Overrunning clutches and backstops prevent potentially damaging and costly reverse running and uncontrolled acceleration of loaded conveyor systems, improving plant efficiency in heavy industries.
Altra Motion’s brands have more than 85 years of experience providing advanced backstopping solutions to meet bulk handling material requirements globally.
Altra backstopping products are widely used on inclined conveyor drives and bucket excavators in both open pit and underground coal, copper, nickel and iron ore mines, processing plants and shore-to-ship loading and unloading facilities.
Low-speed and high-speed backstops are specified and designed with a high degree of precision by experienced design engineers working closely with the overrunning clutch manufacturer.
With an in-depth knowledge of the application torque loads, it is possible to design an optimal compact, cost-effective backstop that safeguards the conveyor drive train reliably against overload.
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Plant efficiency can be improved even further by using Stieber backstops with controlled release functionality that significantly reduces stoppage times for belt unloading following a drive failure.
A major European mine equipment manufacturer required a backstopping clutch for a bucket wheel excavator used at an open pit coal mine. The continuously rotating bucket wheel removes overburden which is transferred to an onboard inclined discharge conveyor that dumps the material onto an overland conveyor for further transport to an overburden spreader.
A Stieber Model RSCI 260 clutch, with a torque capacity of 65,000 Nm was selected to meet the requirements of this challenging application. Model RSCI is an external bearing-supported, centrifugal throwout (C/T) sprag type overrunning clutch with a rotating inner race. The primary advantage of the centrifugal throwout sprag retainer is that when the sprags lift off the outer race, there is no rubbing contact in the clutch.