Realistic view

Conveyor belts – the facts and the fiction

Conveyor belting production

1 Insufficient resistance to cuts and tears causes damaged areas to link up

2 Steel cord belts are more prone to longitudinal rip damage

3 Ripping, tearing and impact – the only genuine solution is to fit a belt specifically engineered for the purpose

4 The wear resistance of rubber is a combination of overall strength, resistance to abrasion and resistance to cut and tear propagation

5 Rubber conveyor belts can never be totally fireproof

6 Sealed edges are usually perfectly adequate for most applications

7 On the left the real CE mark. On the right is “China Export”

8 The first signs – small cracks appear in the surface of the rubber

9 Close up of ozone cracked belt

10 Ozone & UV damage considerably shortens belt life

Probably the most common misconception concerning rubber industrial conveyor belts is that they are simply long lengths of thick, black rubber with very little to differentiate one from another. This is completely untrue of course, because they are a surprisingly complex and sensitive component. In the following contribution, Jeremy Clark reveals a long list of such misconceptions and separates the facts from the fiction.

The fiction: Thicker covers help to withstand rip, tear and impact much better.

The facts: It is the physical properties of the rubber rather than simply its thickness that has the biggest influence on the ability to withstand damage. The primary reason for surface damage is low grade rubber with an inadequate resistance to abrasive wear, ripping, cutting and gouging.

Much also depends on the overall strength of the rubber and its resistance to cut and tear propagation. Even in an extra thick cover, if the resistance to cuts and tears is insufficient then even a small area of damage can...