Goodyear underground conveyor belts to meet new safety standards

ERJ staff report (RD)

Marysville, Ohio - Goodyear's underground conveyor belts will meet the new Mine Safety and Health Administration's (MSHA) higher belt flame resistance standard, whilst also eliminating some materials that can create toxic smoke, Goodyear claimed 19 Feb.

MHSA's new standard, the Belt Evaluation Laboratory Test (BELT), requires a high level of flame resistance and reduced ability to propagate or spread flames, in comparison to the previous test, the statement said.

The company's Shield rubber conveyor belt compounds will be in compliance with MSHA's recent 30 CFR Part 14 ruling and will be unveiled at the February Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration annual meeting in Denver, said Dave Tersigni, marketing manager-conveyor belts for Veyance Technologies, the exclusive manufacturer and marketer of Goodyear-branded industrial and automotive hose and power transmission belts.

The company said that in comparison tests of smoldering belts, the smoke density of belts containing Shield compounds was 75 to 88 percent less than conventional rubber, PVC and neoprene belts. Similar tests of burning belts showed the smoke density of belts containing Shield compounds was 72 to 93 percent less than the other belt materials.

Tersigni said engineers at the company's Marysville Global Technical Center worked with parallel development plans to meet the new flame-resistance standard and create rubber compounds that virtually eliminate the use of halogenated materials like chlorine and bromine that can generate thick, toxic smoke. At the same time, engineers were able to maintain the same abrasion resistance and other performance characteristics of conventional rubber compounds.

"We've invested $1.2 million in test devices to validate Shield's performance, including sophisticated equipment to measure smoke density and toxicity," he said, "and we've conducted year-long field performance trials at active mines in a wide range of harsh operating conditions."

The new compound will be available for Veyance's three tiers of fabric-reinforced underground belts, including Goodyear CoalQuest, Glide Plus and Contender. CoalQuest is the company's premium belt with a patented Triple Warp Weave fabric that resists rips and tears from high impact damage.

The final rule currently requires underground coal mine operators to place in service conveyor belts that meet the BELT standard starting 31 Dec 2009, and replace all existing belts within 10 years.

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Press release from Veyance Technologies