METHOD FOR PRODUCING AN ENDLESS BELT WITH A BELT BODY

Abstract

A method for producing an endless belt, and an endless belt having a belt body with a first main surface and a second main surface connected to one another via lateral edges, wherein a coating is applied to the first main surface of the belt body being opposite to an inner side of the endless belt in a finished state of the endless belt, wherein the coating forms an outer side of the endless belt, wherein, as coating to the first main surface of the belt body, a matrix is applied which consists of at least one base material, with hard particles, in particular with a hardness measured according to Vickers of more than 500 [HV], preferably with a hardness between 1400 [HV] and 10060 [HV], being embedded into the matrix, wherein the coating is preferably applied directly to the first main surface of the belt body.

Claims

1. A method for producing an endless belt having a belt body having a first main surface and a second main surface, wherein the first main surface and the second main surface of the belt body are connected to one another via lateral edges, wherein a coating is applied to the first main surface of the belt body being opposite to an inner side of the endless belt in a finished state of the endless belt, wherein the coating forms an outer side of the endless belt in a finished state, the method comprising: applying a matrix as the coating to the first main surface of the belt body, the matrix consisting of at least one base material with hard particles of at least one material with a hardness measured according to Vickers of between 1400 [HV] and 10060 [HV] being embedded and/or having been embedded into the base material, wherein the coating is preferably applied directly to the first main surface of the belt body, and wherein the base material is applied in a liquid in viscous form with a dynamic viscosity of 10.sup.2-10.sup.5mPas together with the hard particles, to the first main surface of the belt body and is distributed uniformly on the first main surface of the belt body by means of a doctor blade.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the base material forming the matrix for the hard particles is made of at least one polymer or a mixture of polymers selected from the group of polyimide (PI), polypropylene (PP), monoaxially oriented polypropylene (MOPP), biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP), polyethylene (PE), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyetheretherketone (PEEK) polyetherketone (PEK), polyethyleneimide (PEI), polysulfone (PSU), Polyaryletherketone (PAEK), Polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), Liquid crystalline polymers (LCP), Polyester, Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polyamide (PA), Polycarbonate (PC), Cycloolefin copolymers (COC), Polyoxymethylene (POM), Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polyvinyl carbonate (PVC), ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and/or ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene-fluoropolymer (EFEP).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hard particles include organic particles, and/or inorganic particles selected from the group consisting of corundum (Al2O3), ruby, sapphire, quartz (SiO2), topaz (Al2[(F,OH)2|SiO4]), silicon carbide (SiC), diamond (C), boron nitride (BN), aggregated diamond nanorods (ADNR), ZrO2, dopants of ZrO2, sand, TiO2, metal powders, ceramic powders and inorganic agglomerates.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the belt body is made of metal, wherein the belt body is closed by welding, to form an endless ring before the coating is applied.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that the belt body, which is closed to form an endless ring, is circumferentially arranged between two rollers before the coating is applied.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the base material and the hard particles are applied to an upper run of the belt body formed into a closed ring and distributed uniformly on the upper run by means of the doctor blade, wherein the belt body is moved further in a circumferential direction during or after the distribution of the base material and the hard particles.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the hard particles are mixed into the base material forming the matrix for the hard particles prior to application to the first main surface of the belt body.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the base material and the hard particles are sprayed, brushed, rolled and/or trowelled onto the first main surface.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the hard particles have a grain size of between 0.01 and 3 mm.

10. An endless belt, comprising: a belt body having a first main surface and a second main surface, wherein the first main surface and the second main surface of the belt body are connected to one another via lateral edges, wherein a coating is applied to the first main surface of the belt body being opposite to an inner side of the endless belt, wherein the coating forms an outer side of the endless belt, and the coating comprises a matrix which consists of at least one base material with hard particles of at least one material with a hardness measured according to Vickers of between 1400 [HV] and 10060 [HV] having been embedded into the base material, wherein the coating is applied directly to the first main surface of the belt body.

11. The endless belt according to claim 10, characterized in that the base material forming the matrix for the hard particles is made of at least one polymer or a mixture of polymers selected from the group of polyimide (PI), polypropylene (PP), monoaxially oriented polypropylene (MOPP), biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP), polyethylene (PE), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyetheretherketone (PEEK) polyetherketone (PEK), polyethyleneimide (PEI), polysulfone (PSU), Polyaryletherketone (PAEK), Polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), Liquid crystalline polymers (LCP), Polyester, Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polyamide (PA), Polycarbonate (PC), Cycloolefin copolymers (COC), Polyoxymethylene (POM), Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polyvinyl carbonate (PVC), ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and/or ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene-fluoropolymer (EFEP).

12. The endless belt according to claim 10, characterized in that the hard particles are organic particles, and/or inorganic particles selected from the group consisting of corundum (Al2O3), ruby, sapphire, quartz (SiO2), topaz (Al2[(F,OH)2|SiO4]), silicon carbide (SiC), diamond (C), boron nitride (BN), aggregated diamond nanorods (ADNR), ZrO2, dopants of ZrO2, sand, TiO2, metal powders, ceramic powders, and inorganic agglomerates.

