DETERMINATION OF DIAGNOSTIC INDICATORS OF THE TECHNICAL CONDITION OF IDLERS AND THEIR SERVICE LIFE IN A HEAVY BELT CONVEYOR
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34185/1991-7848.2026.01.04Keywords:
belt conveyor, idler, idler support, technical condition, diagnostic indicators, service life, bearing assembly, vibration diagnosticsAbstract
The article addresses the problem of determining diagnostic indicators of the technical condition of idlers of a heavy belt conveyor and estimating their service life under mining conditions. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that idler failures are among the most common causes of increased belt motion resistance, damage to the conveyor belt, overload of adjacent idler supports, and downtime of the transport system. The aim of the paper is to substantiate informative diagnostic parameters that make it possible to detect defective and jammed idlers in a timely manner and to assess the degree of their service life depletion with regard to actual operating loads. The study analyses the main factors influencing idler condition, namely linear load, mass and particle-size composition of the bulk material, conveying speed, belt tension, transverse belt oscillations, impact action of large lumps of material, and radial runout of the idler shell. Based on the derived relationships, it is shown that the least reliable element of the idler is the bearing assembly, whose service life is determined by the combined effect of static, dynamic, shock, and vibration loads. An approach to estimating the bearing damage measure over a time interval equal to one full revolution of the conveyor belt is proposed, as well as a method for detecting jammed idlers by comparing the amplitudes of informative frequencies in the vibration signal of a reference support and the monitored supports while taking into account oscillation attenuation and changes in belt speed. It is established that the most informative diagnostic indicators are vibration signal parameters, amplitude-frequency characteristics, amplitude growth at informative frequencies, increased rotation resistance, and thermal overheating indicators. The practical value of the results lies in the possibility of using the determined indicators to build automated condition monitoring systems for idlers of heavy belt conveyors and to predict the maintenance interval and service life of the equipment.
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