IJSRD - International Journal for Scientific Research & Development| Vol.

2, Issue 04, 2014 | ISSN (online): 2321-0613

DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION OF IDLER FOR BELT CONVEYOR

1

Hitesh J Soni1, Mr. Ronak R Patel 2

ME-Machine Design- pursuing 2 Assistant Professor
1, 2
B.V.M Engg. College, Vallabh Vidyanagar.

Abstract The work present in this paper focuses on the

reduction of cost of idler as belt conveyor co n s is t o f
ma n y id ler a nd r ed u ci n g r u n n i n g co s t o f
co n v e yo r s ys te m b y o p ti mi zi n g b y. i ) Selecting
optimum diameter of shell, ii) selecting optimum diameter
of shaft. iii) Thickness of shell. iv) Distance between two
bearings. Modeling and Analysis of parts of idler is done by
using Finite Element Method.

Fig. 1: Schematic of conveyer belt.[28]

III. IDLER

Keywords: Idler; cost of idlers; Optimizing of idler.

I. INTRODUCTION
Conveyors are a powerful material handling tool. Using
conveyor systems is a good way to reduce the risks of
musculoskeletal damage in tasks or processes that involve
manual handling, as they reduce the need for cyclic lifting
and carrying. They offer the opportunity to improve
productivity, reduce product handling and damage, and
minimize labor content in a manufacturing or distribution
facility. Conveyors are generally classified as either Unit
Load Conveyors that are designed to handle specific
uniform units such as cartons or pallets, or Process
Conveyors that are designed to handle loose product such as
sand, gravel, coffee, cookies, etc. which are fed to
machinery for further operations or mixing. It is quite
common for manufacturing plants to combine both Process
and Unit Load conveyors in its operations. Roller conveyor
is not subjected to complex state of loading even though we
found that it is designed with higher factor of safety. If we
redesigned critical parts e.g. Roller (Idler), Bearing & Frame
etc then it is possible to minimize the overall weight of the
assembly.
Idler is the supporting device for belt and cargo of
a belt conveyor. Idlers move as the belt moves so as to
reduce the running resistance of the conveyor. Idlers
qualities depend on the usage of the belt conveyor,
particularly the life span of the belt. However, the
maintenance costs of idlers have become the major part of
the conveyors operating costs. Hence, idlers need to have
reasonable structure, durability in use, small ratio of steering
resistance, reliability, and dust or coal dust cannot get in
bearing, due to which the conveyor has a small running
resistance, saves energy and prolongs the service life. [6]

Idlers are used on a belt conveyor to support the belt on

the carrying and return strands. Carrying idlers also
support the load in transit along the conveyor. There is an
array of idlers available on the market for the use on
conveyors in different applications. Some examples of the
different types of idlers available are shown below.
Types of idlers:
Idlers can be divided into trough idlers (Figure 1), flat idlers
(Figure 2), impact idlers (Figure 3) and centering idlers
(Figure 4) according to the function.

Fig. 2: Troughing idler

Fig. 3: Flat idler

Powered belt conveyors are considerable long as

compared to roller conveyor. So we can achieve
considerable amount of material saving if we apply above
study related to roller conveyor to this belt conveyor to
Finite Element Method which is used to carry out the
stress analysis.
II. TERMINOLOGY OF ELEMENTS
Schematic display of the mechanical elements of a belt
conveyor.

Fig. 4 : Impact idler

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DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION OF IDLER FOR BELT CONVEYOR

(IJSRD/Vol. 2/Issue 04/2014/56)

Life of bearingin hours

life of bearingin revolutions

(speed of bearingin RPM ) 60

D. Shaft Deflection
The acceptable shaft deflection is governed by the amount
of deflection which the outer and inner races of the bearing
can be defection without resulting in a substantial decrease
in bearing life.

Fig. 5 : Centering idler

A. IDLER SPACING
The spacing or pitch of idlers has a direct impact on the sag
of the belt between the idler sets. The idlers on the carrying
side of a conveyor must support both, the belt and the load
carried by the belt and on the return side, the idlers must
support only the empty return belt.

