GB2294250A

GB2294250A - Belt conveyor skirt seal arrangement

Info

Publication number: GB2294250A
Application number: GB9421318A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Arend Jacobus Brink
Original assignee: Slic Trading Co Ltd Great Britain
Current assignee: Slic Trading Co Ltd Great Britain
Priority date: 1994-10-22
Filing date: 1994-10-22
Publication date: 1996-04-24
Anticipated expiration: 2014-10-22
Also published as: GB2294250B; GB9421318D0

Abstract

A skirt seal arrangement for a conveyor belt (12) includes an elongate track element (14) and an elongate skirt seal (16) which has a base (52) slidably engageable with the track element and a lower edge (56) which is engageable in sealing contact with an opposing surface of the conveyor belt (12). <IMAGE>

Description

BELT CONVEYOR SKIRT SEAL ARRANGEMENT This invention relates to a skirt seal for sealing the base of a loading chute to a conveyor belt which passes through or below the chute.

A seal of the aforementioned type prevents material and particularly fine particulate material from escaping from the conveyor belt through a gap between the base of the loading chute and the conveyor belt. As the chute skirt seal is in constant running contact with a surface of the conveyor belt it wears rapidly and requires frequent replacement.

The applicant is aware of a skirt seal which is made from a flexible material such as rubber and which has a number of parallel grooves on one side of the seal which are brought into sealing contact with an opposing surface of the belt. This type of seal has been found to work satisfactorily with fine materials and relatively light impact loads. The seal has a curved upper surface which however is exposed to impact loads from above, arising when material falls from a loading chute onto the belt, and provided these loads are not excessive the seal remains in position.

When the impact loading is increased, for example if large lumps of material are discharged onto the belt, the seal absorbs at least a portion of the impact and this leads to damage and ultimately to destruction of the seal.

A second factor is that, again with larger particulate material, the particles of the material can become jammed between the lower edge of the chute and the upper seal surface. This also leads to rapid wear of the seal.

The invention provides a skirt seal arrangement for a conveyor belt which includes an elongate track element and an elongate skirt seal which has a base which is slidably engageable with the track element and a lower edge which is engageable in sealing contact with an opposing surface of the conveyor belt.

The lower edge of the skirt seal may be tapered.

The skirt seal may include an inner side facing the belt and an opposing outer side, the arrangement including support means engaged with the said outer side which is bendable about a lower edge of the support means.

Preferably the support means consists of an outer wall of the track element.

Preferably the base of the skirt seal is complemental in shape to the track element.

The track element may be attached to a wall of a chute and may be vertically adjustable relatively thereto to compensate for wear of the lower edge.

The skirt seal may have any suitable shape and preferably tapers from the base to the lower edge.

The invention is further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 is a view in cross-section of a skirt seal arrangement for a conveyor belt loading chute according to the invention, FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of the arrangement of Figure 1 taken on the line 2-2, and FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the arrangement of Figure 1.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a skirt seal arrangement for a conveyor belt according to the invention.

Figure 1 shows a side wall 10 of a conveyor loading chute, portion of a conveyor belt 12, an elongate track element 14 and a skirt seal 16.

Mounted to the side wall 10 are a plurality of elongate brackets 40 each of which has a top-hat profile as shown in Figure 2. Each bracket 40 has a vertically extending slot 42.

The elongate track element 14 is engaged with an angle member 44 which is secured to the brackets 40 by means of bolts 46. Each bolt is engaged with a respective slot 42 and with a corresponding hole in the angle member.

The track element 14 has a lip 48 and an outer wall 50 which extends downwardly for some distance below the lip 48.

The skirt seal 16 is engaged with the track element. The skirt seal has a base 52 which is complemental in shape to the track element and which fits fairly tightly, with a sliding action, into the interior of the track element.

The skirt seal is elongate and is preferably made from a plastics material such as polyurethane with a hardness of approximately 80 to 85. This is given merely by way of example and any other material which exhibits good wearing characteristics and which possesses the required degree of flexibility may be used instead.

