joined with a pin. The pins pass through the ports in the inner plates and rest against flanges bent inwards. A roller with external radius matching the cogs of a driving gear is loosely mounted outside the flanges or bushings. During manufacturing the ends of the pins are slightly peened thus holding the entire construction together.

It is an object of the current invention to provide a chain transport belt for plate conveyors, whose plates provide high tightness and a constant gap between them both on a flat surface and on the arches of the reversing mechanism, providing minimal gaps which pose no risk while reversing.

In the current invention, a transport belt of a plate conveyor consists of numerous subsequent, parallel, profiled transport plates, separately joined in overlapping manner to links of at least one chain working with a gear; however, a profiled plate has a general outline of an obtuse triangle with variably convex, arcuate longest transport side, which is a part of a transport surface of the plate transport belt and a concave arcuate shortest overlapping side, and a third, side with a straight base constituting the bottom of the plate, used to join the plate to the chain. The first radius of curvature r₃ of the variably convex transport side of the belt plate in the current invention is within the following range:

r₃ = 0.35÷0.5 dp

where dp is the reference diameter of the gear working with the chain of the plate belt; however the minimum reference diameter is:

dp_min > 1.16 p/sin /2 - 2h/cos /2

where h is the distance between the chain's axle and the bottom of the plate, and β is the angle between successive cogs of the gear,

which is calculated as follows:

β = 360°/z

where z is the number of cogs of the chain gear, while the value of the distance h from the chain's axle to the bottom of the plate is within the following range

h = (0.7÷1.15)xdi where di is the diameter of the chain's roller;

while the second radius of curvature ri of the variably convextransport side of the plate is in the following range:

where h is the distance between the chain's axle and the bottom of the plate;

and the radius of curvature r₂ of the overlapping side of the plate is within the following range:

Preferably, the profiled transport plate is a part of a section with reinforcing internal ribs.

In the current invention the belt's chain is a roller chain, consisting of alternating inner and outer links, each of which consists of two parallel, nearly rectangular plates with strongly rounded short sides with ports and horizontal catch plates facing outwards. Each pair of outer link plates is tightly connected with a pin. The pins pass through the ports in the inner plates and rest against flanges bent inwards. The roller with external radius matching the cogs of a driving gear is mounted loosely outside the flanges or bushings, and the chain pitch fulfills the following condition:

where:

Pi = p + 2xhxctgP/2

where p is the chain pitch, and pi is a chain pitch offset by height h. The chain used in construction of the belt in the current invention is notably especially adapted for use in plate conveyors. The chain has links, which also fulfill the role of catch plates to which transport plates can be joined. Construction of the links functioning as catch plates enables maintaining the proper distance h to transport plates, enabling the device to function. Furthermore, to guarantee proper operation of the device, the minimal number of cogs z in the driving gear is 12, while the minimum reference diameter dp_min has to meet the following condition:

dpmin > 1.16 p/sin /2 - 2h/cosp/2

where dp_mj_n - is the minimum reference diameter, h is the distance between the chain's axle to the bottom of the plate, and β is the angle between successive cogs of the gear, which is calculated as follows: β = 360°/z, where z is the number of cogs of the chain gear

Preferably, the external width of the chain b3 is equal or greater than 1.8 b₂, where b₂ is the length of a chain link's bushing.

In practice, due to service loads, occurring deformations and wear, the length of the transport belt in the current invention L, measured from the axis of the driving shaft to the axis of the idler shaft, is usually from 1371 to 5690 mm.

The construction of the belt in the current invention enables it to stay compact both on a flat surface and on the arches of the reversing mechanism of the plate conveyor. Profiled transport plates, installed in overlapping manner one behind another on a chain, enable it to maintain constant and minimal gaps during operation of the belt in a horizontal position and during reversing on a gear, therefore increasing safety of operation. In most embodiments the gaps are no larger than 5 mm, protecting users from injuries such as cuts and crushing. It also protects the device against penetration by small objects like nuts, which might damage it. Additionally, use of aluminum alloy with surface hardened by anodization favorably improves strength of the profiled transport plates, while reducing their total weight and increasing the plates' abrasion resistance. Use of lighter plates in the transport belt in the current invention contributes to significant savings during operation of the devices by extending the life of the wear parts of the conveyors such as chain slippers, and prevents marks from being left on the transported material by the profiled transport plates.

Transport belt in the current invention will make it possible to transport flexible packages, elements transported on paper pallets or Load Ledge profiles. Conveyors using the transport belt in the current invention are used in continuous handling systems. Use of conveyors fitted with the transport belt in the current invention improves automation of material flow in production bays, makes it possible to reduce transport cost through reduction of labor, reduce the number of defects of the medium carrier and reduce the number of handling devices. Conveyors using the transport belt in the current invention can replace traditional belt conveyors operating in elevated temperatures.

The embodiment of the utility model is shown in the attached drawings, where:

Fig. 1 is a cross-section of a transport plate showing radii of curvatures, Fig. 2 is a cross section of the transport plate in an embodiment of the invention showing radii of curvatures and geometric configuration,

Fig. 3 is a side view of a fragment of the belt in the current invention showing the gear,

Fig. 4 is a top view of the belt chain in the current invention.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a plate conveyor fitted with the transport belt in the current invention.

