1、 Definition and principle of belt conveyor

Belt conveyor is a conveying equipment that uses flexible belts as the carrier. The belt is the carrier and traction part of the conveyor, and through linkage with the drum, it achieves transmission from one loading point to the next.

The advantages and practical value of belt conveyors

Belt conveyors have the advantages of reliable operation, low energy consumption, easy maintenance, simple structure, long transportation distance, large capacity, and continuous conveying, greatly improving the work efficiency of modern mining, logistics, agricultural product transportation and other industries.

Widely used in various industries such as mining, metal smelting, port transportation, building materials shipping, as well as light industry fields such as express delivery, logistics, food processing, airport luggage sorting, etc.

2、 Detailed explanation of core structural components

（1） Conveyor belt - the core of traction and load-bearing

Function: It is both a structure that carries materials and a component that transmits traction force.

Structural composition: It consists of a core (capable of withstanding tensile forces, such as cotton canvas, nylon canvas, polyester canvas, steel wire rope core) and a covering adhesive (protecting the core, wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant).

New belt body: including tubular conveyor belts, anti-static belts, heat-resistant or cold resistant belts, etc. for special scenarios.

（2） Conveyor Roller (Drum) - Power and Guidance

Classification and Function:

Drive drum: the core of power transmission. The surface can be cast with glue (herringbone or diamond shape) to increase the friction coefficient, with herringbone used for one-way and diamond shape used for two-way conveying.

Reversing drum: used to change the winding direction of the conveyor belt and increase the wrap angle of the transmission drum, usually used at the tail or tensioning device.

Structural trend: Steel plate welding structure is commonly used, accompanied by rolling bearings to ensure flexible operation.

（3） Roller and bracket - support and drag reduction

The function of the roller is to support the conveyor belt and materials, maintain the verticality of the belt, reduce running resistance, and account for about 25% -30% of the overall resistance of the machine.

Main categories:

Carrying rollers: groove shaped rollers (used for bulk materials to increase conveying capacity); Flat roller (used for finished products or packaged goods).

Buffer roller: installed at the feeding point to reduce the damage of material impact to the belt.

Return roller: Parallel roller, V-shaped roller or reverse V-shaped roller, used to support the lower branch empty belt, and also has anti deviation function.

Self aligning roller: automatically corrects belt deviation through mechanical principles.

Specialized rollers: such as anti magnetic rollers and spiral rollers (used for cleaning adhesive materials).

Bracket and frame: welded from the middle frame and support legs (steel or steel structure), serving as the skeleton of the entire machine. High end manufacturing adopts shot blasting and sandblasting rust removal+primer and paint treatment, with superior anti-corrosion performance.

（4） Tensioning device - maintain tension and prevent slipping

Function: Ensure sufficient friction between the conveyor belt and the drive drum, limit the verticality of the belt between the rollers, and prevent slippage.

Main types:

Spiral type: With a simple structure, it is suitable for short distance conveyors.

Heavy hammer type (vertical or vehicle type): It can automatically compensate for belt elongation, maintain constant tension, and is widely used.

Hydraulic and electric winch types: suitable for long-distance and large capacity conveyors, can achieve precise tension control.

（5） Auxiliary devices - safety and environmental protection

Cleaning device: used to remove adhesive substances on the surface of the conveyor belt (such as head cleaners, empty section cleaners), to prevent material from being carried back to the drum and idler, causing deviation and wear.

Safety protection device: including deviation switch, rope switch, speed sensor, anti blocking switch, check device (to prevent tilting conveyor from stopping and reversing), etc.

Buffer bed: replaces buffer rollers to provide continuous support in the feeding area, preventing belt tearing.

3、 Main classifications and application scenarios

Classification Dimension Main Types Typical Application Scenarios

Horizontal conveying, inclined conveying, horizontal to inclined/inclined to horizontal, curved conveying, mine climbing, port loading and unloading, grain warehousing, etc

Mining heavy (high wear resistance, steel wire rope core), logistics light (modular, anti-static), food grade (hygienic and easy to clean), coal/ore mining, e-commerce package sorting, food processing according to industry characteristics

Special structure tubular belt conveyor (closed conveying, capable of spatial bending), telescopic (used for loading and unloading), large inclination angle, strict environmental requirements for power plants/chemical plants, and dock loading and unloading vehicles

4、 Application Trends and Development Prospects

（1） Intelligence and unmanned

Trend: Transforming from a single transportation equipment to an intelligent system, deeply integrating into Industry 4.0 and smart mining construction.

Key technologies:

State monitoring: Integrated with IoT sensors, real-time monitoring of temperature, vibration, and surface tearing, achieving full lifecycle monitoring and predictive maintenance.

Intelligent control: AI intelligent control speed regulation and energy-saving technology based on material flow and load; Visual analysis based deviation recognition and stacking detection.

Unmanned inspection: Install inspection robots or high-definition video inspection systems to replace manual operations in hazardous environments (such as underground coal mines).

（2） Large scale and long-distance

Capacity improvement: The length and capacity of single machines continue to break records, such as the number of single machine drives and breakthroughs in ultra long distance curved conveying (turning more than ten turns within 7 kilometers) technology.

Energy saving and consumption reduction: Through technological optimization (such as controllable start/braking, adaptive turning), the energy consumption per ton kilometer is extremely low, significantly reducing carbon emissions and operating costs compared to automobile transportation.

（3） Green Environmental Protection and Structural Innovation

Environmentally friendly transportation: In order to solve dust pollution, the development of tubular belt conveyors has been rapid, which can achieve closed back and forth transportation of materials, with continuously increasing pipe diameters (such as the first domestic project with a diameter of 750mm), and a transportation capacity of 5000 tons/hour.

Low noise and low emissions: Adopting high sealing and long-life rollers, noise reduction devices, and optimizing smooth operation -1-6.

（4） Modular and Flexible Manufacturing

Modular design: In the logistics and express delivery industry, conveyors are developing towards modular design, supporting rapid assembly, disassembly, and reassembly to adapt to changing warehouse layouts.

Manufacturing flexibility: Through digital workshops, on-demand customization can be achieved to quickly respond to different working conditions (such as special requirements for corrosion resistance, extreme cold resistance, etc.).

（5） Market size and globalization

Market growth: The size of China's belt conveyor market is expected to reach 38.8 billion yuan by 2028, especially in the context of the surge in cross-border e-commerce and express delivery business, with strong demand for parcel conveying systems.

Standard output: Domestic leading enterprises are shifting from simply exporting equipment to "technology+standards" output, serving major projects in more than 40 countries worldwide with internationally leading complex working condition solutions.

V. Conclusion

Summary: As the "main artery" of modern logistics and industrial material flow, the performance of belt conveyors directly affects the efficiency and safety of production lines.

Outlook: In the future, devices will become more intelligent, environmentally friendly, and efficient. Through deep integration with technologies such as big data and digital twins, they will continue to empower various industries to transform and upgrade towards intelligence.