Abstract
This work introduces a finite element model of a steel cable-reinforced conveyor belt to accurately compute stresses in the splice. In the modelled test rig, the belt runs on two drums and is loaded with a cyclic longitudinal force. An explicit solver is used to efficiently handle the high number of elements and contact conditions. This, however, introduces some issues of dynamics in the model, which are subsequently solved: (a) the longitudinal load is applied with a smooth curve and damping is introduced in the beginning of the simulation, (b) residual stresses are applied in regions of the belt that are initially bent around the drums, and (c) supporting drums are introduced at the start of the simulation to hinder oscillations of the belt at low applied forces. To accurately capture the tensile and bending stiffness of the cables, they are modelled by a combination of solid and beam elements. The results show that numerical artefacts can be reduced to an acceptable extent. In the region of highest stresses, the displacements are additionally mapped onto a submodel with a smaller mesh size. The results show that, for the investigated belt, the local maximum principal stresses significantly increase when this region of highest stresses comes into contact with, and is bent by, the drum. Therefore, it is essential to also consider the belt’s bending to predict failure in such applications.
Highlights
Conveyor belts are used in a wide range of applications such as supermarkets, logistic centres, and mining
The conveyor belts in mining are reinforced with steel cables to reach the high strengths required
Since the bending stress in a cable-reinforced rubber belt is not trivial, a small implicit simulation is carried out to obtain those stresses. This model contains the belt in its bent shape and straightens it, where the bent shape corresponds to the shape it will initially have in the test rig model
Summary
Conveyor belts are used in a wide range of applications such as supermarkets, logistic centres, and mining. The large variety of belt damage mechanisms has been illustrated in a study of damage due to objects such as rocks falling on a conveyor belt [4] This complex damage behaviour indicates that it is not trivial to predict this failure which depends on the cable and rubber properties, the splice geometry, and the debonding strength of the cable–rubber interface [5]. The computed stress fields can be used as an indicator of the belt’s strength (Li et al [16] use a stress-based criterion for damage initiation that agrees well with experimental results of failure) It can, predict the influence of bending on the tested strength of a belt. Challenges such as obtaining an initial state of movement and stresses in the belt and coping with initial dynamic artefacts are solved in the explicit model
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