Fig. 7: Loading condition due to total load

Fig. 6: Belt sagging [28]

An excessive sag in the belt results in a higher
power consumption for the conveyor and therefore the
pitch of the idlers in conjunction with the tension in the
conveyor should ensure that the sag is limited to between
1,5% and 3%.[28]
B. General concept of Design
While designing the main component of the roller, it must
be borne in mind that majority of component are designed as
per calculation, some are determined empirically and/or by
experience only. The main components are i) Roller
diameter, 2) RPM of roller, 3) Shaft diameter, 4) Size of
shell of roller, 5) Bearing capacity.
Diameter of roll and shaft are inter-related in
calculating an optimum idler design, because they directly
affect the bearing life. Therefore the initial criteria for
selection will be:
(a). Roll diameter
(b). Bearing life
(c). Shaft deflection

Indention Power Reduction :

The formula used to calculate the angular deflection is:

Angular Deflection = (minutes) [3]

P C I 4 E I 180 60

Where: - C = dimension from bearing to reaction point (m)

P
=
Total
load
acting
on
roller
I = modulus of elasticity (210 Gpa for steel)
J = moment of inertia of the shaft (m 4) = () (d 4/64)
d = shaft diameter (m)
By substitution the formula may be simplified to:
Angular Deflection =

1 d 1
d 2

2/3

C. Bearing life
To calculate the bearing life, the actual load on the bearing
is computed from the table and check up whether the chosen
bearing would give the anticipated life for the
application[17,3]
3

D
Hence life of bearing 106 revolutions
L

From the formula V

DN

0.08373 P C I

Where the units of dimensions C, P and d are now in mm

Changing the roller diameter from lower to higher the

power reduction will be more according to difference of
diameter.

[3]

Thus the factors influencing shaft deflection are the

shaft diameter and the distance between bearing
and support point.
Increasing the shaft diameter is the simplest
method of reducing deflection.
The distance between the support point and roller
face is normally determined by applicable
specifications like the roll end design.
Thus the c dimension is largely dependent on the
design of the sealing system utilized for bearing
protection, and should be minimized on the basis of
allowing sufficient space for the installation of an
efficient sealing system.
The permissible angular misalignment between
outer and inner races, which will not produce
inadmissibly high additional stresses in the bearing,
depends on the radial internal clearance of the
bearing during operation, the bearing size, its
internal design and the forces and moments acting
on it.

Bearing manufacturers quote the following limits:-

60 [26]
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DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION OF IDLER FOR BELT CONVEYOR

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Table. 1: shaft deflection (allowable)

[10]

Taper roller bearing

2 minutes

Standard Deep groove ball

2-10 minutes

clutch resistant bearings

13.75 minutes

Table. 1: shaft deflection (allowable)

[10]

For design purposes some allowance has to be made for the

possibility of the bearing being installed in a slightly
misaligned position and the following deflection limits are
in general use:

Deep Groove Ball Bearings is 6 minute

Seize Resistant Bearings is 10 minutes [10]

E. Calculation of the load on idler roll

Considering troughing idler is used in conveyor

system. Troughing idler are of two types
(1). Equal roller, which have all roller of equal
size,
(2). unequal roller which have middle roller
smaller than other roller. The load
distribution will be different according to
angle of troughing. Actual load on the
middle idler depends upon angle of
troughing. It is seen that middle roller of unequal

loading and
consumption.

discharge,

belt

tensions

and

power

H. Belt width
Belt width shall not be less than 800 mm, for special
applications 650 mm belts may
be used. In packing
plants 500 mm flat belts may be applicable.
The minimum belt width for reversible conveyors shall
not be less than 800 mm.
I. Belt conveyor sub system design guidelines
1) Idler design
Trough angle shall not be less than 30.
Carrier and return idler diameter shall be designed
according to DIN (15207-1 /22107) or CEMA
(Class C) or equivalent, (bearing life L10 =
60000 h at 500 rpm), guaranteed idlers failure
less than 2% replacement per year, within 5 years
after commissioning.
General design calculation of idler
1

Determine Load
acting on Idler
(P)
A.

rollers is smaller than equal roller. Total load acting

on middle roller is 50 to 70 percentage of total
load. To distribute load equally on each roller
unequal roller is preferred.

