Patent Publication Number: US-9403660-B2

Title: Conveyor belt take-up drum

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present technology relates to a conveyor belt take-up drum, and more specifically to a conveyor belt take-up drum that offers further improved stability when a conveyor belt is being transported and allows for reductions in the load generated in radial direction members constituting flange sections and in weight. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Conveyor belts used to transport cement, coal, ore, and the like may have total lengths of several kilometers or greater. Because large amounts of labor are required to link conveyor belt sections together in such cases, the conveyors belts are made as long as possible and transported from a manufacturing plant or the like to a usage site, reducing the amount of labor needed to link the belt sections at the usage site. Various proposals have been made for the structure of a take-up drum for long conveyor belts of this sort (see, for example, Japanese Utility Model No. 3125159). 
     A conveyor belt take-up drum is provided with a core section around which the conveyor belt is taken up, and flange sections provided on both ends of the core section in the axial direction. The flange sections are constituted, for example, by a plurality of radial direction members extending radially outward in the radial direction from the core section, and circumferential direction members that link the outer ends of these radial direction members to form a ring. When the conveyor belt is taken up, a certain degree of clearance (for example, around 50 mm) is formed between the ends in the belt width direction and the radial direction members. As a result, the conveyor belt may shift in the belt width direction, frequently striking against the radial direction members, when the conveyor belt is being transported. 
     This negatively affects the stability of the take-up drum after the conveyor belt has been taken up thereupon. Moreover, an excessive load (stress) is generated at the joints between the radial direction members and the core section. Imparting the joints with a thick structure will lead to the problem of increased take-up drum weight. Increased take-up drum weight leads to increases not only in the material cost of the take-up drum, but also in transportation costs. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present technology provides a conveyor belt take-up drum that offers further improved stability when a conveyor belt is being transported and allows for reductions in the load generated in radial direction members constituting flange sections and in weight. 
     The conveyor belt take-up drum according to the present technology is a conveyor belt take-up drum provided with a core section and flange sections provided at both ends of the core section in the axial direction, each of the flange sections being constituted by a plurality of radial direction members radially extending outward from the core section in the radial direction and a circumferential direction member linking outer ends of the radial direction member to form a ring, the radial direction members of the respective flange sections being disposed at opposing positions, and ground-contacting sections being provided on a portion of the circumferential direction members, wherein spacers of substantially the same length as the width of the conveyor belt being taken up by the core section are detachably provided between opposing outer ends of the radial direction members linked to those circumferential direction members of the respective flange sections that are provided with ground-contacting sections, and the bending rigidity near joints between inner ends of the opposing radial direction members and the core section is set lower than the bending rigidity of main bodies of the radial direction members. 
     In accordance with the present technology, spacers of substantially the same length as the width of the conveyor belt being taken up by the core section are detachably provided between opposing outer ends of the radial direction members linked to those circumferential direction members of the respective flange sections that are provided with ground-contacting sections, and the bending rigidity near joints between inner ends of the opposing radial direction members and the core section is set lower than the bending rigidity of main bodies of the radial direction members, with the result that, when the opposing radial direction members are linked by the spacers, the conveyor belt taken up on the core section is sandwiched between the radial direction members, putting them into an integrated state. As a result, clearance between the ends in the belt width direction of the sandwiched conveyor belt and the radial direction members can be eliminated or minimized. This suppresses shifting in the belt width direction of the taken-up conveyor belt when being transported, allowing the stability of the take-up drum to be further improved. In addition, the load generated near the inner ends of the radial direction members making up the flange sections is reduced, allowing for reduced weight. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of an example of a conveyor belt take-up drum according to the present technology. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the take-up drum illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a magnified view of an example of the vicinity of a joint between a radial direction member and a core section. 
         FIG. 4  is a magnified view of another example of the vicinity of a joint between a radial direction member and a core section. 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of another embodiment of a take-up drum. 
         FIG. 6  is a front view of yet another embodiment of a take-up drum. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An embodiment of the conveyor belt take-up drum according to the present technology will now be described with reference to the drawings. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 3 , a conveyor belt take-up drum  1  (hereinafter, referred to as take-up drum  1 ) according to the present technology is provided with a cylindrical core section  2  and flange sections  3  provided on both ends of the core section  2 . The core section  2  is constituted by an inner cylinder  2   a , an outer cylinder  2   b , and cap plates  2   c  covering the ends in the axial direction of the cylinders. 
