# Experimental Research of Rubber Composites Subjected to Impact Loading  
[PERSON]  
1 Faculty of Mining, Ecology, Process Control and Geotechnologies, Technical University of Kosice, Letna 9, 042 00 Kosice, Slovakia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] Faculty of Mining, Ecology, Process Control and Geotechnologies, Technical University of Kosice, Letna 9, 042 00 Kosice, Slovakia; daniela. the costs of purchase, maintenance, repairs and renewal of the conveyor belt often exceed the costs of the remaining parts of the conveyance system, such as support systems and drives. It is therefore still a great priority to extend the belt service life, which may be achieved by reducing the conveyor belt wear. A conveyor belt is a composite consisting of different materials. The properties of its individual components significantly affect the final properties of the belt as such and determine its suitability for a particular function and application in real operations. From the structural point of view, both fabric and steel-cord conveyor belts have the same cover layer materials. Rubber cover layers protect the belt carcass and provide the required resistance to forces to which the conveyor belt is exposed. The top cover layer is in direct contact with the transported material, which damages it during the operation. Fabric conveyor belts, which are the ones most frequently used [8], usually consist of a wear-resistant top cover layer, with the fabric carcass providing the tensile strength of the belt, the adhesive mixture between the rubber and the carcass, and the bottom rubber cover layer covering the carcass and providing sufficient friction on the driving pulley [9]. The structure of different steel-cord conveyor belts is basically the same, and only the carcass material is different. In real operations, special attention is paid to the top cover layer as it is tribologically the most stressed belt part. Conveyor belt wear is characterised by abrasion [10]. It is very important to describe the wearing process in rubber products exposed to high stresses, for example, in belts transporting sharp-edged materials. Sharp edges and rough surfaces gradually abrade the rubber parts. Such wear significantly damages individual belt parts and eventually destroys the belt [11]. The service life of conveyor belts used in quarries depends on operating conditions and may last a few years or even more than 10 years, while belts with steel cords have longer service lives [12]. In underground mines, the service lives of conveyor belts are reduced to several years, and the average service life of fabric belts used in mines is approximately 3-4 years [13]. The issues regarding the examination of belt conveyor properties and the monitoring of belt wear or damage have been discussed in many papers. [PERSON] [14] stated that basic experimental methods used to assess reliability and quality of conveyor belts made of rubber and fabric include the monitoring of puncture resistance, cut resistance, stress-strain testing and belt joints examination. [PERSON] et al. [15] tested mechanical properties of rubber conveyor belts by exposing them to impact loading, and the resulting belt failures were assessed by computed tomography. [PERSON] and [PERSON] [16] categorised the types of impact damage that occur in fabric conveyor belts. In laboratory conditions, they tested various types of conveyor belts (unused, used and used ones with renovated top cover layers). In order to evaluate belt properties and quality, it is necessary to determine conventional mechanical, physical and special properties that provide complex data on the behaviour of used belts in complicated loading conditions. The operational service life of a conveyor belt depends on multiple factors--transported material, operating conditions, conveyor belt quality and material properties [17]. One of the material properties of conveyor belts is the tensile strength, which is determined primarily by the strength of fabric plies forming the carcass.