A RELIABLE CONVEYOR
MAINTENANCE SPECIALIST
MAINTENANCE SPECIALIST
Modern quarrying and mining are 24/7, all-year-round operations requiring constant use of equipment to keep up with production targets.
Installing robust vulcanised rubber conveyor belt systems to transport mineral ore and coal can make an operation more efficient.
As a key way to transport raw materials from the cutting face, through processing steps to loading for transport, conveyor belts need to function like the mine does – all day, every day.
However, heavy-duty use in conditions that are often very harsh and unforgiving can create wear and tear on even the toughest pieces of quarry gear. Faults and breakages need to be repaired quickly and efficiently in order to deliver continuous production levels.
In the UK, some 2,000 active mining and quarry operations extracted 172.3 million tonnes of minerals in 2024.
Despite a decline in production, gross value added for extraction industries in the UK was valued at £6.81 billion a year, though this figure includes offshore oil and gas. Coal mining as an industry was valued at £175 million in 2022.
Needless to say, extraction, whether for fossil fuels or mineral ore, is a big money business in the UK. Any significant stoppage in production could mean lost revenue in the millions and thousands of tonnes of product.
Thankfully, with the right conveyor belt repair service, the work, including splicing, replacement belts and the vulcanisation process, can be completed very efficiently.
Depending on the damage, size and type of belt, repairs to conveying equipment can take between a few hours and two days.
The difficulty and speed of installing new conveyors on a site will depend a lot on the location, ease of access and the type of equipment needed. Replacement belts for existing functions can be installed far quicker, given that less preparation and design is required.
Although exact timings need to be estimated on a project-by-project basis, replacing a belt including vulcanisation will take at least a few days. Custom-built and very long conveyor belts can take longer to replace.
However, those few days will cost the company a significant amount of lost production time. In order to prevent shutdowns and therefore the impact on cash flows, the complete failure of a conveyor system needs to be avoided.
Scheduled maintenance of conveyor belt systems can alert organisations to when upgrades and repairs are needed, before they become bigger problems.
It can be based on calendar schedules, for example, daily, weekly, or monthly. Or it can be scheduled via usage, for example, tonnage transported or the number of hours online.
Three different types of scheduled maintenance can be implemented: preventative and predictive maintenance, and routine inspections.
Human-led visual and tool-based inspections can highlight potential issues such as material fatigue and cracks, so they can be repaired or replaced before they break.
This includes regular servicing based on the recommendations of the manufacturer, for example, parts which have high levels of wear can be replaced on a schedule to prevent catastrophic failures of systems.
This method involves digital monitoring and sensor data to predict problems. For example, a sensor capturing vibration data on a loaded belt can tell you whether it is running smoothly or catching.
Advances in technology and modelling can assist with the prediction of breakages and the need for intervention from a maintenance team. One of the most interesting is AI-led computer modelling.
A research study conducted in Poland has examined whether an artificial neural network can predict failures in mining conveyor belts.
The study, conducted by researchers from Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, investigates whether using this form of artificial intelligence can forecast failures and allow for preemptive maintenance on belt systems.
Using real-life mining data from the Belchatow brown coal mine, it examined the number of repairs and cable cuts and the ages of equipment to feed into the AI modelling. Several iterations were tested for different configurations to find the best possible fit.
The idea was to create a model that has the potential to prevent the complete breakdown of conveyor systems and reduce downtime for mining operations.
The results suggest that using a predictive model could help reduce costs associated with repairs, if used alongside human inspections and digital monitoring.
The advantages of using a proactive approach to maintenance of conveying equipment include:
Most importantly, fewer equipment failures mean a safer work environment, as well as a more profitable and efficient quarry operation.