## 2 Materials and Methods  
### Test Equipment  
The experiments were carried out on a test rig (Figure 1). The test facility was equipped with a hydraulic system to clamp the belt sample and an additional hydraulic system to bring the sample to the required tension. The tension and impact forces were measured using two tensiometric sensors mounted on the test rig structure. The design of the test equipment was based on current requirements from previous research and on the requirements of the CB manufacturer in Slovakia.  
This device was constructed at the Institute of Logistics and Transport as a unique testing device. Currently, a new impact bed equipped with impact rods is being prepared, which is to replace the current traditional support system consisting of rollers. This device was supported by the filing and issuance of the patents PP 50008-2021 and PP 50054-2021. In addition to testing the impact resistance of the CBs, the institute participates in experimental research by testing the impact resistance of other rubber composites, such as ballistic panels or rubber seals. At the institute, an intelligent diagnostic system for the identification of the damage to the CB is being developed on a test model of an experimental pipe conveyor line with the integration of magnetic wires, magnetic labelling, and RFID cues to identify damage to the CBs.  
During the experiment, it was possible to adjust the weight of the impactor between 50 kg and 100 kg (for simulation of the varying specific gravity of the transported material), the impactor head shape may be a ball, needle, or cone (simulation of different types of incident material), the impact height of the impactor up to a height of 2.6 m (simulation of different impact heights of conveyor belt transport), the type of CB (simulation of different operating conditions, for which different types of conveyor are also intended), and to conduct experiments with and without the support system.  
Experiments were carried out both without a support system and with a support system (two steel rollers with a diameter of 80 mm and an axial distance of 160 mm). The impactor fell between the rollers. The ball-shaped head of the impactor simulated the impact of incoherent crumbly material. In the experiments, the simulated weight \(m\) of the incident material ranged from 50 to 100 kg. The impact heights \(h\) were selected ranging from 0.2 to 2.6 m with a differential of 0.2 m. A rubber-textile CB of type P2500 was studied. P stands for the polyamide textile layer and 2500 expresses the rigidity of the CB [Nmm\({}^{-1}\)]. Each test sample had dimensions of 1400 \(\times\) 160 mm. The samples were prepared according to the methodology described in [27]. The tension force in the experiments was 40 kN, which is one-tenth of the belt strength per millimetre of width (the manufacturer's recommendation). The described test device did not enable the movement of the CB. The conveyor belt sample was firmly fixed in the hydraulic jaws. Experimental testing of the belt during motion could not be performed using this device. Throughout the experiment, the impact force exerted by the falling load on the CB at the moment of impact was recorded using a strain gauge sensor.  
Figure 1: Schematic diagram of the test facility.