Conveyor Components’ Model BR Brush

To keep conveyor belts from wearing too soon, cleaning them is a must. The team at Conveyor Components Company, Croswell, Michigan, devised the Model BR brush that affixes to a flat area of the conveyor system to assist in keeping carryback material off the return belt. Here’s how it works.

First, the user wires the brush’s 230/460-volt motor to start and stop with operation of the conveyor. When the conveyor is in use, the brush’s enclosed and fan-cooled electric motor will drive the V-belt, which is located in a belt guard. In turn, the V-belt drives the shaft upon which the cast iron hubs holding the Model BR’s 12 helically shaped brush strips are located.

The Model BR’s standard brush is composed of nylon bristles and is 10 inches in diameter, but oil tempered wire and polypropylene bristles are also available. The manufacturer recommends nylon bristles, which come in 0.014, 0.028 and 0.04-inch diameters—including use with aggregates—and suggests thicker bristles for heavy, wet or tacky carryovers, and thinner bristles for lighter, dryer carryovers.

As the motor drives the brush, the brush will rotate against the belt’s direction of travel at about twice the speed of the belt, but not slower than 200 RPM. Users adjust the rotation speed via the Model BR’s multiple sheave arrangements, which allow for three speeds: 278, 472 and 547 RPM, yielding speeds of 728, 1117 and 1433 feet per minute, respectively.

As the shaft rotates, the bristles will begin to brush the conveyor belt. Users regulate brushing pressure using the Model BR’s threaded rod assembly. Regardless of bristle type used, the bristle ends should just touch the belt, as unnecessary pressure causes a poor wiping action rather than a brushing action.

When the conveyor is turned off, the Model BR motor automatically turn offs. The self-cleaning brush’s open-face design aims to insure non-loading, but in the event that a brush strip must be replaced, replacement strips can be inserted with a recommended torque for the BR-22 clip assemblies between 5 and 10 foot pounds.

For more information, contact Rich Washkevich at info@conveyorcomponents.com, 800-233-3233, or 810-679-4211.