CONVEYOR BELT SEALING SYSTEM

Abstract: A conveyor belt sealing system (10) which includes support structure (16), a clamping component, an elongate sealing member (20) which is partly positioned between the support structure and the clamping component, and an over-centre fastener (56) which is movable between an open position at which the sealing member is movable between the clamping component and the support structure and a closed position at which the clamping component is urged towards the support structure thereby to secure the sealing member between the support structure and the clamping component.

Description: CONVEYOR BELT SEALING SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a sealing system for a conveyor belt which is suitable for sealing a gap between a conveyor belt and any other structure through which material from, or destined for, the conveyor belt could escape Situations of this type arise for example at material transfer points such as where a chute discharges material onto an underlying conveyor belt SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a conveyor belt sealing system which includes support structure, clamping component means which opposes a surface of the support structure, an elongate sealing member which is partly positioned between the clamping component means and the said surface, and securing means for moving the clamping component means towards the surface thereby to secure the sealing member to the support structure The sealing member and the clamping component means may include interengaging complementary formations to provide an additional means or force for securing the sealing member to the support structure The formations may have any suitable shape In one example of the invention the sealing member has an undercut formation and the clamping component means has a flange which is engaged with the undercut formation The flange may extend towards the said surface of the support structure The sealing member may be of any appropriate type The sealing member may for example be relatively flexible and a substantial portion of the sealing member may overlie a corresponding portion of a conveyor belt The sealing member may include a plurality of grooves which oppose a surface of the conveyor belt In the aforementioned embodiment wherein the clamping component means and the sealing member have interengaging complementary formations the sealing member is restricted from being moved in a direction which is transverse to its longitudinal direction Consequently it is advantageous to provide a plurality of separate sealing surfaces, each of which is formed between an adjacent pair of grooves, on the sealing member The clamping component means, interacting with the sealing member, consequently for practical purposes allows the sealing member to be moved relatively to the clamping component means only in a longitudinal direction of the sealing member On the other hand, according to a different form of the invention, the position of the sealing member is adjustable relatively to a conveyor belt surface at least in a direction which is transverse to a longitudinal direction of the sealing member With this form of the invention the sealing member will generally have at least one sealing surface in contact with a conveyor belt surface and, as the sealing surface wears, the sealing member is adjustable in a direction which is transverse to its longitudinal direction to compensate for such wear The sealing member, with the second form of the invention, is generally more rigid compared to the sealing member in the first form of the invention With the second form of the invention the clamping component means may include a member in the form of a plate or angle section which bears against an outer side of the sealing member and which, once released, enables the sealing member to be adjusted in the aforementioned manner, i e laterally relatively to its longitudinal direction The aforementioned member may bear fnctionally against the sealing member The sealing member may include complementary tongue and groove formations at opposing ends of the sealing member to enable similar sealing members to be interengaged with one another in a longitudinal sense with butt joints, e g tongue and groove joints, being formed between adjacent sealing members The securing means may take on any suitable form Thus the securing means may for example include one or more bolts or studs which extend laterally from the support structure and which are engaged with the clamping component means Nuts on the studs can be tightened according to requirement to urge the clamping component means into fnctional engagement with a portion of the sealing member with the sealing member then being sandwiched between opposing surfaces of the support structure and the clamping component means Studs of the securing means may extend directly from the support structure or from a backing plate or similar device which is fixed to the support structure In a preferred form of the invention use is made of one or more over-centre or eccentric fastening levers which are movable between open