The invention relates to a chain belt for chain conveyors used in underground mining and tunnel construction, having vertical and horizontal links and pushers spaced apart and encompassing the horizontal links, said pushers being equipped at the end with guide shoes adapted to the guide profile of the troughs.
Such chain belts with interlocking chain links are used in underground mining and tunnel construction, particularly for transporting the mined coal and rock. Such chain conveyors are also used above ground for various purposes. The chain belts are hereby pulled through conveyor troughs with a sigma profile on their sides in such a way that the pushers of the chain belts are guided therein. They are thus subject to correspondingly high wear. During the last years, the trend in the development of such chain belts consisted of choosing increasingly larger dimensions in order to fulfill ever increasing demands on performance. However, wear cannot be prevented. Instead, wear becomes increasingly greater, since the number and area of the contact points between chain and chain starwheel is becoming increasingly smaller. The obtainable lifespans are even unsatisfactory for chains with a wire diameter of 42 mm and more.
There are several known solutions for improving the power transmission between chain and chain starwheel (German Offenlegungsschrift 39 29 148, German Auslegungsschrift 27 35 792, and German Patent 37 04 176, as well as German Offenlegungsschrift 39 05 754). German Offenlegungsschrift 41 24 788 introduces a chain belt in which the horizontal links have horizontally and vertically extending double helical surfaces enabling a safe and large contact in the area of the chain starwheel. This special design results in a much improved power transmission in the starwheel area, and thus makes it possible to transmit higher drive forces with the same chain belt. The disadvantage here is, however, that the continued use of troughs with sigma-shaped guide profiles still prohibits a reversing of these chain belts, in particular of the pushers. Once a certain wear has occurred, this makes it necessary that the chain belts must be replaced, although the other side of the pushers, i.e., the side not dragging along the trough, usually would permit further use.
The invention is thus based on the task of creating a chain belt that is easily reversed, both in its entirety and in regard to its components, particularly its pushers.