CONVEYOR BELT DESIGN: A COMPUTATIONAL STUDY OF COMPARISON BETWEEN PRACTICAL AND CEMA METHODS

There are two main methods used for designing belt conveyors: Practical and CEMA (Conveyor Equipment Manufacture Association). The Practical Method is applicable for systems which convey materials at low to moderate capacities over medium distances. This method first determines the power needed for the drive and finally the stress distribution along the belt conveyor. On the other hand, the CEMA Method, considered more accurate than the Practical Method, first determines the stress distribution before the determination of the power needed for the drive. Higher capacity can be handled by this method and it is applicable to more complex systems. In this work, the two methods cited above were implemented in a computer program which was used to carry out a comparison study taking into account the materials: phosphate rock and itabirite iron ore for different belt conveyor configurations. Both methods have proven to be very useful for designing belt conveyors. The Practical method is suitable for the initial design estimate while the CEMA method is the most recommended for the final design.