13. The endless belt according to claim 10, characterized in that the hard particles have a grain size of between 0.01 and 3 mm.

14. The endless belt according to claim 10, characterized in that a surface of the coating comprises 1 to 10000 hard particles per cm.sup.2.

15. The endless belt according to claim 10, characterized in that the coating has a slip resistance of R13 according to DIN-51130 in a dry and in a wet surface condition.

16. The endless belt according to claim 10, characterized in that the belt body is made of metal.

17. The endless belt according to claim 10, characterized in that the coating has a layer thickness of between 0.1 and 5 mm.

18. The endless belt according to claim 10, characterized in that the coating has an average roughness depth of more than 100 μm.

19. The endless belt according to claim 10, characterized in that the endless belt has a circumferential length of between 0.2 m and 30 m.

20. The endless belt according to claim 10, characterized in that the coating is seamless.

Description

[0025] These show in a respectively very simplified schematic representation:

[0026] FIG. 1 a perspective view of an endless belt according to an embodiment;

[0027] FIG. 2 a section along the line II-II in FIG. 1, and

[0028] FIG. 3 a depiction of the production process according to an embodiment.

[0029] First of all, it is to be noted that in the different embodiments described, equal parts are provided with equal reference numbers and/or equal component designations, where the disclosures contained in the entire description may be analogously transferred to equal parts with equal reference numbers and/or equal component designations. Moreover, the specifications of location, such as at the top, at the bottom, at the side, chosen in the description refer to the directly described and depicted figure and in case of a change of position, these specifications of location are to be analogously transferred to the new position.

[0030] All indications regarding ranges of values in the present description are to be understood such that these also comprise random and all partial ranges from it, for example, the indication 1 to 10 is to be understood such that it comprises all partial ranges based on the lower limit 1 and the upper limit 10, i.e. all partial ranges start with a lower limit of 1 or larger and end with an upper limit of 10 or less, for example 1 through 1.7, or 3.2 through 8.1, or 5.5 through 10.

[0031] In addition, it should be noted that the embodiments are described across figures.

[0032] According to FIGS. 1 and 2, an endless belt 1 comprises a belt body 2 having a first main surface 3 and a second main surface 4. The first main surface 3 and the second main surface 4 of the belt body 2 are connected to each other via lateral edges 5, 6. The inner side of the endless belt 1 may be formed by the second main surface 4. A coating 7 is applied to the main surface 3 of the belt body 2 opposite the inner side of the endless belt 1.

[0033] The coating 7 forms an outer surface of the endless belt 1 and has a matrix consisting of a base material 8 into which hard particles 9 are embedded. The hard particles 9 are made of a material which can have a hardness measured according to Vickers of more than 500 [HV], in particular a hardness between 1400 [HV] and 10060 [HV]. The Vickers hardness values given in this document refer to a Vickers hardness test with a test force ≥49.03 N, in particular 49.03 N. In other words, the hard particles are made of a material that preferably has a Mohs hardness of above 5, in particular between 6 and 10. In this regard, the indication in Mohs hardness represents an alternative to the indication in Vickers hardness.

[0034] According to a preferred variant, the coating 7 is applied directly to the first main surface 3 of the belt body 2. The belt body 2 is preferably made of metal, in particular of steel.

[0035] The coating 7 may, for example, have a layer thickness of between 0.2 and 2 mm, in particular of between 0.5 and 1.5 mm, and an average roughness depth of more than 100 μm, preferably of more than 300 μm, particularly preferred of more than 500 μm. Moreover, the coating 7 may be designed to be seamless and essentially homogeneous.

[0036] The endless belt 1 may have a circumferential length of between 0.2 m and 30 m, in particular between 1 m and 25 m, and a thickness of between 0.1 mm and 4 mm, in particular between 0.2 mm and 1.2 mm, and a width of between 0.1 m and 10 m, in particular between 0.2 m and 3.2 m.

[0037] The base material 8 forming the matrix for the hard particles 9 may be formed of a polymer or a mixture of polymers. Preferably, the polymer or polymer mixture used is selected from the group of polyimide (PI), polypropylene (PP), monoaxially oriented polypropylene (MOPP), biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP), polyethylene (PE), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyetheretherketone (PEEK) polyetherketone (PEK), polyethyleneimide (PEI), polysulfone (PSU), polyaryletherketone (PAEK), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), liquid crystalline polymers (LCP), polyester, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide (PA), polycarbonate (PC), cycloolefin copolymers (COC), polyoxymethylene (POM), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polyvinyl carbonate (PVC) ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and/or ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene-fluoropolymer (EFEP). It is particularly preferred for the base material 8 to be formed from a thermoplastic polymer, wherein, however thermoset or elastomeric polymers can in principle also be used to realize the matrix formed from the base material 8.