Depending from the base 52 is an elongate tapered section 54 which terminates in a tapered edge 56. The edge 56 is in sealing and sliding contact with an opposing surface of the belt 12.

The skirt seal 16 is sufficiently flexible to permit it to bend about a lower edge 58 of the wall 50 when subjected to sideways loading by material on the belt 12. The base 52, fitting closely inside the track element, does not move relatively thereto and thus the skirt seal can only move, under load, by bending about the lower edge 58.

On the other hand the material of the skirt seal is not so flexible that the tapered section 54 is capable of easily bending about a longitudinal axis when subjected to impact loads. Thus when the belt 12 is laden material in contact with the inner surface of the tapered section 54 urges the skirt seal outwardly thereby keeping the lower edge 56 in contact with the belt 12. The flexure of the section which takes place is allowed for and controlled by the dimensions of the tapered section 54 and the base 52 and by the length of the wall 50.

The tapered edge 56 is subjected to wear due, inter alia, to the relative movement between the belt and the seal. At regular intervals the bolts 46 can be loosened and the entire skirt seal arrangement can be moved downwardly to compensate for the wear whereupon the bolts are tightened to secure the skirt seal in the desired position.

It is also possible to cater for the wear of the skirt seal in other ways. For example the skirt seal could be supported by any means which constantly exerts a downwardly directed force which urges the tapered edge 56 into contact with the belt 12. It is possible in this respect to make use of springs or extensible piston and cylinder arrangements. For example springs may act between the angle member 44 and the track element 14 to urge the track element downwardly relatively to the angle member.

Alternatively a spring may act between the angle member and the bracket 40 or the wall 10 to urge the angle member downwardly relatively to the wall. Another possibility is to make use of hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders which may be activated constantly or on demand to apply downwardly directed forces to the skirt seal arrangement.

Claims

1. A skirt seal arrangement for a conveyor belt which includes an elongate track element and an elongate skirt seal which has a base which is slidably engageable with the track element and a lower edge which is engageable in sealing contact with an opposing surface of the conveyor belt.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the said lower edge is tapered.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the skirt seal includes an inner side facing the belt and an opposing outer side, the arrangement including support means engaged with the said outer side which is bendable about a lower edge of the support means.

4. An arrangement according to claim 3 wherein the support means is an outer wall of the track element.

5. An arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the base of the skirt seal is complemental in shape to the track element.

6. An arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the track element is attached to a wall of a chute and is vertically adjustable relatively thereto.

7. A skirt seal arrangement for a conveyor belt substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

7. An arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the skirt seal tapers from the base to the lower edge.

8. A skirt seal which includes a base, and a tapered section which depends from the base and which terminates in a tapered edge.

9. A skirt seal arrangement for a conveyor belt comprising an elongate skirt seal, and means for supporting the skirt seal so that, in use, it forms a sealing contact with an opposing surface of the conveyor belt, the means for supporting the skirt seal allowing positional adjustment of the skirt seal to accommodate wear.

10. A skirt seal arrangement for a conveyor belt substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. A skirt seal arrangement for a conveyor belt which includes an elongate track element with an elongate cavity and an elongate slot which extends to the cavity, means for fixing the track element to a wall of a chute of the conveyor with the track element extending generally in the direction of movement of the belt and so that the track element Is vertically adjustable relatively to the chute wall, and an elongate skirt seal which is slidably engageable with the track element while the track element Is fixed to the said chute wall, the skirt seal including an elongate formation which is moved into the cavity by sliding movement of the skirt seal relatively to the track element, and a lower edge which is engageable in sealing contact with an opposing surface of the conveyor belt.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the said lower edge is tapered.

3. An arrangement according to c'aim 1 or 2 wherein the skirt seal includes an inner side facing the belt and an opposing outer side, the arrangement including support means engaged with the said outer side which is bendable about a lower edge of the support means.

5. An arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the elongate formation of the skirt seal is complemental in shape to the cavity of the track element.

6. An arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the skirt seal tapers from the elongate formation to the lower edge.