OPTIMISATION OF THE VULCANISATION PROCESS FOR SPLICING STEEL CORD CONVEYOR BELTS USING A NEW HEATING METHOD

Belt conveyors are used to enable high flows of bulk materials. The use of steel cord conveyor belts is appropriate where goods have to be transported over long sections or there are great differences in altitude. However, due to handling and transport restrictions, only limited segment lengths of these belts are produced. The individual segments are then spliced on site in a time consuming operation. The splicing process includes preparation and implementation of hot vulcanisation using special vulcanising devices. Hot plates positioned above and underneath the conveyor belt splice apply heat and pressure simultaneously to the splice. The combined heating method for hot vulcanisation of steel cord conveyor belts described in this paper uses the steel cords, which are embedded in the conveyor belt to act as tension members, as an additional source of heat. In this way, the duration of the vulcanisation process can be substantially reduced, while delivering the same splice strength.