Modelling of an innovative rail conveyor system

Belt conveyors are regarded as the most common material handling systems in the modern world due to their ability to handle a vast range of bulk materials. Modern belt conveyors are used in a wide range of industries ranging from food manufacturing to power generation. Although belt conveyors have been around for centuries, their principle structure have been unchanged. In this paper a novel type of conveyor system is taken into account and a mathematical model that allows the analysis of the dynamic states of the proposed belt conveyor is presented. The novel conveyor system identified as the rail conveyor implements a cart based propagation technique abandoning the traditional idlers. The simulation model is conceived by adopting a finite number of elements consisting of springs, masses, and dampers for various forces existing in the belt and other structures of the rail conveyor. Each rheological model comprised of elements described later in this paper are formulated to characterize innate qualities such as viscoelastic behavior of the belt and resistance forces experienced by the carts in the rail conveyor system.