[0038] The hard particles 9 may be formed by organic particles, in particular wheat grit, particles from nut shells, rice or particles from broken cherry stones, and/or inorganic particles, in particular selected from the group, corundum (Al2O3), ruby, sapphire, quartz (SiO2), topaz (Al2[(F,OH)2|SiO4]), silicon carbide (SiC), diamond (C), boron nitride (BN), aggregated diamond nanorods (ADNR), ZrO2 and any possible dopants of ZrO2, in particular 8YSZ and 3 YSZ, sand, TiO2, metal or ceramic powders and inorganic agglomerates.

[0039] A medium grain size of the hard particles 9 preferably amounts to between 0.01 and 3 mm, preferably between 0.05 to 2 mm, particularly preferred between 0.1 and 1 mm. The hard particles 9 may be present as single particles or, as is often the case for finer grain sizes, in the form of agglomerates. The individual particles may be similar and have a regular geometric shape—for example spherical or cylindrical. However, the individual particles may also have an irregular shape and no similarities. An example of this is the production of powders by crushing and grinding, as is frequently used for ceramic particles. Powders produced in this way have a wide particle size distribution which is statistically distributed, the d50 parameter being used as the mean value of the particle size. The mean diameter d50 of such hard particles 9 is between 0.01 to 3 mm, preferably between 0.05 to 2 mm, and particularly preferred between 0.1 to 1 mm. A surface of the coating 7 may have, for example, 1 to 10000, preferably 1 to 1000, particularly preferred 10 to 1000, hard particles per cm.sup.2. In a dry and in a wet surface state, the coating 7 preferably has a slip resistance of R13 according to DIN-51130.

[0040] To produce the endless belt 1 according to one embodiment, the base material 8 is applied directly to the first main surface 3 of the belt body 2 according to FIG. 3. In this case, the base material 8 can be applied to the first main surface 3 of the belt body 2 in a liquid form, in particular in a viscous form, preferably in a viscous form with a dynamic viscosity of 10.sup.2-10.sup.5 mPas, in particular 10.sup.4-10.sup.5 mPas.

[0041] According to a preferred variant of the method, the hard particles 9 are already mixed into the base material 8 before an application of the base material 8 to the belt body 2. Alternatively, however, the base material 8 can first be applied to the belt body 2 and then the hard particles 9 can be distributed in the already applied base material 8. For example, the hard particles 9 can be scattered over the still wet base material 8. The hard particles 9 may be statistically distributed in the matrix formed from the base material 8.

[0042] The base material 8 and the hard particles 9 can be distributed evenly on the first main surface 3 of the belt body 2 by means of a doctor blade 12, for example by means of a strip-shaped doctor blade.

[0043] Alternatively or in addition to the use of a doctor blade, the base material 8 and the hard particles 9 can also be applied and distributed on the surface of the belt body 2 by rolling, trowelling, brushing, extruding or spraying. Coating of the belt body 2 with the base material 8 and the hard particles 9 by means of a curtain coating process is also possible.

[0044] As can be seen from FIG. 3, the belt body 2 may be closed to form an endless ring before the coating 7 is applied. If the belt body 2 is made of metal, it can preferably be closed to form the ring by welding, although other types of connection such as riveting would also be possible in principle. The belt body 2 closed to form an endless ring may be circumferentially arranged between two rollers 10, 11 before the coating 7 is applied.

[0045] The base material 8 and the hard particles 9 may be applied to an upper run of the belt body 2 formed into a closed ring and distributed evenly on the upper run, for example, by means of the doctor blade 12. The belt body 2 can be moved further in a circumferential direction during or after the distribution of the base material 8 and the hard particles 9. After the base material 8 has dried, the hard particles 9 are firmly embedded in it and the coating 7 formed from the dried base material 8 and the hard particles 9 is inseparably bonded to the first main surface 3 of the belt body 2 of the endless belt 1.

[0046] The coating 7 may be applied to the closed belt body 2 in a single web, or it may be applied in multiple webs. There may be a non-coated gap between the webs. Preferably, the belt body 2 is not coated all the way to the edge to allow control of the belt movement with a belt edge sensor. In the case of multiple webs, these may have different widths. However, the webs may also have different coatings 7 with regard to the composition of the matrix and the hard particles 9.

[0047] If necessary, a subsequent treatment could still be carried out in the wet or also in the dry state of the coating 7, for example by grinding, scratching, smoothing, polishing, skin pass, texturing. In particular, when a thermoplastic material 8 is used as the base material for the matrix, a subsequent heat treatment may be carried out to modify the surface after the coating 7 has dried. Such a heat treatment may include the entire surface such that the coating properties are globally changed—for example, the texture, homogeneity or residual stresses, etc. of the coating 7 may be changed. If required, heat input can also be applied only locally in order to introduce possible local structuring, particularly in the case of a thermoplastic matrix.

[0048] In particular, it is also possible to apply the coating 7 in multiple layers and/or to retouch it locally.

[0049] Finally, as a matter of form, it should be noted that for ease of understanding of the structure, elements are partially not depicted to scale and/or are enlarged and/or are reduced in size.