A close tolerance disc for a flexible member conveyor including a disc body member and a movable resilient ring. The ring is preferably formed of a durable polymer interlocking ring where the ring outer periphery closely matches the inside surface of the conveyor tubing. The resilience of the ring biases it to conform to the inside surface of the conveyor tubing to provide 100% conveyance of the material in the system. The ring can move in place within a groove in the body member of the disc, as well as distort to self-align and conform to the irregularities that are present in the manufacturing of the conveyor tubular components. The ring is easily removeable for quick replacement and cleaning. The interlocking ends of the ring keep the ring ends in place and in line to prevent the ends from being misaligned while passing through a partially cutaway portion of the tube.

A close tolerance disc for a flexible member conveyor including a disc body member and a movable resilient ring. The ring is preferably formed of a durable polymer interlocking ring where the ring outer periphery closely matches the inside surface of the conveyor tubing. The resilience of the ring biases it to conform to the inside surface of the conveyor tubing to provide 100% conveyance of the material in the system. The ring can move in place within a groove in the body member of the disc, as well as distort to self-align and conform to the irregularities that are present in the manufacturing of the conveyor tubular components. The ring is easily removeable for quick replacement and cleaning. The interlocking ends of the ring keep the ring ends in place and in line to prevent the ends from being misaligned while passing through a partially cutaway portion of the tube.

An article transport device includes a transport mechanism which is configured to support, from below, a container being transported and to transport the container along a transporting path, and a housing which forms an accommodating space in which at least a part of the transport mechanism is housed. The housing has one or more support plates, a plurality of brackets, and a housing panel. Each of the one or more support plates is a plate-shaped member extending along the transporting path and is configured to support the transport mechanism from below. A lower end portion of each of the plurality of brackets is attached to a corresponding one of the one or more support plates such that the plurality of the brackets are spaced apart from one another along a direction along the transporting path, outside the accommodating space along the lateral width direction. When the housing panel is not attached to the at least one of the plurality of brackets, the housing is provided with a communicating opening for allowing communication between a space inside and a space outside the accommodating space. The vertical dimension of the communicating opening is set to be a dimension that corresponds to a vertical dimension of the at least one of the plurality of brackets.

An apparatus and method are provided for the industrial manufacture of bakery products, such as long or elongated breads, rolls, baguettes, Parisian breads, round loaves. The apparatus includes a conveyor for conveying at least one piece of dough on a conveying surface in a transport direction, a substrate which is arranged above said conveyor. The substrate includes a contact surface at a side facing the conveyor. The apparatus is configured for providing a relative movement between the contact surface and the conveying surface. The contact surface is configured for touching an upper side of said at least one piece of dough on said conveying surface. And the apparatus further includes a heating device configured for heating at least a part of a circumference of the at least one piece of dough facing the contact surface for forming a film on said part of the circumference.

An apparatus and method are provided for the industrial manufacture of bakery products, such as long or elongated breads, rolls, baguettes, Parisian breads, round loaves. The apparatus includes a conveyor for conveying at least one piece of dough on a conveying surface in a transport direction, a substrate which is arranged above said conveyor. The substrate includes a contact surface at a side facing the conveyor. The apparatus is configured for providing a relative movement between the contact surface and the conveying surface. The contact surface is configured for touching an upper side of said at least one piece of dough on said conveying surface. And the apparatus further includes a heating device configured for heating at least a part of a circumference of the at least one piece of dough facing the contact surface for forming a film on said part of the circumference.

Mining machines such as continuous miners and chain haulage units may include chain conveyors that are capable of deflecting laterally in order to travel through lateral turns. The chain conveyors may include flight members for pushing or urging material along a pan. The chain may be driven by one or more sprockets. In one independent aspect, a link for a chain conveyor includes a body including a first end a second end opposite the first end, a first opening proximate the first end and extending in a direction transverse to a direction of travel of the link, a second opening proximate the second end and extending in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the link, and a relief opening extending through the link body and positioned between the first end and the second end.

The present invention provides a material conveying device including a material conveying groove, having a traveling track; a material bearing and conveying assembly, including: an annular chain; traveling units arranged on the chain at intervals, drivable by the chain to move on the traveling track along a material conveying direction, and provided with a bottom surface close to the material conveying groove, a top surface opposite the bottom surface and side surfaces extending between the top and bottom surfaces; a belt-shaped elastic material bearing portion, connected to the top surfaces and/or the side surfaces of the two adjacent traveling units; and a driving device to drive the chain to circularly rotate relative to the material conveying groove along the material conveying direction. The working state of material conveying equipment can be improved, and the stability and economic index of the equipment can be enhanced.

The present invention provides a material conveying device including a material conveying groove, having a traveling track; a material bearing and conveying assembly, including: an annular chain; traveling units arranged on the chain at intervals, drivable by the chain to move on the traveling track along a material conveying direction, and provided with a bottom surface close to the material conveying groove, a top surface opposite the bottom surface and side surfaces extending between the top and bottom surfaces; a belt-shaped elastic material bearing portion, connected to the top surfaces and/or the side surfaces of the two adjacent traveling units; and a driving device to drive the chain to circularly rotate relative to the material conveying groove along the material conveying direction. The working state of material conveying equipment can be improved, and the stability and economic index of the equipment can be enhanced.

Disclosed is a device and method for distributed detection of straightness of a working face of a scraper conveyor based on optical fiber sensing. The device includes a broadband light source, a first optical fiber circulator array, a second optical fiber circulator array, a collimator array, a reflecting film array, a third optical fiber circulator array, and an optical path analyzer. During transmission of light emitted from the broadband light source, the light with different wavelengths is separated via several optical gratings etched on a single-mode optical fiber (SMF), and reaches reflecting films adhered to the working face of the scraper conveyor through first optical fiber circulators, second optical fiber circulators, and collimators. The light with the different wavelengths is then reflected back from the reflecting films, enters the SMF through third optical fiber circulators, and finally enters the optical path analyzer.

Disclosed is a device and method for distributed detection of straightness of a working face of a scraper conveyor based on optical fiber sensing. The device includes a broadband light source, a first optical fiber circulator array, a second optical fiber circulator array, a collimator array, a reflecting film array, a third optical fiber circulator array, and an optical path analyzer. During transmission of light emitted from the broadband light source, the light with different wavelengths is separated via several optical gratings etched on a single-mode optical fiber (SMF), and reaches reflecting films adhered to the working face of the scraper conveyor through first optical fiber circulators, second optical fiber circulators, and collimators. The light with the different wavelengths is then reflected back from the reflecting films, enters the SMF through third optical fiber circulators, and finally enters the optical path analyzer.