A Review of Conveyor Take-up Design

The conveyor design engineer's task is to find the best solution that satisfies the job criteria. Finding the solution is often made difficult by the imposition of specified criteria, e.g. belt speeds, standardisation, re-use of existing equipment etc. The designer would be aware that many of the parameters are inter-dependent. For example, which is of greater significance, the belt width or speed? Similarly, the take-up selection is a feature that is linked to idler pitch, belt strength, drive arrangement etc. Again, which is of greater significance? In practice, none of the parameters should necessarily take priority. The solution is found by varying the parameters and analysing the results to find the optimum design. Due to the variation in criteria and the complex relationships between parameters, a prescriptive selection guide for take-ups cannot be developed. The fundamental rule that is always applicable is 'keep it simple'. This paper reviews the methods, concepts and restraints that govern take-up design. The methods for determining the take-up force are not covered by this paper. They can be found in the international standards or the conveyor belting manufacturer's literature.