Patent Application
20170023101
This application claims priority of European application no. 15162936.7, filed Apr. 9, 2015, and which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to endless belts for conveyor belts of agricultural machines.
Conveyor belts for agricultural machines usually have two or more belts of this type which are situated in parallel to one another and joined together by transverse elements such as rods. These belts must be in an endless form in order to be used. Various procedures are known from the prior art for producing such an endless form.
Thus, it is known from DE 100 37 640 A1 to intermesh the two ends of a belt in a comb-like manner, and to push one intermeshed area into the other, followed by vulcanization, for making the belt endless.
In DE 297 16 331 U1 and DE 10 2006 022 011 B3, a traction means designed as a cam belt is made endless by use of a belt fastener. Belt fasteners of this type are often used in various embodiments for making an endless traction means for conveyor belts of agricultural machines.
A flat belt made of a polymer reinforced with fabric plies is known from DE 10 2011 116 633 A1. This belt is made endless by graduating it multiple times at both ends over the entire width. This results in an overlap area in which an outer belt end and an inner belt end lie one on top of the other in an overlapping manner. On its bottom side, the belt has grooves which extend transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction at uniform intervals, and which are used in the overlap area for accommodating anchor plates. Each anchor plate has two welded-on threaded bolts that are spaced apart from one another. When the inner belt end and the outer belt end are placed one on top of the other, these threaded bolts protrude into mutually aligned holes provided in the outer belt end and in the inner belt end. Nuts are screwed onto the ends of the threaded bolts which protrude from the belt and are tightened, as the result of which the outer belt end and the inner belt end are tightly pressed against one another for transmitting tensile forces. To further improve the tensile strength at the connecting point, in one embodiment, toothed elements which are vulcanized on in the overlap area at the inner belt end and at the outer belt end are provided, and interlock with a positive fit when the connection between the inner belt end and the outer belt end is established.
The belt known from DE 10 2011 116 633 A1 has high static and dynamic strength in the overlap area. This is achieved, among other ways, in that the overlap area is relatively long, which, however, adversely affects the bending flexibility of the belt, which is necessary in deflection areas.
DE 10 2009 036 104 A1 discloses an inclined conveyor for combine harvesters, having at least two cam belts which are connected to one another by carrier bars. The carrier bars are fastened to the belt by a screw connection. For this purpose, the heads of two threaded bolts in each case together with an anchor plate are vulcanized into a cam. The carrier bars, which are provided with holes at this location, are then placed on the ends of the threaded bolts which protrude from the belt from the other side, and are subsequently fastened to the belt by screwing on nuts. As the result of the screw heads and the anchor plates being embedded in the cams, this portion of the screw connection on the one hand is protected from wear. On the other hand, noise at the drive wheels and deflection wheels is reduced, since there is no metal-to-metal contact.
The object of the present invention is to provide a belt of the generic type which has high static and dynamic strength at the connecting point, combined with great bending flexibility.
This object is achieved with a belt having the features of Claim 1.
In an endless belt according to the invention, the connecting point may have a very short design in the longitudinal direction of the belt, since its dimensioning in this regard is determined only by the relatively small transverse dimensions of the two adjacently situated thickened areas and the stops associated therewith. As a result, the belt which is made endless has great bending flexibility at its connecting point, which has a positive effect on the running performance of the belt at deflection points. Despite the short connecting point, very high tensile forces may be transmitted, since the at least one fabric ply pulls the thickened area, which it wraps around, against the associated stop when the belt is tensioned, thus clamping the at least one fabric ply between the thickened area and the stop. The higher the tensile force that acts on the belt, the greater the clamping effect on the fabric ply.
In one particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the thickened areas are situated in a cage that is formed by a first and a second half shell, the first half shell being situated on the outer side of the belt and the second half shell being situated on the inner side of the belt. The cage may have a one-piece design, in which case the two half shells are open at an end-face side of the cage, and closed at the other end-face side. However, the cage may also have a two-piece design, in which case the two half shells in the assembled state are joined together by screwing or in some other way, so that they cannot be pushed apart under stress due to tension on the belt.
Since the connecting point may have a very short design, when the belt is a cam belt it is possible to provide the second half shell, situated on the inner side of the belt, with the shape of a drive cam which fits into a predefined gap.
However, the first half shell on the outer side of the belt may also be formed by the flattened end of a transverse rod which connects two belts, in which case the two belts are made endless by fastening the transverse rod. Alternatively, the first half shell on the outer side of the belt may be provided with the shape of a flattened end of a transverse rod which connects two belts, and which is provided on an end-face side, in one piece with a bushing into which one end of a transverse rod is inserted during assembly of the conveyor belt.
Bodies which are suitable as thickened areas have material properties such that, when tension acts on the belt, the bodies are not compressed at all, or are only compressed to the extent that their degree of compression still ensures jamming of the at least one fabric ply. Rigid rods are preferably used. However, flexible bodies having the above-mentioned property may also be used.
Advantageous further embodiments of the invention result from the other dependent claims.
The invention is explained in greater detail below, based on the embodiments. The associated drawings show the following:
Relative terms such as left, right, up, and down are for convenience only and are not intended to be limiting.
In the embodiment illustrated in
The belt 1 is made of a polymer that is reinforced by fabric plies 7, the fabric plies 7 on the outer side and the inner side of the belt 1 being covered by a polymer layer. For creating the connecting point, these polymer layers are removed on both belts so that the fabric plies 7 are exposed at this location.
On each belt end, on the outer side and the inner side of the belt 1 in each case at least one fabric ply 7 is wrapped around a steel rod 6 and folded back on itself, as is clearly apparent from
The embodiment illustrated in
Although the rods 6 according to the embodiments in
In the embodiment according to
In this case, however, the two half shells 3, 4 are screwed together not between the rods 6, but, rather, in each case in the area on the fabric plies 7 which are folded back on themselves.
In the embodiments described above, the cage 2 has a two-piece design; i.e., the two half shells 3, 4 are two separate components. However, the cage 2 may also be in one piece, in that the two half shells 3, 4 are rigidly connected to one another by an end-face wall 19 at an end-face side, while the cage 2 is open on the oppositely situated end-face side in order to insert the rods 6. This type of cage is illustrated in
The embodiment shown in
In this embodiment, the first half shell 3 situated on the outer side of the belt 1 also has the shape of a flattened end 20 of a transverse rod which connects two belts, and which is provided on an end-face side, in one piece with a bushing 13 which may receive one end of a transverse rod (without flattened ends) during assembly of a conveyor belt.
In the embodiment illustrated in
In all embodiments, the rods 6 are inserted loosely into the fabric plies 7, and are only held in position by same. Alternatively, the rods 6 may be vulcanized into the fabric plies 7.
While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, it is understood that it is capable of further modifications, and uses and/or adaptations of the invention and following in general the principle of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within the known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains, and as may be applied to the central features hereinbefore set forth, and fall within the scope of the invention or limits of the claims appended hereto.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15162936.7 | Apr 2015 | EP | regional |
