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Converting from Fabric to Steel Belts

Conveyor users have been comfortable with textile carcass based conveyor belts for many years, and have often preferred them to steel cord based belts for a variety of reasons, including:

1Mature technology
2A large supplier base of fabric belts kept prices down and deliveries quick
3Comfort in splicing

These reasons meant that users often chose fabric belts for high rated conveyor belts, though a steel cord belt would have done the job better.As steel cord belts have also matured as a technology, and with capacity addition, belt operators need not fear price or delivery reliability as a reason to stay with fabric belts. Forech can study your existing fabric belt, design a steel cord belt to replace it, and manufacture the replacement design.

Advantages of Steel Cord Belt over Textile

Longer Life, Simpler Maintenance.

  • Life can be 40% or higher than for a textile belt
  • Less installation downtime per operating hour
  • Far fewer joint failures leads to less downtime for joint repair
  • Eliminate the danger of fabric plies separating from textile

The Benefits of Lower Elongation.

  • The elongation of steel cord belts is 0.3% compared to 4% in NN belts
  • Design your conveyor with a smaller take-up length
  • Reduce energy losses from slippage over the pulley
  • Run your conveyor at a faster speed


The Benefits of Improved Troughing.

  • A steel cord belt can trough more easily than a textile belt
  • Increase your throughput with the same width, or reduce the belt width to keep throughput the same
         
     Troughing Angle
    (of side carrying rollers)
    Minimum Troughablity (f/B)Steel Cord improvement
     Textile BeltSteel Cord Belt
     20°0.050.0860%
     25°0.070.1043%
     30°0.090.1233%
     35°0.110.1427%
     40°0.140.1614%
     45°0.170.186%

    The Benefits of a Lower Rating

    • Steel cord belts require a factor of safety of 6.67 whereas textile belts require a factor of safety of 10
    • This means that you can use a lower rated steel cord belt to replace a fabric belt
    • The minimum needed pulley diameter reduces
    • Power consumption reduces
    • Belt weight reduces

    Other Technical Advantages

       
    ParameterSteel Cord vs Textile Belt RatioImplication of Using a Steel Cord Alternative
    Elongation01:16Lower take up length
    Warp Flexibility1.6:1Smaller pulley diameter
    Adhesion
    (of cover rubber to steel bonding layer vs cover rubber to fabric)
    2.7:1Longer life, lower failures and downtime
    Troughability2.25:1Higher throughput
    Joint Efficiency3.3:1Fewer breakdowns and unplanned downtime
    Flexi Fatigue Resistance04:01Slower dynamic deterioration, longer life
    Impact Energy Absorption03:01Better resistance to shock loads, fewer breakdowns, longer life

    Lower Thickness, Lower Weight

    • The steel cord replacement for a fabric belt will weigh less and have a lower thickness
    • This can be true even when the steel cord replacement needs slightly thicker cover rubber
    • The lower thickness and weight in turn lead to lower power consumption
    • Improved throughput with lower power consumption: the conversion helps you on both sides of the ratio
    • The higher the rating, the better the steel cord advantage
    Fabric BeltThicknessWeight / sq mtrEquivalent Steel cord beltThicknessWeight / sq mtrImprovement in ThicknessImprovement in Weight
    1250/4 5+313.920.6ST800 6+413.620.72%-1%
    1250/5 5+315.421ST800 6+413.620.712%2%
    1400/4 5+315.621.8ST1000 6+413.621.413%2%
    1600/4 5+316.423ST1250 6+413.62217%4%
    1600/5 5+317.522.9ST1250 6+413.62222%4%
    1800/4 5+318.223.9ST1250 6+413.62225%8%
    2000/4 5+320.825.3ST1400 6+414.523.430%8%
    2000/5 5+319.525.9ST1400 6+414.523.426%10%
    2000/6 5+320.627ST1400 6+414.523.430%14%
    2500/5 5+32428.7ST1600 7+51724.829%14%
    2500/6 5+324.830.6ST1600 7+51724.831%19%

    The Price Advantage

    • The price advantage of steel cord belt over textile belt will vary depending on global raw material costs for textiles and steel
    • In general, starting from ratings of 1400/4 and going higher, a steel cord belt will be cheaper
    • In some market conditions, even 1250/4 belts can be replaced more cheaply with an alternative ST800 belt