and closed positions At the open position the force exerted on the clamping component means is released to enable the sealing member to be engaged with the clamping component means or for the position of the sealing member to be adjusted At the closed position the sealing member is clamped between opposing surfaces of the clamping component means and the support structure BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention is further described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 illustrates a sealing system according to one form of the invention, Figures 2 and 3 respectively illustrate a sealing system according to a second form of the invention in different operational states, Figure 4 illustrates a sealing arrangement according to another form of the invention, Figures 5 and 6 illustrate another form of the invention again in different operational states respectively, and Figure 7 is a view in detail illustrating the interconnection of adjacent sealing members in the arrangement of Figure 4 or Figures 5 and 6 DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings illustrates in cross-section portion of a conveyor belt sealing system 10 according to the invention Figure 1 illustrates a portion of a conveyor belt 12 which has an inclined peripheral section 14 Fixed structure 16 e g a wall of a discharge chute is positioned above the section 14 In practice the chute is used for discharging material onto the conveyor belt These aspects are conventional and are not further elaborated on herein A gap 18 exists between a lower edge of the structure 16 and an upper edge of the peripheral section 14 and material can escape through this gap To prevent the escape of material an elongate flexible sealing member 20 is positioned so that it covers the gap The sealing member is made from rubber and includes a body with a number of grooves 22 in its outer surface which form ribs 24 which bear against an inner surface 26 of the peripheral section 14 An upper end of the member 20 has a longitudinally extending rib 28 of rectangular cross-section which forms an undercut formation 30 which extends in the direction of the ribs 24 A plurality of studs or bolts 32 are welded to an outer side of the structure 16 A U- shaped channel or track 38 is formed with holes through which the studs pass The track includes a flange 40 which engages with the undercut formation 30 Nuts 42 are threaded onto the studs 32 and, when tightened, urge the channel towards the structure 16 thereby fnctionally locking the rib 28 between opposing surfaces of the clamping channel and the structure 16 The interengagement of the flange with the undercut formation 30 provides a further means of securing the member 20 in position The member 20 may be of substantial length, for example of the order of ten metres long Normally the member is slid into position by moving it in the longitudinal direction The fπctional forces which arise as a consequence may be substantial and it can be very difficult to locate the rib 28 between the structure 16 and the channel 38 The interengagement of the member with the structure can however be facilitated by loosening the nuts 42 so that the channel 38 can be moved away from the structure 16 A bigger gap is then formed between an edge of the flange 40 and the structure 16 and the member 20 can then be moved into position relatively easily The ribs 24 provide a plurality of sealing surfaces on a side of the member 20 and it is only necessary to replace the member once substantial wear of the ribs has taken place It is to be noted that it is not possible to adjust the member 20 in position in a direction which is transverse to a longitudinal direction of the member Figures 2 and 3 illustrate, in different operational modes, a variation of the invention Again use is made of an elongate flexible grooved rubber sealing member 20 which bears on an inclined peripheral section 14 of the conveyor belt A backing plate 50 which has outwardly projecting studs 52 fixed to it is attached to an outer surface of the structure 16 by means of welding 54 Each stud has an eccentric or over-centre handle 56 pivotally fixed to it The position of the handle, relatively to the stud, can be adjusted by means of a nut 58 which is threadedly engaged with an outer portion of the stud A channel 38 which is similar to the channel 38 shown in Figure 1 has holes formed in it and the studs 52 pass through the holes Figure 3 shows a handle 56 in a relaxed or open state An eccentric head 60 on the handle is moved away from the structure 16 and consequently the channel 38 is free to move away from the structure 16 to a limited extent An enlarged gap 62 is thereby formed between an edge of the flange 40 and the structure 16 The sealing member 20 can thus be slid into position, or removed, with relative ease Once the sealing member is correctly positioned inside the clamping channel 38 each handle 56 is respectively moved to the closed position shown in Figure 2 so that the eccentric head 60 forces the clamping channel towards the structure 16 The rib 28 is thus fπctionally locked between opposing