Quality control of belt conveyors and chains to prevent downtime
TÜV Rheinland Werkstoffprüfung offers in cooperation with the testing service of RAG AG possibilities to assess the operational reliability of conveyors as an accredited testing laboratory and an accredited inspection body. Particular focus is on quality, inspection and serviceability testing of belt conveyors and chains.
At the end of 2018, coal mining will be phased out in Germany and the last mine in the Ruhr district will close its gates in Bottrop. That does not mean, however, that the expert know-how amassed over the decades at RAG on quality assurance, materials testing, and damage analysis of belt conveyors and chains will simply fall down a mining shaft and be lost. Since April 2017, there has been close cooperation between RAG and TÜV Rheinland, with the aim of securing this expert knowledge and to offer testing services with the accustomed “RAG quality” even after 2018. From 2019, work at the testing facility located directly next to the shaft tower at the Pluto Colliery in Herne will be continued under the direction of TÜV Rheinland Werkstoffprüfung.
The DIN EN ISO 17 025-accredited testing laboratory offers services in classical materials testing, like, for example, mechanical-technological material testing, metallographic or metallurgical testing on metallic components. On this basis, complex damage analyses on metallic components in compliance with VDI 3822 are included in the laboratory portfolio. Non-destructive material testing, like, for example, ultrasonic testing of welded seams or castings are also routine. A USP of the laboratory are, however, tests on belt and chain conveyors as used to convey coal, ores or bulk solids in general.
The conveyor belt itself accounts for a significant part of the costs incurred for the belt conveyor installation. Its quality determines to a significant extent the production reliability of the belt conveyor operation. To minimize unscheduled production downtime and associated costs, the as-is state and therefore the quality of the conveyor belt and the joints should be checked prior to installation and commissioning and compared to specifications. The portfolio of the laboratory includes numerous accredited tests on steel cord and textile belt conveyors for both coal mining and general applications.
Quality tests are an appropriate means to identify quality defects on belt or chain conveyors already prior to installation. As a result, high costs caused by downtime and production loss can be reduced considerably or even avoided. In comparison with that, the costs for a quality inspection are low and such an inspection should therefore be a part of any process for the acquisition of conveyors.
Further information:
TÜV Rheinland Werkstoffprüfung GmbH
Wilhelmstrasse 98 (Gebäude 11)
44649 Herne
Dr.-Ing. Sebastian Kühn
Email: Sebastian.Kuehn@de.tuv.com:Sebastian.Kuehn@de.tuv.com%3C/a%3E">
Telefon: +49 221 806-2826