B.

Static Load (Ps)

(Wm+Wb) x Lc
xg

Wm

Q/v

Wb

From table of B

Dynamic Load
(Pd)

Ps x Sf x Lf x
B10f
Pd=P

N
K
g/
m
K
g/
m
N
N

Determine Roller
2
Size
Length of Roller
(Br)

A.

Reactions at end
of Roller
(RA=RB)
Bending Moment
at A (Ms)
Section Moduls
of shaft (Zr)

B.

Fig. 8: Rollers for troughing idler (equal or unequal)

The load acting on the middle roller is defined by
area BEGJC . The load acting on side roller is defined by
area AEFB, which is less than the middle roller.

Roller Inner
Diameter (DIi)

C.

Effective belt width used for conveying material is ABCD

= (0.9W 50) mm as per DIN 22101
F.
General theoretical Design guidelines
All belt conveyors shall be designed according to the
applicable guidelines (DIN, CEMA, ANSI).From
experience, see some initial characteristics of bulk material,
density, physical conditions etc.
G. Belt speed
A number of factors should be considered when
determining the correct conveyor belt speed. They
include the material particle size, the inclination of the belt
at the loading point, degradation of the material during

D.
Determine Shaft
Size
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Thickness (TI)

Reactions at end
of shaft
(RA=RB)
Bending Moment
at A (Ms)
Section Moduls
of shaft (Zs)
Shaft Diameter
(d)
Length of Shaft

(2 x (Side
margin:0.075m)
+B

P/2

P x Br/2
Ms/sigma
((DIo^4)-(32 x
Z/pi x
DIo))^(1/4)
(DIo-Dii)/2

P/2
RA x l
Ms/sigma
(32 x
Zs/pi)^(1/3)
Br+2 x (0.075)

N.
m
m
3
m
m

N
N.
m
m
3
m
m

Table. 2:General design calculation of idler

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DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION OF IDLER FOR BELT CONVEYOR

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Notations
Sign

Details

Ps
Wm
Wb
Lc

Load acting on carrying

Idler
Static Load
Weight of material
Weight of belt
Carring Length

Acceleration due to gravity

Q
v
Pd
B
Sf
Lf
B10
f
Br
DIo
DIi
TI
Mr
Zr
RA
RB

Capacity of Conveyor
Velocity of belt
Dynamic Load
Belt Width
Speed Factor
Lump Factor

l
Ms
Zs
d
sig
ma

Give
n

Convert
ed

Unit

Unit

N
Kg/m
Kg/m
mm
m/sec
2
TPH
m/sec
N
mm

N
Kg/m
Kg/m
m
m/sec2
Kg/sec
m/sec
N
m

Externally applied forces and pressures

Steady-state inertial forces (such as gravity or rotational
velocity)
Imposed (nonzero) displacements
Temperatures (for thermal strain)
A static structural analysis can be either linear or
nonlinear. All types of nonlinearities are allowed - large
deformations, plasticity, stress stiffening, contact (gap)
elements, hyper elasticity and so on. This chapter focuses on
linear static analyses,
L. Procedure of Finite Element Analysis
In practice, a finite element analysis usually consists of three
principal steps.[25]
Per processing, Analysis & post processing.