surfaces of the backing plate 50 and the clamping channel 38 In the arrangements shown in Figures 4 to 6 the flexible elongate sealing member 20 of Figures 1 to 3, which is made from a material such as rubber, is replaced by a relatively stiff sealing member 20A which is made from a material such as polyurethane As the sealing member 20A is relatively inflexible it is not formed with the same substantial length as the sealing member 20 The sealing member 20A is for example of the order of one metre long Thus a number of the sealing members are required to seal a gap 18 which is relatively long and which is formed between a structure 16 and a surface 26 of a conveyor belt The sealing member is tapered over a portion of its width with a reduced thickness sealing surface which bears on the belt This has been found to enhance effectiveness of the seal It is to be noted that components which are shown in Figures 4 to 6 and which are similar to components shown in Figures 1 to 3 are designated with numerals which are similar to the numerals used for the designation of such components in Figures 1 to 3 Figure 7 illustrates in cross-section, in a direction which is transverse to that shown in Figures 4 to 6, two abutting members 20A and 20AA Each member is formed with a groove 160 in one end surface and a corresponding tongue 162 in an opposing end surface This enables adjacent sealing members 20A to be engaged with one another with butt joints being formed between adjacent surfaces Referring to Figure 4 a substantial portion of each sealing member 20A is positioned between opposing surfaces of the structure 16 and a clamping plate 64 of angular cross-section Bolts 66 are welded to an outer surface of the structure 16 and nuts 68, engaged with the bolts, are used to urge the plate 64 towards the structure 16 thereby to clamp an upper portion 70 of each sealing member between the surfaces A lower edge 72 of the sealing member bears against an upper surface 26 of the belt The nuts 68 are slackened, when the lower edge 72 is worn, to allow the sealing member to be moved downwardly i e in a direction which is transverse to its longitudinal direction In this way the edge 72 can be brought into contact with the surface 26 Similarly if the member 20A is to be replaced then the nuts 68 are slackened to increase the spacing between the plate 64 and the structure 16 The worn sealing members can then be slid out of position, be moved transversely to their longitudinal direction, and replaced with fresh sealing members according to requirement Figure 5 illustrates an arrangement wherein an eccentric handle 56 is mounted to a stud 66 which is welded to the structure 16 The handle, as is the case shown in Figures 2 and 3, includes an eccentric head 60 which bears against an outer surface of the plate 64 In Figure 5 the handle is in a closed position and exerts a clamping force on the plate which fπctionally locks the sealing member or skirt 20A in position A nut 70 which is threadedly engaged with the stud 66 can be adjusted in position so that an adjustable clamping force is exerted by the lever 56 on the blades In the arrangement shown in Figure 6 a backing plate 80 is welded to an outer surface of the structure 16 Studs 66, similar to that shown in Figure 5, project from the backing plate and are engaged with respective handles 56 These handles are used in the manner described to adjust the position of the angle plate 64, according to requirement, to enable the sealing members 20A to be adjusted in position or replaced when required The sealing members 20A may come in different thicknesses If the sealing members 20A are relatively thin then it may be difficult to adjust the clamping action so that sufficient force is brought to bear on the portion 70 of the sealing members between the structure 16 and the angle plate As is indicated by means of a dotted line in Figure 6 a spacer plate 82 may then be secured to an inner surface of the plate 64 to narrow the effective gap which exists between the plate 64 and the structure 16 A significant benefit of the arrangements shown in Figures 1 to 6 is that the replacement, or adjustment, of the sealing members, as the case may be, is considerably facilitated This benefit is more pronounced when use is made of clamping levers of the type shown in Figures 2 and 3 and 5 and 6

Claims: CLAIMS 1 A conveyor belt sealing system which includes support structure, clamping component means which opposes a surface of the support structure an elongate sealing member which is partly positioned between the clamping component means and the said surface, and securing means for moving the clamping component means towards the surface thereby to secure the sealing member to the support structure 2 A sealing system according to claim 1 wherein the sealing member and the clamping component means include interengaging complementary formations to provide an additional means for securing the sealing member to the support structure 3 A sealing system according to claim 2 wherein the sealing member has an undercut formation and the clamping component means has a flange which