The simple suspension bridge is a kind of suspension bridge where the bridge body is hung from steel cables or steel wireropes that are supported on pillars separated by a certain distance. The belt conveyor is a conveying machine of which a continuously cycling endless conveyor belt for carrying materials is supported by carry rollers separated by a certain distance. The belt conveyor is also called as the conveyor (hereinafter, simply called as conveyor), and applied to fields such as mining, ports, factories and other areas where material handling is needed. The conveyor has advantages like lower cost, less environmental impact and higher energy efficiency, comparing to material handling by motor vehicles.
The conveyor can be placed on the ground or elevated above the ground on support structures. Ground based conveyor occupies massive land areas along the conveying route and also blocks the traffic on either side of the conveyor. Mounting the conveyor on support structures higher than the ground can reduce land areas occupied by the conveyor, provide better traffic access, and enhance safety. Traditional support structure is either steel trestle or concrete gallery. The traditional support method has drawbacks like high cost, short pillar spacing, and difficult to implement in difficult terrain or crossing existing building structures.
The simple suspension bridge, suspension bridge and cable-stayed bridge are different bridge structures that can be used to support conveyors and achieve long pillar spacing. However, the suspension bridge and the cable-stayed bridge need huge pillars which tower above the bridge body significantly. With the steel ropes or steel cables suspended from the top of pillars, and the bridge body suspended underneath the steel ropes or steel cables, the cost is high. The simple suspension bridge does not need large high pillars. But its bridge body has a near-catenary curve. The slope of the curve is changed suddenly near the top of the pillar. This characteristic makes a conveyor unsuitable to be mounted on the simple suspension bridge directly.