Methodology of the Impact Process Applying the Finite Element Method

The economy of material conveyance by pipe conveyors is largely affected by high costs of a conveyor belt and the support system of a conveyor. Even though the operational properties of a conveyor belt are taken into consideration, destruction of the top cover layer and punctures of the whole belt occur rather frequently. The most frequent cause of such damage to a conveyor belt is the impact load at critical sections of the transportation process. Such critical sections, where approximately 60 % of all the damage occurs, include chutes and filling stations. These sections are exposed to the elastic and plastic impact at the moment when the material of a certain weight falls down from a certain height (the maximum allowable impact height is 2.0-2.5 m). The magnitude and the direction of the impact force depend on the structural design of the chute and on the type of the support system. The present article deals with the application of the Finite Element Method (FEM) within the study of the dynamic effects developed at the impact of a load onto the impact bar.