The following are 10 common faults of conveying machinery and equipment, their causes and solutions, applicable to various types such as belt conveyors, chain conveyors, roller conveyors, etc.:
1. Belt/chain deviation
Phenomenon: The conveyor belt or chain deviates from the track, causing material spillage and equipment wear
Cause:
The roller/sprocket is not installed horizontally
Uneven material distribution (one-sided accumulation)
Guide wheel wear or tension imbalance
Solution:
Adjust the levelness of the roller group (error ≤1mm/m)
Install automatic deviation correction device (such as photoelectric sensor + hydraulic adjustment mechanism)
Replace the guide wheel edge with wear exceeding 3mm
2. Drive motor overheating
Phenomenon: Motor temperature > 85℃, triggering overload protection shutdown
Reason:
Load exceeds rated power (such as material accumulation overweight)
Bearing lubrication failure or cooling fan failure
Voltage is unstable (fluctuation > ±10%)
Solution:
Install current monitoring device (set threshold alarm)
Replace high temperature resistant grease every 2000 hours (such as Shell Gadus S2 V220)
Add inverter to achieve soft start
3. Chain/belt breakage
Phenomenon: Transmission parts suddenly break and equipment stops
Reason:
Long-term overload operation (load > 120% of design value)
Metal fatigue (chain plate stress concentration)
Foreign matter stuck (such as metal debris embedded in the chain)
Solution:
Upgrade high-strength materials (such as alloy steel chain plate tensile strength ≥ 800MPa)
Install metal detectors and emergency stop devices
Perform ultrasonic flaw detection regularly (once every 6 months)
4. Abnormal bearing wear
Phenomenon: Operating noise > 85dB, accompanied by increased vibration
Cause:
Seal failure leads to dust/water vapor intrusion
Grease contamination (mixed with metal particles)
Uneven axial/radial load distribution
Solution:
Use IP67 protection grade bearings (such as SKF Explorer series)
Use centralized automatic lubrication system (accuracy ±3%)
Install vibration monitoring sensor (early warning)
5. Roller slippage
Phenomenon: Drive roller idles, conveyor belt stagnates
Cause:
Insufficient belt tension (wrapped angle <150°)
Wear of rubber coating on roller surface (thickness <5mm)
Rainy and snowy weather leads to a decrease in friction coefficient
Solution:
Adjust the hydraulic tensioning device (tension value reaches ±5% of the design value)
Spray polyurethane anti-skid layer (friction coefficient increased by 40%)
Install roller surface cleaning scraper
6. Material blockage
Phenomenon: accumulation in the conveying channel, equipment overload shutdown
Reason:
Material moisture content is too high (such as sticky materials >15%)
Improper design of the guide trough (inclination <55°)
Conveying speed does not match feeding amount
Solution:
Install a vibrating feeder (control flow error ±5%)
Optimize the chute lining (using ultra-high molecular polyethylene material)
Install a blocking sensor (linked sound and light alarm)
7. Abnormal noise in the transmission system
Phenomenon: periodic noise from the gearbox/reducer
Reason:
Abnormal gear meshing clearance (side clearance >0.2mm)
Coupling centering deviation (radial error >0.05mm)
Lubricating oil viscosity does not match (such as using winter oil in summer)
Solution:
Laser centering instrument calibration (accuracy up to 0.01mm)
Replace ISO VG220 gear oil (applicable temperature -10℃~80℃)
Use maintenance-free synchronous belt drive to replace part of the gear structure
8. Electrical control system failure
Phenomenon: PLC malfunction, sensor failure
Reason:
Electromagnetic interference (such as inverter without filter)
Oxidation of terminal blocks (humidity>80% environment)
Program logic conflict (multi-device coordination abnormality)
Solution:
Install shielded cables and magnetic rings (suppress 30dB interference)
Use moisture-proof junction boxes (IP65 protection)
Perform interlocking tests regularly (once every quarter)
9. Deformation of support structure
Phenomenon: frame distortion, leg settlement
Reason:
Insufficient foundation strength (concrete grade <C25)
Dynamic load impact (such as heavy load emergency stop)
Material stress release (no annealing after welding)
Solution:
Use box beam structure (stiffness increased by 50%)
Install buffer rails (absorb impact energy)
Perform aging treatment (vibration aging or thermal aging)
10. Lubrication system failure
Phenomenon: dry friction at lubrication points, shortened equipment life
Cause:
Oil circuit blockage (impurity particle size > 30μm)
Oxidation and deterioration of grease (used for more than 6 months)
Distributor metering error (> ±15%)
Solution:
Install 10μm precision filter
Switch to synthetic grease (life extended to 8000 hours)
Adopt intelligent lubrication system (flow error ±3%)
Preventive maintenance recommendations
Daily inspection:
Visual inspection of belt/chain wear (marking measurement points for record)
Monthly maintenance:
Clean up accumulated material and calibrate sensors
Test the response speed of the emergency stop device (≤0.5 seconds)
Annual overhaul:
Full system flaw detection (magnetic powder + ultrasonic)
Replace wearing parts with a life of 80%
Through targeted maintenance, more than 60% of unplanned downtime can be reduced and the overall equipment efficiency (OEE) can be improved by more than 25%. It is recommended to establish a fault database and use AI algorithms to predict high-incidence fault cycles.
