Reliability Improvement of Conveyors by Resolving Drive Vibration Due to Structural Problems
摘要
Conveyors play a crucial role in the transportation of raw materials and finished goods across various industries. The motor with a gear box that drives the conveyor is mounted on structural members. However, the flexibility of these structural members can lead to vibration issues, such as structural resonance, soft foot, weakness in machine feet, and baseplate. Every mechanical system has its own natural frequencies, which remain dormant until they are excited by an external force. When these forcing frequencies coincide with a natural frequency, resonance occurs. Understanding the excitation and its impact on the structure is essential. Altering either the excitation or the dynamic characteristics of the structure can change the vibration characteristics. In vibration analysis, amplitude, frequency, and phase are the three key factors that help in understanding the different mode shapes while monitoring vibration. Mode shapes consist of both node and antinode points. Identifying the antinode points is crucial as it allows for the improvement of structural rigidity by adding stiffness. Advanced tools like modal analysis and operating deflection shape can be used to identify and address vibration issues. Monitoring vibration amplitude and phase at various points can help in resolving problems related to soft foot and high vibration. This paper provides an in-depth explanation of different techniques used to eliminate high vibration problems in conveyor drives.