Belt Scrapers: Benefits of Pulling Double Duty

Huntington, West Virginia, March 2011

The belt scraper – unbelievably simple in design, yet the one component of a beltline’s infrastructure that can save operations thousands of man-hours, reduce injury hazard and prevent downtime from damaged components.

"When the reality of the consequences of a dirty belt are calculated they have to include the loss of time, decreased safety and lowered productivity and even penalties and fines. All of these can be avoided by successfully applying a single component: the belt scraper," according to West Virginia-based conveyor outfitter Richwood.

Some mines opt for a self-designed "homemade" version of the scraper, while others choose curved and segmented models for their infrastructure. The bottom line, the company said, is that the device performs an effective job.

So what makes a belt scraper a belt cleaner? And what makes a belt cleaner an effective one?

"It seems that a good cleaner would have everything to do with eliminating carryback on the belt and have the ability to continue to do so in a reliable fashion," Paul Patton, Sr. Manager of Technical Services said.

No operation would disagree that carryback must always remain at negligible levels so that ideal production can be achieved with minimal safety and health hazards. The question is: how can that be attained?

Patton suggested that the industry would greatly benefit from a belt cleaning "standard", the approach for which would involve a complete assessment of application factors including belt speed, belt width, the number and type of splices, the abrasiveness of the material, and the flow characteristics and moisture content of the material.

"Each of these factors would have an assigned number and become an ‘adder’ in the calculation," he explained.

"When added together these would provide a ‘score’. Using this numerical classification system the severity of an application would be determined and the correct belt cleaning solution could be applied."

The use of this system would not only assist belt cleaner suppliers to provide customers with the best solutions, but would also benefit the end user. Whether the operation’s needs were significant or minor, there would be peace of mind that the proper assessment and best recommendation had been made.

Richwood, who developed this approach, has implemented it with great success worldwide and in all types of mining applications.

"Not only does this method provide a conveyor free of carryback and eliminate the myriad of problems that go along with a dirty belt, it also makes communication about the intended approach clear and the end result certain," Mr. Patton said.

"When belts are running clean, it all adds up, to safety, efficiency and greater productivity."

Richwood designs innovative solutions for the worldwide bulk material handling industry. For over 30 years the busiest mines in the world have put their confidence in our problem solving expertise. Clean conveyors and sealed and protected load zones from site specific solutions means lowered maintenance costs, safer work areas and more efficient operations.