How to Troubleshoot Mobile Stacking Conveyor Cleaner

Improper practices in material unloading and overall conveyor belt management can lead to premature conveyor component failure, tracking issues, excessive belt wear and spillage, resulting in reduced productivity. Using belt cleaner can improve the working efficiency and minimize breakdowns of mobile stacking conveyors. We will talk about the primary belt cleaner and how to make use of cleaner to increase the productivity of stacker conveyors.

Belt Cleaners used in Stacking Conveyors

Primary face scraper located at the head of the conveyor to remove any excess debris from the belt.
Plough Scraper located at tail drum to remove debris from internal surface of the belt.

Belt Cleaners for Radial Telescopic stacking conveyors of Aggregate

These belt cleaners are widely used in mobile shiploader and mobile conveyors.

Accessibility to Location For Inspection

Primary belt cleaners are installed at the discharging areas of mobile belt conveyors. In some belt conveyors, the primary belt cleaner will be covered in loading chute and it will be very inconvenient to maintain. For example, in mobile stacking conveyors, there is no direct walkway and workers have to use a scissor lift, work platforms or actually lowering the conveyor to gain access.

By maintaining the service life of your belt cleaner, you can effectively reduce downtime for maintenance tasks and increase overall productivity of your mobile stacking conveyors on site.

Selection of the Best Wearing Material

Choosing the appropriate cleaning blade material, such as polyurethane or tungsten, depends on belt condition and preservation goals. Tungsten tipped blades, with higher BHN values, should be used cautiously on belts with mechanical fasteners to avoid damage unless properly protected.

The polyurethane cleaners are common used in mobile stacking conveyors.

Installation Mounting

The inclination of the conveyor needs to be considered when installing the sweeper. Failure to do so will result in the cleaner not scraping the belt properly, causing sticky material to collect between the blades and the belt, resulting in inefficient cleaning and premature wear.

It is recommended to place the belt cleaner below a horizontal line perpendicular to the vertical line of the pulley, not necessarily parallel to the stringer or conveyor belt. Material trajectories should also be considered.

Belt Cleaners for Portable Conveyors

Correct Size and Silhouette

Experience shows that approximately one-third of premature belt cleaner wear is caused by incorrect configuration of the cleaner to the conveyor belt. Over time, a wear pattern develops that resembles a "smiling" parabola in appearance. This is due to the part of the blade that contacts the clean part of the belt and is not worn compared to the center, thus limiting the rest of the blade from adjusting itself closer to the head drum. It is recommended to cut away the portion where the smile begins to form to provide a more even clean edge.

Tension Adjustment

Previous research has shown that over-tensioning the cleaner increases frictional resistance on the belt, reducing the wear life of the cleaner while also increasing the overall power consumption of the conveyor. If fasteners were added to the belt to repair the tear, over-tensioning the belt cleaner could result in damage to the cleaner or forced removal of the fastener. Some belt cleaning systems have centralized torque transmitters designed to automatically adjust and maintain evenly distributed but concentrated pressure in the center of the belt, where most of the cleaning takes place.

Proper belt cleaning should never be an overlooked factor in mobile conveyor maintenance. If a well-designed sweeper is installed correctly, taking these 5 factors into consideration, not only will the belt cleaners have the best service life, but so will the other associated conveyor components, valuable belts, and the structure of the mobile stacking conveyor itself . The role of maintenance changes from fixing failures to optimizing overall productivity, placing the maintenance function at the heart of the quality improvement process.