Flexible Steel Lacing Company

Gary E Mitas

William James Daniels

John H Winkelman

Joseph C Vogrig

William Robert Wawczak

Thomas Stanley Wujek

Thomas Wujek

A fastener for splicing ends of conveyor belts together is provided having a rivet that is pre-inserted thereto to provide speed and ease in installation. The rivet is held in an aperture of the upper plate by an interference fit at the lower end thereof. Preferably, the interference fit is achieved by knurling of the lower end portion of the rivet shaft to create raised interference portions or ridges integral therewith that are sized to be in an interference fit in the upper plate aperture. The remainder of the shaft can be sized to provide clearance between it and the aperture. An applicator machine tool is also provided for automatically securing a strip of the pre-inserted rivet fasteners to a belt end in a fast and efficient manner. The tool uses operating members to first drive pilot nails through the belt lower surface into registry with the rivets, and thereafter the rivets are driven coordinated with the pilot nails that are withdrawn back through the belt. The pilot nails stop at a predetermined position and the rivets continue to be driven for forming the upset heads at the bottom of the rivet.

Pre-inserted rivet belt fastener and apparatus and method for application thereof

A strip of riveted belt fasteners is provided manufactured in a punch press or the like to form multiple belt fasteners at a time with the fasteners each being attached to an end of a conveyor belt by way of a single rivet extending through single apertures in upper and lower plates of each of the fasteners. The small fasteners herein are provided with sufficient strength to be used in abusive hay baler applications while the fasteners must travel about small pulleys, e.g. 3&Prime; to 3.5&Prime; inches in diameter. Further, the installation of this rivet belt fastener in the field is about as simple as driving a nail requiring a portable applicator tool and a hammer. That is, the fasteners can be riveted attached to the belt end by way of a low cost applicator tool that includes recessed hardened anvil surfaces integrally formed in the body thereof to upset initially rivets which are driven through the belt with a separably attached pilot nail. The hollow rivet end flares out against the hardened anvil surfaces of the tool with the surfaces being inclined for curling of the rivet end back up into an enlarged recess in the overlying plate aperture. As the rivet is driven, the belt compresses with the rivet end being upset; and upon removal of the driving force, the belt decompresses to draw the curled, upset rivet end into the plate aperture.

Rivet belt fastener

A portable belt clamping and pulling apparatus is provided to grip and pull belt ends together for splicing belt ends of a conveyor belt. A pair of belt ends are clamped between respective pairs of I-beams, the clamped belt ends are pulled together by a come-along mechanism, and the free ends of belt between the I-beams are maintained held together in a tension-free environment to allow fastening together of the belt ends. The preferred clamping jaws are in the form of at least one clamping lever pivotally mounted on a central frame having a central opening through which the I-beams are inserted. The clamping lever is connected to a pulling device that pivots the clamping lever to cause the clamping members to tightly grip a belt end between the I-beams. The clamping jaws include respective pre-tightening screws for clamping the I-beams to the belt prior to the initiation of pulling by the chains so as to eliminate slippage of the belt from between the I-beams during the initial pulling. The belt is gripped against slipping by being bent in a serpentine path between I-beam flanges of different width spans. Vertical guiding surfaces on frame walls defining the central opening are positioned adjacent respective forward and rear vertical surfaces of the I-beams to guide at least one of the I-beams for vertical translation and to limit torsional twisting and rotation of the I-beams. In one embodiment, one clamping member is supported on a stationary anvil on the frame while a piston is pushed against the other clamping member by a lever pivoted by the pulling device.

Conveyor belt clamping and pulling apparatus

A portable belt clamping and pulling apparatus is provided to grip and pull belt ends together for splicing belt ends of a conveyor belt. A pair of belt ends are clamped between respective pairs of I-beams, the clamped belt ends are pulled together by a come along mechanism, and the free ends of belt between the I-beams are maintained held together in a tension free environment to allow fastening together of the belt ends. The respective I-beams which clamp the belt ends are clamped together by a pair of clamping jaws which are slidable along the I-beams to any desired position therealong to accommodate different belt widths and allow positioning of the clamping jaws adjacent the sides of the belt regardless of the width of the belt. Thus, exerting the tension force close to the edges of the belt. The clamping jaws clamp in response to the chains of the come along mechanism pulling the clamping jaws toward one another, and the clamping jaws include respective pre-tightening screws for clamping the I-beams to the belt prior to the initiation of pulling by the chains so as to eliminate slippage the belt from between the I-beams during the initial pulling. Springs and rods between the I-beams limit cocking or pivoting of the I-beams during high tension. The belt is gripped against slipping by being bent in a serpentine path between I-beam flanges of different width spans.

Growing community of inventors

Downers Grove, IL, United States of America

Gary E Mitas