SKF Australia has developed a solution for conveyor pulleys that provides the optimal balance of user-friendliness, high performance, and value. Meet the SDVD plummer block assembly.
Such is SKF Australia’s connection with its client base that a recent solution for the Australian mining industry was initially driven by a customer request.
SKF’s SDVD plummer block assembly was developed in collaboration with one of the biggest users of conveyor pulleys in Australia, and the solution is now available for mineral processing and bulk material handling applications sector-wide.
Conveyor pulleys are a critical component of any mining conveyor, and SKF understands that a standard housing assembly doesn’t always get the job done.
“The customer recognised that generic bearing housing assemblies, even with taconite seals, could not deliver the performance and bearing reliability requirements in their operations,” SKF Australia engineering manager Darren Kenworthy told Australian Mining.
“So SKF developed a high-performing concept – the ‘three-barrier solution’ – consisting of a spherical roller bearing with integral contact seals, together with a premium SNLD plummer block housing equipped with SKF’s heavy-duty TK taconite seals.
“This combination of SKF technologies has brought a step change in bearing reliability in the most arduous of operating environments – the Pilbara iron ore industry.”
Kenworthy said the customer recognised the expertise and value of the new bearing housing and wanted to extend its SKF partnership and solution to benefit the Queensland coal industry, which has its own unique operating environment and pulley applications.
Design features and manufacturing specifications for SDVD housing assemblies are tailored to provide the optimal balance of user-friendliness, high performance and value.
Kenworthy said a key advantage for pulley designers and manufacturers is the minimised width of the assembly, which allows the bearing to be positioned closer to the pulley drum.
“This reduces bending of the pulley shaft, enabling more optimised and cost-effective pulley designs,” he said.
“The other main benefit for pulley builders and maintenance teams is the simple and robust seal design, which speeds up assembly and reduces the risk of mistakes.”
Kenworthy said the SDVD plummer block assembly is also more practical for end users.
“Along with the simplicity and ease of use, the unique design provides the potential for simpler and faster change-out of bearings in-situ,” he said.
“It also benefits pulley life-cycle costs, as there are no spring-loaded seal lips contacting the shaft, meaning re-use of pulley shafts without re-work is more likely.”
The SDVD plummer block assembly is more versatile in that it’s fully compatible with most existing conveyor pulleys, while it also meets all common market standards – which is the result of it being conceived and built from scratch.
“The SDVD solution has been conceived from the ground up as a pulley housing, whereas traditional housing solutions are adaptations of generic designs and therefore don’t incorporate all the specific design objectives and advantages,” Kenworthy said.
The installation process for the SDVD plummer block assembly is not too dissimilar from traditional plummer block housings; however, the one-piece seal components are assembled axially rather than radially, as is traditional for split taconite carriers.
Kenworthy said this simplifies the procedure and makes it easy to achieve accurate results without risk of damaging the rubber seal elements.
Alongside in-depth instructions and accompanying training videos that take customers through the installation process step-by-step, SKF provides hands-on training sessions through either scheduled courses or dedicated on-site sessions.
SKF’s vision to deliver high performance, high reliability and long service life for conveyor pulley bearings sits at the core of the SDVD plummer block assembly, because conveyor downtime can be a killer for mining companies and contractors.
Kenworthy said the SDVD plummer block assembly is an illustration of the Australian mining sector’s proactivity in the conveyor pulley field.
“We believe Australia leads the world in conveyor pulley design,” he said. “Regarding bearing assemblies, Australia has pioneered the widespread use of taconite seals and global adoption of the sealed spherical roller bearing.
“Pulley acceptance testing (PAT) is a phenomenon which has been widely adopted in Australia within the last few years but is largely unknown overseas.
“In this respect, the SDVD is driven by Australian needs and innovation, as the housings are specified to provide the best chance of avoiding false-positives in PAT testing.”
This feature appeared in the October issue of Australian Mining.