The transport belt of the plate conveyor in the invention consists of a number of successive, parallel, overlapping, internally ribbed, profiled transport plates 1, attached to catch plates 2 of links 3, 4 of the roller chain, working with the gear 5 with 12 cogs 6. The profiled transport plate has a general outline of an obtuse triangle with variably convex, arcuate longest transport side a, which is a part of the transport surface of the plate transport belt in the current invention, and a concave, arcuate shortest overlapping side b and a third, side with a straight base c, constituting the bottom of the transport plate 1, which is used to attach the transport plate 1 to catch plates 2 of the chain with countersunk screws. The first radius of curvature Γ3 of the variably convex transport side a of the profiled belt plate 1 of the belt in the current invention, is r₃ = 0.46 x dp, where dp is the reference diameter, which is 196.26 mm; however the distance h from the chain's axle to the bottom of the catch plate 2 is 16 mm, and the value of the angle β between the successive cogs 5 of the gear 4 with z = 12 cogs is: β = 30°. The height h from the chain's axle to the bottom of the catch plate 2 is 0.95 di, where di is the diameter of a chain's roller; while the second radius of curvature ΙΊ of the variably convex profiled transport side of the plate is r_x = 1.58 h, where h is the distance from the chain's axle to the bottom of the catch plate 2. Radius of curvature r₂ of the overlapping side b of the plate 1 is r₂ = ri+ 1 mm, where chain pitch values are respectively: p = 50.8 mm, and pi = 58.9 mm, where p is the chain pitch, and pi is the chain pitch offset by height h.

The chain of the belt in the present invention is a roller chain with alternating inner 3 and outer links 4, each link consisting of two parallel, nearly rectangular plates with strongly rounded short sides with ports and horizontal catch plates facing outwards 2. Each pair of plates of the outer links 4 is joined with a pin 7. The pins pass through the ports in the inner plates and rest against flanges bent inwards. Outside the flanges or bushings 8 the roller 9 is loosely mounted with external radius matching the cogs 6 of the driving gear 5, working with the transport belt in the present invention, where the reference diameter d min is 194.5 mm if h is 16 mm

External width of the chain b₃ is 2.0 χ b₂, where b₂ is the length of the chain link's roller. The length of the plate belt in the current invention measured from the axis of the driving shaft to the axis of the idler shaft L is ~5500 mm.

Claims

Patent claims

1. Transport belt of a plate conveyor consisting of numerous subsequent, parallel, profiled and overlapping transport plates, separately joined to links of at least one chain working with the gear, consisting of alternating inner and outer links, each of which consists of two parallel, nearly rectangular plates with strongly rounded short sides with ports; each pair of outer link plates is tightly connected with a pin, characterized in that the profiled transport plate (1) has a general outline of an obtuse triangle with variably convex, arcuate longest transport side (a), which is a part of the transport surface of the plate transport belt, and a concave arcuate shortest overlapping side (b) and a third, side with a straight base (c), constituting the bottom of the transport plate (1), which is used to attach a transport plate (1) to the chain, where the first radius of curvature r₃ of the variably convex transport side (a) of the profiled belt plate (1) is within the following range:

r₃ = (0.35÷0.5)xdp

where dp is the reference diameter of the gear (5) working with the chain of the plate belt, while the reference diameter is:

dp > 1.16p/sinp/2 - 2h/cos /2

where h is the distance between the chain's axle and the bottom of the catch plate (2), and β is the angle between successive cogs (6) of the chain gear (5), where β is calculated as follows: β = 360°/z

where z is the number of cogs (6) of the chain gear (5), while the distance h between the chain's axle and the bottom of the catch plate (2) is within the following range

h = (0.7÷1.15)xd_x

where di is the diameter of the chain's roller (9);

while the second radius of curvature ri of the variably convex transport side (a) of the profiled transport plate (1) is in the following range:

r_: = (1.4÷1.85)xh

where h is the distance between the chain's axle and the bottom of the catch plate (2);

and the radius of curvature r₂ of the overlapping side (b) of the plate is within the following range:

r₂ = r!+(0.5÷4)

2. The belt according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a roller chain consisting of alternating inner (3) and outer links (4), each of which consists of two parallel, nearly rectangular plates with strongly rounded short sides with ports and horizontal catch plates facing outwards (5), where each pair of the outer link plates (4) is tightly connected with the pins (7), which pass through the ports in the inner plates (3) and rest against flanges bent inwards, while outside the flanges or bushings (8) rollers (9) are loosely mounted with external radius matching the cogs (6) of the gear (5), working with the transport belt in the present invention, where the chain pitches are as follows

where pi = p + 2xhxctg /2

where p is the chain pitch, and pi is a chain pitch offset by height h.

3. The belt according to claim \, characterized in that the profiled transport plates (1) are segments of an internally ribbed profile made of aluminum alloy with surface hardened preferably by anodization.

4. The belt according to claim 1, characterized in that it works with a is mated with the driving gear (5) and the reversing chain wheel (5a),

each of which must have at least 12 cogs and meet the following condition:

dp > 1.16ρΛΐηβ/2 - 2h/cosp/2,

where β is the angle between successive cogs (6) of the chain gear (5), which is calculated as follows: β = 360°/z, where z is the number of cogs of the chain gear (5).

5. The belt according to claim 1, characterized in that the external width of the chain b3 is at least 1.8xb₂, where b₂ is the length of the bushing (8) of the link (3,4) of the chain.