Abstract
The major contribution to energy consumption in a pipe conveyor is from indentation rolling resistance, which is also called viscoelastic resistance. Reproducing the effects of actual operating conditions is a challenge for direct measurements, as samples from the original belt are currently used for small-scale laboratory testing. This paper presents a low-cost measuring idler developed for indentation data acquisition from pipe conveyors under different conditions. Using a calibration support and an electronic module for data storage, it was possible to analyze the belt speed, temperature, humidity, and vertical, horizontal, and rotational loads. The correlation coefficients obtained for the belt speed and vertical loading measurements were, respectively, as follows: 0.998927314 for 340 samples, and 0.777221023 for 600 samples. The indentation rolling resistance values decreases as the belt filling degree increased, and the production cost was feasible for industrial production.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
