Conveyor Belt
The average belt speed is between 1m/s and 5m/s
Conveyor belts are made up of a number of layers called plies. This makes the belt stronger for carrying heavy loads.
Idlers are placed to ensure maximum support, but add to the friction of the system.
Loads can be moved on an incline of up to 30˚
Test it out
Tap the diagram for more information and click on the buttons to change a component and see what happens!
 Increase Power Change Incline Increase Load Weight Change Direction
Example calculations
In order to work with Conveyor Belts, mechanical engineers need to understand and work with a variety of calculations. Here are just a few:
Effective Tension of the Belt ($T_E$):
$T_E = (T_1 - T_2)$
Ration of Tensions:
$\frac{T_1}{T_2}=e^{\mu\theta}$
$\theta = angle\ of\ wrap\ in\ radians$
$Degree = Radians \times (\frac{180}{\pi})$
$Radians = Degrees \times (\frac{\pi}{180})$
Power at the Head Pulley ($P_{HEAD PULLEY}$):
$P_{HEAD PULLEY} = P_{FRICTION} + P_{GRAVITY}$
$P_{HEAD PULLEY} = (T_1 - T_2)v$
Power to Overcome Friction ($P_{FRICTION}$):
$P_{FRICTION} = F_{\mu} \times v$
 Tight Side Tension $T_1$ Slack Side Tension $T_2$ Pull on Bearings $F$ Friction between Belt and Idler Rollers $F_\mu$ Angle of Incline $\beta$ Velocity of Belt $v$ Power to Overcome Gravity $P_{GRAVITY}$
Conveyor belts are extremely useful for factories and facilities that work with moving a large quantity of items, heavy goods, sharp items or mass-produced products.
Like an open belt drive, a conveyor belt has two pulleys which turn in the same direction, continually moving the belt. The drive pulley drives the belt, moving items from one end to the other in a constant loop. As conveyor belts are supported by rollers or idlers at regular intervals, they can also be used over longer distances.
Factors to take into consideration when working with conveyor belts are friction angle, the velocity of the belt, belt tension and the load of the items to be carried.
Practice Questions
Test your new knowledge on conveyor belts by answering these questions.
1. What do idlers and rollers do?
2. Which of these is NOT important to conveyor belts?
3. Calculate effective tension of a conveyor belt with a tight side tension of 15N and a slack side tension of 10N.
Formula:
$T_E = T_1 - T_2$