     Each of the opposing flange sections  3  is constituted by a plurality of main radial direction members  4  and supporting radial direction members  5  radially extending outward from the core section  2  in the radial direction, and circumferential direction members  6  linking the outer ends of the main radial direction members  4  and supporting radial direction members  5  to form a ring. The main radial direction members  4  are thicker and have greater bending rigidity than the supporting radial direction members  5 . Ordinary structural steel is used for the main radial direction members  4  and the supporting radial direction members  5 . In this embodiment, H-beams are used for the main radial direction members  4 . Plate steel or the like is used for the core section  2 . 
     The number of main radial direction members  4  is, for example, about 4 to 12. The supporting radial direction members  5  are provided as necessary, and may be present, for example, in a number roughly equal to that of the main radial direction members  4 . In this embodiment, a single flange section  3  is provided with four main radial direction members  4  and supporting radial direction members  5  apiece, and the circumferential direction members  6  form a hexagonal ring shape. The circumferential direction members  6  are not limited to forming a hexagonal shape, and other polygonal ring shapes are possible according to the number of main radial direction members  4  and supporting radial direction members  5 ; alternatively, a ring shape is also possible. 
     The main radial direction members  4  and supporting radial direction members  5  of the respective flange sections  3  are disposed at opposing positions. Ground-contacting sections  7  are provided on a portion of the circumferential direction members  6 . One pair of adjacent ground-contacting sections  7  is placed upon the ground so as to provide a stable rest for the take-up drum  1 . In this embodiment, the ground-contacting sections  7  are provided around the outer ends of the respective main radial direction members  4 . The ground-contacting sections  7  comprise insert holes  7   a  into which the tines of a forklift can be inserted. 
     Spacers  8  of substantially the same length as the width of a conveyor belt B being taken up on the core section  2  are detachably disposed between opposing outer ends of those main radial direction members  4  of the respective flange sections  3  that are linked to the circumferential direction members  6  provided with the ground-contacting sections  7 . The spacers  8  are formed from steel or the like, and are detachably anchored to the outer ends of the main radial direction members  4  by anchoring bolts  9  or the like. 
     The bending rigidity near the joints between the core section  2  and the inner ends of the opposing main radial direction members  4  between which the spacers  8  are detachably provided is set lower than the bending rigidity of the main bodies of the main radial direction members  4  (i.e., those parts thereof not near the joints). That is, the area near the joints has a relatively flexible structure. In the present context, “bending rigidity” refers to the rigidity of the main radial direction members  4  when bent in the direction of the opposing main radial direction member  4 . 
     In this embodiment, linking plates  10  are interposed between the inner ends of the main radial direction members  4  and the core section  2 , and the bending rigidity of the linking plates  10  is set lower than the bending rigidity of the main bodies of the main radial direction members  4 . By virtue of this structure, the bending rigidity near the joints is lower than the bending rigidity of the main bodies of the main radial direction members  4 . The bending rigidity near the joints is, for example, from 10 to 50% lower than that of the main bodies of the main radial direction members  4 . 
     In an example of a specific structure, steel plates that are thinner than the main radial direction members  4  are used for the linking plates  10 . If the main radial direction members  4  and the linking plates  10  are of the same material, the linking plates  10  are imparted with a section modulus that is lower than that of the main radial direction members  4 . The linking plates  10  are anchored to the core section  2  and the inner ends of the main radial direction members  4  via bolts, welding, or the like. 
     When the conveyor belt B is to be transported, a first end in the length direction of the conveyor belt B is anchored to the core section  2 , and the take-up drum  1  is rotated to take up the conveyor belt B. After the conveyor belt B has been taken up, opposing outer ends of the main radial direction members  4  on the respective flange sections  3  are linked using the spacers  8 , a portion having the flexible structure near the joints between the inner ends of the main radial direction members  4  and the core section  2  deforms to a comparatively large degree. The conveyor belt B taken up on the core section  2  is sandwiched between the main radial direction members  4 , putting the main radial direction members  4 , the spacers  8 , and the conveyor belt B into an integrated state. As a result, clearance between the ends in the belt width direction of the conveyor belt B and the main radial direction members  4  can be eliminated or minimized. This suppresses shifting in the belt width direction of the taken-up conveyor belt B when being transported, allowing the stability of the take-up drum  1  to be further improved. 
