Effects of Different Splicing Methods on Conveyor Belt Strength

Conveyor belts are mechanisms that provide continuous transfer of any product from one place to another. Belt conveyor systems are at the forefront of the systems that minimize the need for people in the transportation of materials. In this way, it is inevitable to achieve both time and cost savings. With the continuous development of today's technology, it develops in the improvements in belt conveyor systems. Owing to the innovations and improvements in the conveyor belts, it becomes possible to minimize the maintenance, repair and undesired stoppages of the facilities. In this study, specimens extracted from a conveyor belt with a width of 800 mm, with a tensile strength of 45 N/mm2, 4 layers of polyester-polyamide blend cord fabric, 6 mm rubber bottom coating thickness and 3 mm rubber top coating thickness were used. The specimens were taken in three different ways (from the unspliced belt, from the mechanically spliced belt and from the vulcanized belt). The specimens taken from the spliced conveyor belts were subjected to the tensile test. The strength values of the belt specimens, from high to low, are in the form of unspliced belt, vulcanized belt and mechanically spliced belt. Among these applications, it has been observed that the mechanical splicing method is easier in terms of application than other splicing methods. It has been observed that the time required for maintenance and repair of the mechanical splicing method is between 1 and 2 hours, and the time required for the splicing method with vulcanization is between 6 and 8 hours. It has been understood that the mechanical method is advantageous over the vulcanization method in terms of the application time of the belt splicing method.