is engaged with the undercut formation 4 A sealing system according to claim 3 wherein the flange extends towards the said surface of the support structure 5 A sealing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the sealing member is flexible and a substantial portion of the sealing member overlies a corresponding portion of a conveyor belt 6 A sealing system according to claim 5 wherein the sealing member includes a plurality of grooves which oppose a surface of the conveyor belt 7 A sealing system according to claim 6 wherein the sealing member includes a plurality of separate sealing surfaces, each of which is formed between an adjacent pair of grooves 8 A sealing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the clamping component means allows the sealing member to be moved relatively to the clamping component means only in a longitudinal direction of the sealing member 9 A sealing system according to claim 1 wherein the position of the sealing member is adjustable relatively to a conveyor belt surface at least in a direction which is transverse to a longitudinal direction of the sealing member 10 A sealing system according to claim 1 or 9 wherein the sealing member has at least one sealing surface in contact with a conveyor belt surface and, as the sealing surface wears, the sealing member is adjustable in a direction which is transverse to its longitudinal direction to compensate for such wear 11 A sealing system according to claim 1 , 9 or 10 wherein the clamping component means has a member which bears against an outer side of the sealing member and which, once released, enables the sealing member to be moved transversely relatively to a longitudinal direction of the sealing member 12 A sealing system according to claim 1 , 9, 10 or 11 wherein the sealing member includes complementary tongue and groove formations at opposing ends of the sealing member to enable similar sealing members to be iπterengaged with one another in a longitudinal sense with tongue and groove joints being formed between adjacent sealing members 13 A sealing system according to any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein the securing means includes a plurality of studs which extend laterally from the support structure and which are engaged with the clamping component means and nuts are engageable with the respective studs to urge the clamping component means into fπctional engagement with a portion of the sealing member with the sealing member then being sandwiched between opposing surfaces of the support structure and the clamping component means 14 A sealing system according to claim 13 wherein the studs extend directly from the support structure or from a backing plate which is fixed to the support structure 15 A sealing system according to any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein the securing means includes a plurality of eccentric fastening levers, and each lever is movable between a closed position at which the lever clamps the sealing member between opposing surfaces of the clamping component means and the support structure and an open position at which force which is exerted by the lever on the clamping component means is released to enable the sealing member to be engaged with the clamping component means or for the position of the sealing member to be adjusted 16 A conveyor belt sealing system according to claim 1 wherein the securing means includes over-centre fastening means which is movable between an open position at which the sealing member is movable between the clamping component means and the support structure and a closed position at which the clamping component means is urged towards the support structure thereby to secure the sealing member between the support structure and the clamping component means 17 A sealing member which is suitable for use in the conveyor belt sealing system of any one of claims 1 to 16 and which includes an elongate body with at least one elongate rib which bears against a surface of the conveyor belt 18 A sealing member according to claim 17 which includes at least one elongate undercut formation which extends in the direction of the rib 19 A sealing member according to claim 17 or 18 wherein the body is made from rubber 20 A sealing member which is suitable for use in the conveyor belt sealing system of any one of claims 1 to 16 and which includes an elongate body with a longitudinal edge which bears against a surface of the conveyor belt 21 A sealing member according to claim 20 wherein the longitudinal edge is tapered 22 A sealing member according to claim 20 or 21 wherein the body is made from polyurethane 23 A sealing member according to claim 20, 21 or 22 wherein the body, at opposing ends, has complementary formations to enable similar sealing members to be interengaged with one another in a longitudinal sense with butt joints between adjacent sealing members

Inventors: BRINK JAN LOUIS, BRINK, JAN, LOUIS
Applicants: BRELKO PATENTS PROPRIETARY LTD, BRINK JAN LOUIS, BRELKO PATENTS (PROPRIETARY) LIMITED, BRINK, JAN, LOUIS
Application year: 1999
Main classification: B65G21
IPC codes: B65G21