     Suppressing shifting of the conveyor belt B in the belt width direction allows impacts upon the main radial direction members  4  to be eliminated or reduced. As a result, the load (stress) generated near the inner ends of the main radial direction members  4  is reduced, allowing the weight of the main radial direction members  4  and therefore the weight of the take-up drum  1  to be reduced. This allows the material costs of the take-up drum  1  and the transportation costs of the conveyor belt B to be reduced. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the areas near the inner ends of the main radial direction members  4  can be formed into thin sections  4   a  that have the same thickness but a narrower width than the main bodies of the main radial direction members  4 . The inner ends (thin sections  4   a ) of the main radial direction members  4  are anchored to the core section  2  via bolts, welding, or the like. As a result, the bending rigidity near the joints between the core section  2  and the inner ends of the main radial direction members  4  can be set lower than the bending rigidity of the main bodies of the main radial direction members  4 . A configuration in which the area near the inner ends of the main radial direction members  4  has the same width but a lower thickness than the main bodies of the main radial direction members  4  is also possible. 
     In this embodiment, the spacers  8  are detachably provided between the opposing outer ends of the main radial direction members  4  at symmetrical positions with respect to the core section  2 , and the bending rigidity near the joints between the core section  2  and the inner ends of the main radial direction members  4  is set lower than the bending rigidity of the main bodies of the main radial direction members  4 . Such a structure further improves the stability of the take-up drum  1  onto which the conveyor belt B has been taken up. In addition, the load (stress) generated near the inner ends of the upper main radial direction members  4  is reduced, allowing the weight of these main radial direction members  4  to be reduced. 
     In the present technology, as in the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 5 , a configuration in which the spacers  8  are only provided between the main radial direction members  4  on the lower side of the take-up drum  1 , the bending rigidity near the joints between the inner ends thereof and the core section  2  is set comparatively low, and a flexible structure is formed near the joints is also possible. 
     In the embodiments illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 5 , indicators (markings)  11  indicating the length of the taken up conveyor belt B at those positions are displayed at predetermined intervals on the outer surfaces of the main radial direction members  4 . Providing these indicators  11  allows the length of the conveyor belt B taken up on the take-up drum  1  to be determined simply by looking at the indicator  11  at the position corresponding to the outermost circumference of the conveyor belt B. That is, the length of the remaining conveyor belt B on the take-up drum  1  can be determined instantaneously. 
     The size of the take-up drum  1  is generally roughly from 3.2 m to 3.6 m, equivalent to the outer diameter of the conveyor belt B when the conveyor belt B has been taken up to the maximum extent. Thus, concentrating the indicators  11  on the lower main radial direction members  4 , as in the case of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 5 , makes the indicators  11  easier to read. 
     Because the positions of the indicators  11  will vary (differ) according to the thickness T of the conveyor belt B, the indicators  11  can be marked on the outer surfaces of the main radial direction members  4  along with the thickness T of the taken-up conveyor belt B. The indicators  11  and thickness T of the conveyor belt B may also be marked on the outer surfaces of the supporting radial direction members  5 . 
     It is also possible for thicknesses T (T1, T2, T3, T4) of taken-up conveyor belt B to be marked along with indicators  11  on the outer surfaces of different main radial direction members  4  according to the thicknesses T (T1, T2, T3, T4), as in the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 6 . In this embodiment, if the thickness T (T1, T2, T3, T4) of the conveyor belt B is known, one may look at the indicators  11  on the main radial direction member  4  bearing the marking for that thickness T (T1, T2, T3, T4) in order to determine the length of the conveyor belt B taken up on the take-up drum  1 . The indicators  11  and thickness T of the conveyor belt B may also be marked on the outer surfaces of the supporting radial direction members  5 .