The Reduction of Rotating Conveyor Roller Vibrations via the Use of Plastic Brackets

Abstract

This paper presents the basic structural parts, a 3D model, and the overall design of a laboratory machine, which was created to detect vibrations generated by the casing of a conveyor roller rotating at different speeds. The intention of the authors was to verify whether plastic brackets inserted into the structurally modified trestles of a fixed conveyor idler can reduce the vibration values transmitted from the rotating conveyor roller to the trestle of a fixed idler. Experimental vibration measurements taken on the non-rotating parts of conveyor rollers, performed on a laboratory machine according to ISO 10816, are suitable for characterizing their operating conditions with regard to trouble-free operation. The aim of this paper is to detect the vibrations of a rotating conveyor roller on a laboratory machine in the defined places of a fixed conveyor idler and also on the steel frame of a laboratory machine that represents the supporting track of a belt conveyor. Vibrations detected by piezoelectric acceleration sensors were recorded by a measuring apparatus and displayed in the environment of Dewesoft X software (version 10). The measurements show that the vibration values grow with the increasing speed of the conveyor roller rotation. Experimental measurements have proven the correctness of the assumption that the vibrations transmitted to the trestle of a fixed conveyor idler are lower by up to 40% when using plastic brackets into which the axle of the conveyor roller is attached, compared to the solution where the axle of the conveyor roller is inserted into the notches of a steel trestle.

Measuring Device Detecting Impact Forces on Impact Rollers

“…The vibration values of the conveyor rollers (for the steel or plastic casing of the conveyor roller) [27] and also impact rollers (see Sections 3.1 and 3.2) show that the effective values of the vibration velocity increase with the increasing speed (circumferential speed) of the conveyor roller casings. This assumption is also confirmed in article [26].…”

“…The objective was to achieve rotation at the desired circumferential velocity v r [m•s −1 ] of the impact roller during the experimental measurements of the vibration of the rotating shell of the impact roller on a laboratory device (Figure 6), and it was carried out in the Laboratory of Research and Testing, Department of Machine and Industrial Design, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava. Due to the inaccuracy of the outer dimension of the rubber coating, it was not possible to mount a pulley on the impact roller similar to the use of conveyor rollers with a steel or plastic casing [26,27]. For impact rollers of 108 mm and 89 mm diameter, pulleys for V-belts with an outer diameter of 174 mm and 154 mm and a width of 16 mm were purchased from Pikron s.r.o.…”