Dynamic Properties of Chain Drive in a Scraper Conveyor under Various Working Conditions

Abstract

A scraper conveyor is important in coal mining. During operation, its working performance is affected by chain speed fluctuations, terrain fluctuations, and load changes. Thus, evaluating the influence of these factors on the dynamic properties of a scraper conveyor is important. This study first built a dynamic property test bench. Then, the vibration signals of the reducer output shaft were measured under various chain speed, terrain, and load conditions. Finally, the dynamic properties of a scraper conveyor were evaluated by conducting a frequency domain analysis of the measured vibration signals. The results show that the output shaft of the motor, the second shaft, and the second-stage meshing gear of the reducer are sensitive to external factors. Under the terrain conditions of “horizontal + vertical” bending, the middle chute was the most sensitive to the meshing frequency of the sprocket chain. This type of condition had a significant influence on the scraping phenomenon of the scraper and the middle chute. Under various load conditions, the amplitude of each shaft of the reducer decreased, especially the amplitude of the motor output shaft, but the scraping amplitude of the scraper and middle chute greatly increased. This study is of great significance for improving the dynamic properties and structural optimization of scraper conveyors.