Conveyor belt systems are widely used in a diverse set of industrial and commercial applications. In some applications, conveyor systems are used to transport material that adheres to and does not readily detach from the surface of the conveyor belt, requiring the use of scraping devices, called belt cleaners. These devices typically operate by pressing a scraper blade against the conveyor belt, as it travels, to remove any material adhering to the surface of the belt.
The removal of residual material on the surface of the conveyor belt is particularly important in belt-type conveyor systems that use one set of top rollers to support the conveyor belt as it travels to its destination, and another set of bottom rollers, below the first set, that support the conveyor belt as it loops back around to make its return trip. The top rollers support the conveyor belt on the underside of the belt which is not in contact with the material being transported. The bottom rollers, or return rollers, support the belt from the top side of the belt on which the material was transported. Any residual material left on the top surface of the belt can clog the roller mechanisms, damage the surface of the return rollers, or result in poor tracking of the belt.
Industrial operations, such as mining or other resource extraction operations, rely on conveyor belt systems to move large quantities of heavy material between processing steps in the operation. Many of these operations produce low-cost resources and depend on large high-speed conveyor belt systems to provide the high throughput necessary to make the operation profitable. In these operations, machine maintenance, including maintenance of the conveyor belt systems, and the resulting downtime, is carefully planned and scheduled to maximize productivity and, thus, profitability of the operation.
Especially in mining or resource extraction operations, the belts are very large and are an expensive component of the conveyor belt system. In order to minimize wear on the belt itself, belt cleaners are equipped with elastomeric scraper blades, designed to remove the residue material from the surface of the belt. As a result, the scraper blades wear down.
Wear is a significant problem for certain parts in a conveyor belt system, such as the scraper blades, and can lead to costly unscheduled downtime as a result of wear-related unserviceability. If left without maintenance, the belt may begin to track off center, which may create additional problems with the conveyor system. When a conveyor belt system requires scheduled or unscheduled maintenance, it often requires all associated processes to be shut down until the conveyor belt system is once again operational and serviceable. The financial cost, associated with a process-wide shutdown, can be high.
Accordingly, there is a need for a conveyor belt cleaner that minimizes scheduled or unscheduled downtime of conveyor belt systems, due to wear-related replacement of parts, such as scraper blades.