Proposal for reducing the noise levels of belt conveyor tracks

Material transport in quarries is a major environmental concern due to noise emissions affecting workers and nearby residents. Long-term exposure to noise can lead to hearing loss, increased stress, cardiovascular disease and sleep disturbances. Reducing conveyor noise therefore benefits both workers and the surrounding community. In the first stage, plastic rollers were tested as replacements for steel rollers, but their cost proved prohibitive. Therefore, we developed a new approach in which traditional steel rollers are housed in polyurethane cassettes reinforced with steel inserts. The cassettes were molded in three hardness levels (70, 80 and 90 Shore) to identify the optimal material for noise reduction. This article describes the development of the cassette and the corresponding noise reduction measurements.