Energy-harvesting and -storage devices in conveyor belts and methods for molding those devices integrally into modular plastic belt links. Electroactive polymers or piezoelectric fibers co-injected with a base polymer to form belt modules harvest energy from strain or vibrations in the conveyor belt to power belt on-board devices.

Energy-harvesting and -storage devices in conveyor belts and methods for molding those devices integrally into modular plastic belt links. Electroactive polymers or piezoelectric fibers co-injected with a base polymer to form belt modules harvest energy from strain or vibrations in the conveyor belt to power belt on-board devices.

The present disclosure provides a modular belt having two or more longitudinal belt sections. Each belt section includes a traction element having a cord and a plurality of drive elements attached to the cord. The drive elements are spaced apart along a length of the cord. The belt section further includes a plurality of belt plates. Each belt plate is removably attached to a corresponding drive element of the traction element. The belt section may comprise at least one additional traction element to which each belt plate is attached. In this way, each belt plate may be attached to two or more traction elements. The modular belt includes two or more connectors, wherein each connector is configured to longitudinally couple two belt sections in order to form the modular belt as an endless belt.

Conveyor belts having an outer cover layer, an opposing inner cover layer, and a carcass disposed between the outer and inner cover layers. The outer cover layer includes a sulfur cured rubber formulation formed from a blend including from about 20 phr to about 40 phr of an EPDM elastomer, from about 1 phr to about 40 phr of a polybutadiene rubber, and from about 30 phr to about 80 phr of a natural rubber. The sulfur cured rubber formulation may include a sulfur curative in an amount of from about 1.0 phr to about 4.0 phr. The sulfur cured rubber formulation may exhibits no cracking under dynamic ozone testing conditions of 50 pphm ozone, 25% strain, and 40 deg C., at 168 hours, in accordance with ASTM D1149, and may have a rolling resistance factor value of from 0.05 to 0.06 at a temperature of 25 deg C.

Provided is an elastic conveyor belt for a transport system for conveying goods in a conveying direction along a conveyor belt plane of the conveyor belt, the conveyor belt including, on a carrying side of the conveyor belt, a carrying surface which is oriented along the conveyor belt plane and is intended for carrying the goods, and, on a guide side of the conveyor belt, a guide surface which is oriented along the conveyor belt plane and is intended for guiding the conveyor belt, and, in the guide surface, at least one groove for the engagement of a guide element for guiding the conveyor belt along the conveying direction, a longitudinal axis of the groove being oriented along the conveying direction.

Disclosed is a method of making a load-bearing traction member. According to the method, a composition including a thermoplastic polyurethane and a compound with a plurality of epoxide groups or a compound with a plurality of groups having the formula

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wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are each groups in a polymer backbone or together form a group having the formula NR.sub.4, wherein R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 each independently represents an organic group, is heated to a fluid state and applied to at least one tension member, and solidified to form a polymer jacket around at least one tension member

Disclosed is a method of making a load-bearing traction member. According to the method, a composition including a thermoplastic polyurethane and a compound with a plurality of epoxide groups or a compound with a plurality of groups having the formula

##STR00001##

wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are each groups in a polymer backbone or together form a group having the formula NR.sub.4, wherein R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 each independently represents an organic group, is heated to a fluid state and applied to at least one tension member, and solidified to form a polymer jacket around at least one tension member

A production line with automatic belt disassembling and assembling for rubber belt vulcanization is provided and includes a working platform, two sides of the working platform are respectively a raw rubber belt placement platform and a finished rubber belt placement platform; and a truss; a rubber belt clamping device, a circular die clamping device and a transferring device are arranged on the truss; the rubber belt clamping device transfers raw rubber belts from raw rubber belt unloading station to disassembling and assembling station, and transfers finished rubber belts from disassembling and assembling station to finished rubber belt loading station; the circular die clamping device controls circular dies to move between the two stations; the transferring device transfers the stacked raw rubber belts and circular dies into a vulcanization device, and transfers the vulcanized finished rubber belts and the circular die to the disassembling and assembling station.

A production line with automatic belt disassembling and assembling for rubber belt vulcanization is provided and includes a working platform, two sides of the working platform are respectively a raw rubber belt placement platform and a finished rubber belt placement platform; and a truss; a rubber belt clamping device, a circular die clamping device and a transferring device are arranged on the truss; the rubber belt clamping device transfers raw rubber belts from raw rubber belt unloading station to disassembling and assembling station, and transfers finished rubber belts from disassembling and assembling station to finished rubber belt loading station; the circular die clamping device controls circular dies to move between the two stations; the transferring device transfers the stacked raw rubber belts and circular dies into a vulcanization device, and transfers the vulcanized finished rubber belts and the circular die to the disassembling and assembling station.

A pipe belt system comprising one or more thermoplastic elastomeric (TPE) layers and a reinforcement layer is disclosed. The one or more thermoplastic elastomeric (TPE) layers have a first modulus of elasticity and a first stiffness and formed across a width of the belt. The reinforcement layer is formed proximate to the one or more TPE layers and has a second modulus of elasticity and a second stiffness. The pipe belt is configured to have an open state where the belt is substantially flat and a closed state where the belt is formed having a circular shape and partially overlaps itself. The pipe belt has a combined modulus of elasticity based on the first modulus of elasticity and the second modulus of elasticity and a combined stiffness based on the first stiffness and the second stiffness.