Martin Vibrating Dribble Chute prevents carryback

Martin Engineering has released a solution to prevent carryback released by secondary conveyor belt cleaners from sticking to the rear slope of the discharge chute. When left to build up, such material encapsulates secondary cleaners and harmful carryback is deposited onto the return side of the belt, fouling idlers and pulley. The Martin Vibrating Dribble Chute uses material disruption to cause tacky sludge and fines to fall from the chute wall and back into the main discharge flow, allowing operators to reduce maintenance hours, equipment replacement and downtime, thereby lowering the overall cost of operation.

Following customer requests, Martin engineers discovered that the majority of the buildup that is released by the secondary cleaners collected at the rear of the chute mouth, where a sloped surface can trap carryback. According to Dan Marshall, Product Engineer for Martin Engineering, “We discovered that this could happen with nearly every discharge chute conveying adherent material. In some cases, even chutes treated with a low-friction coating can experience buildup. It’s only with the persistent disruption from vibration that we found materials flowed consistently.”

The product is comprised of three parts: 

• A low friction polyeurethane dribble sheet. 
• A steel mounting bracket. 
• A powerful vibrator.

The combination of mechanical disruption and the slick surface prevents material from adhering and feeds it back into the main discharge flow. When the unit is mounted into the existing chute-work, it often extends the rear configuration closer to the belt, increasing the amount of material captured and further reducing spillage.

“We sought to design a simple and effective solution that only needs periodic pressure washing and is safer and more economical than the alternative; digging out equipment with shovels,” said Marshall. “Less downtime and fewer maintenance hours results into a lower cost of operation, and over the long run promotes a safer workplace.”

Adapted from press release by Rebecca Bowden

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/product-news/15122015/martin-vibrating-dribble-chute-prevents-carryback-182/