Life Factor
Length of Roller
Outer diameter of Roller
Inner diameter of Roller
Thickness of Roller
Bending moment of roller
Section moduls of Roller
Reaction at point A of shaft
Reaction at point B of shaft
Distantance from C to A on
shaft
Bending moment of shaft at
A
Section modulus of circular
shaft
Diameter of shaft
Maximum allowable Stress
in shaft

caused by loads that do not induce significant inertia and

damping effects. Steady loading and response conditions are
assumed; that is, the loads and the structure's response are
assumed to vary slowly with respect to time. The types of
loading that can be applied in a static analysis include:

m
mm
m
m
M*m
m^3
N
N

m
m
m
m
m^3
N
N

mm

N*m

N*m

m^3

m^3

m
N/m
m2

M
N/m2

3 D Solid Modeling is done in Pro-e creo Software. Shaft is

fixed at end as it works as axel. Uniform Distributed Load is
given on the roller. The tetra hadron mesh is used. Triangle
element is used for better result. Analysis is done in Anysis
12.0.

Fig. 9: Idler geometry

Table. 3:Idler design

It has been observe that life of bearing is affected
by size of roller, so in order to access maximum life of
bearing & to minimize deflection in the present design.

Fig. 10: FEA model of idler

J. Finite Element Analysis

Finite element analysis (FEA) has become commonplace in
recent years, and is now the basis of a multibillion dollar per
year industry. Numerical solutions to even very complicated
stress problems can now be obtained routinely using FEA,
and the method is so important that even introductory
treatments of Mechanics of Materials.[23]
K. Analysis type
A static structural analysis determines the displacements,
stresses, strains, and forces in structures or components

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DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION OF IDLER FOR BELT CONVEYOR

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Fig. 11: meshing of part

M. Analysis
The dataset prepared by the pre-processor is used as input to
the finite element code itself, which constructs and solves a
system of linear or nonlinear algebraic equations.
Where u and f are the displacements and externally
applied forces at the nodal points. The formation of the K
matrix is dependent on the type of problem being attacked,
and this module will outline the approach for truss and
linear elastic stress analyses. Commercial codes may have
very large element libraries, with elements appropriate to a
wide range of problem types. One of FEA's principal
advantages is that many problem types can be addressed
with the same code, merely by specifying the appropriate
element types from the library.
Post processing:
In the earlier days of finite element analysis, the user would
pore through reams of numbers generated by the code,
listing displacements and stresses at discrete positions
within the model. It is easy to miss important trends and hot
spots this way, and modern codes use graphical displays to
assist in visualizing the results. A typical postprocessor
display overlay colored contours representing stress levels
on the model, showing a full field picture similar to that of
photo elastic or experimental results.
IV. CONCLUSION
From the design & analysis of roller it is seen that F r o m
t h e a b o v e i t c o u l d b e seen that for equal rollers, the
theoretical absolute of bearing life in hours is less than
unequal roller. But, the actual life would depend upon a
number of factors like:
(1). Total number of continuous working hours per day
per shift.
(2). Environmental factor Temperature of working.
(3). Quality of the bearing itself like: basic material,
manufacturing methods, tolerance.
(4). The impact force due to height of fall and lump
size.
(5). The shape of material.
(6). Maintenance practice.
(7). The way in which the rollers are loaded and
unloaded in trucks/wagons, etc.
(8). Sealing System.
Hence, if we are able to attain a life between 30,000
hours to 50,000 hrs from this rollers, which are life time
lubricated for high speed and high capacity conveyors, it is
really admirable. For roller shaft subjected to dynamic
loading, the deflection caused by the load is considers to be
the most critical factor. Deflection is also maximum on the
shaft of the central roller which carries 2/3 of the load.
When the deflection is more than the permissible, it leads to
misalignment of bearings & increase maintenance cost of
the parts.
Finite element modeling was also used to
investigate the problem of insufficient stiffness in the idler
roller. The FEA modeling shows that an roller could have its

stiffness significantly increased with only a small increase in

the overall weight of the roller.
From FEA it can be seen that as thickness of shell
increase von misses stress & deformation decreases. For end
cover plate as thickness of end cap increases von misses
stress & deformation decreases. While decreases in shaft
diameter von misses stress & deformation increases. So for
better life we can select lesser diameter of shaft larger
diameter of shell & lesser distance between two bearings.
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[22] John R. English, Availability modeling of powered

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