Conveyor Belt

The Conveyor Belt

Necessity is the mother of invention. This is pretty true for the basic mechanism that is the conveyor belt. Most people know this machine as that stretch of flooring that moves luggage (as well as their carriers) in airports. For those who are in shipyards and farms, it is an essential tool in carrying products and produce from one place to another. The conveyor belt, simple at it is, is still one of the most used contraptions in the modern world.

WHAT IS IT?

The conveyor belt is a machine that is made up of two or more pulleys with a material that is continuously looped around them---like a belt. And if you know the logic of your simple machines correctly, rotating or powering one or more pulleys in the machine will move the conveyor belt, as well anything on it, in a particular direction. In technical terms, the pulleys that are powered are called drive pulleys while those that are not powered are termed as idlers. The belt is usually made up of one or more layers of rubber. The inner layer which serves as the core and framework of the belt is known as the carcass. The outer layer which can be made of rubber or plastic (depending on its use) is aptly called the cover. Some conveyor belt covers are made of heat resistant materials for procedures that require it to pass through high temperatures. Sandwich belts, which basically are two conveyor belts put face-to-face, allow items to be “sandwiched” inside them---thus making vertical transport possible. During the early stages of its development, conveyor belts were made largely out of steel.

THE TYPES

Industrially speaking, the conveyor belt has two types that are classified on the basis of the materials they handle. First is for general material and the other is for bulk material. General materials include stuff produced and packed inside factories such as canned goods or items placed inside boxes. Bulk materials, on the other hand, are the produce of industries like agriculture and mining that require greater power to be transported and are generally found in outdoor locations.

HISTORY

Records show that the conveyor belt has been around since the end of the 19th century. One of its very first applications was for transferring coal and ores out of mines. Efforts in creating a conveyor belt for mining started as far back as 1892, but only in 1905 was it introduced effectively by a man of the name Richard Sutcliffe. His invention heralded a new age for the mining industry. With the time for the transfer of products shorter over-all production became more efficient. It wasn’t long before the conveyor belt made its way into more industries and applications. In 1913, the assembly line in one of Henry Ford’s motor factories started to employ the conveyor belt. A few years on and almost every piece of industrial factory and workshop made use of this mechanical marvel. From food stuff to toys, the conveyor belt made the mass production of items heighten up its potential.

APPLICATIONS

Aside from its two main types of usage, the conveyor belt has various other functions. In daily life the conveyor belt can be found at grocery stores’ check-out counters as well as moving sidewalks and escalators in several buildings. Imagine the effort of walking through almost a quarter of a mile in big airports whilst carrying large luggage and bags. A special type of conveyor belt, known as the elevator belt, is used to move products up slopes or inclinations. Another type of conveyor belt uses evenly sized dividers to carry several equal portions of small items like chips or candies. This type of belt makes sure that these small products are evenly distributed when they are individually packed. This machine makes short work of a job that would take painstaking hours when done by hand. Unloading in shipyards and delivery services has also been made easier through the use of the conveyor belt. In this line of work, transport through these belts has become essential since large quantities and heavy weights are usually involved. They are even used in recreational activities such as those utilized by skiers to get up slopes or cabins.

LONGEST CONVEYOR BELTS

The longest conveyor belt in the world is the Western Sahara that is 100 kilometers long and stretches through the mines of Bu Craa and El-Auiun. Within an airport, the Dubai International Airport takes the top spot with its baggage handling system totaling to 92 kilometers. The previous belts were combinations of different kinds and layers of conveyors. The longest conveyor belt that consists only of a single stretch of belt is found in Bangladesh and is 17 kilometers long. It is used to transport shale and limestone from Meghalaya, India to Sylhet, Bangladesh.

 

 

 

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