The Challenge

Iron ore is notoriously rough on belts. Fines are highly abrasive, while larger ore product can cut, gouge and rip through even heavy-duty belts due to the impact from ore loading.

The severe chute loading conditions were causing problems for an iron ore mine located the Pilbara region of WA. One of the mine’s feeder conveyors handling the large, heavy product was seeing consistent premature belt failure, causing issues with maintenance costs, delays and lost production.

The existing steel cord belt was consistently falling short of the intended 24-week changeout lifecycle due to the significant damage to belt cords resulting in early belt failure. The mine reached out to Fenner Conveyors to find a solution.

Key Benefits

• Doubled Belt Life
• Increased Belt Life to 44 Weeks
• $1 Mil in Annual Operational Cost Savings
• Eliminated Rapid Wear on Feeder System

The Solution

•  A specification and application review was conducted by Fenner Conveyors to determine the ideal belt type for the application, supported by our highly qualified team of engineers and conveyor experts.
• Fenner began trialling the UsFlex® D10 product, coupled with premium cut and gouge cover compound, Z-Tuff As™ to provide superior rip resistance and impact absorption.
• The Usflex® longitudinal rip resistance from the straight laid yarns provide virtually no crimp, resulting in a belt carcass with very low stretch compared to other fabric belts.
• QA testing of the belt was conducted to confirm product designation and compliance.
• Ongoing inspections and data monitoring for wear rate, expected life and throughput to ensure quality and performance.
• An on-site resource allowed performance monitoring and optimisation whilst belt was in operation.
• Reports were compiled and presented to the client.

The Results

• Extended belt service life. The UsFlex® trial belt achieved 44-weeks in service. This equates to roughly doubling the previous belt’s service life.
• Reduced unplanned maintenance, lost production and overall conveyor down-time associated with carcass damage and premature belt failure.
• Increased operational cost savings of approximately $1MIL annually.
• Improved site sustainability by reducing premature belt disposal.
• The customer was extremely satisfied with the performance outcomes from using UsFlex®.