外文原文：A Comparison of Soft Start Mechanisms for Mining Belt Conveyors 1800 Washington Road Pittsburgh, PA 15241 Belt Conveyors are an important method for transportation of bulk materials in the mining industry. The control of the application of the starting torque from the belt drive system to the belt fabric affects the performance, life cost, and reliability of the conveyor. This paper examines applications of each starting method within the coal mining industry.INTRODUCTION The force required to move a belt conveyor must be transmitted by the drive pulley via friction between the drive pulley and the belt fabric. In order to transmit power there must be a difference in the belt tension as it approaches and leaves the drive pulley. These conditions are true for steady state running, starting, and stopping. Traditionally, belt designs are based on static calculations of running forces. Since starting and stopping are not examined in detail, safety factors are applied to static loadings (Harrison, 1987). This paper will primarily address the starting or acceleration duty of the conveyor. The belt designer must control starting acceleration to prevent excessive tension in the belt fabric and forces in the belt drive system (Suttees, 1986). High acceleration forces can adversely affect the belt fabric, belt splices, drive pulleys, idler pulleys, shafts, bearings, speed reducers, and couplings. Uncontrolled acceleration forces can cause belt conveyor system performance problems with vertical curves, excessive belt take-up movement, loss of drive pulley friction, spillage of materials, and festooning of the belt fabric. The belt designer is confronted with two problems, The belt drive system must produce a minimum torque powerful enough to start the conveyor, and controlled such that the acceleration forces are within safe limits. Smooth starting of the conveyor can be accomplished by the use of drive torque control equipment, either mechanical or electrical, or a combination of the two (CEM, 1979).SOFT START MECHANISM EVALUATION CRITERION What is the best belt conveyor drive system? The answer depends on many variables. The best system is one that provides acceptable control for starting, running, and stopping at a reasonable cost and with high reliability (Lewdly and Sugarcane, 1978). Belt Drive System For the purposes of this paper we will assume that belt conveyors are almost always driven by electrical prime movers (Goodyear Tire and Rubber, 1982). The belt drive system shall consist of multiple components including the electrical prime mover, the electrical motor starter with control system, the motor coupling, the speed reducer, the low speed coupling, the belt drive pulley, and the pulley brake or hold back (Cur, 1986). It is important that the belt designer examine the applicability of each system component to the particular application. For the purpose of this paper, we will assume that all drive system components are located in the fresh air, non-permissible, areas of the mine, or in non-hazardous, National Electrical Code, Article 500 explosion-proof, areas of the surface of the mine.Belt Drive Component Attributes Size. Certain drive components are available and practical in different size ranges. For this discussion, we will assume that belt drive systems range from fractional horsepower to multiples of thousands of horsepower. Small drive systems are often below 50 horsepower. Medium systems range from 50 to 1000 horsepower. Large systems can be considered above 1000 horsepower. Division of sizes into these groups is entirely arbitrary. Care must be taken to resist the temptation to over motor or under motor a belt flight to enhance standardization. An over motored drive results in poor efficiency and the potential for high torques, while an under motored drive could result in destructive overspending on regeneration, or overheating with shortened motor life (Lords, et al., 1978).Torque Control. Belt designers try to limit the starting torque to no more than 150% of the running torque (CEMA, 1979; Goodyear, 1982). The limit on the applied starting torque is often the limit of rating of the belt carcass, belt splice, pulley lagging, or shaft deflections. On larger belts and belts with optimized sized components, torque limits of 110% through 125% are common (Elberton, 1986). In addition to a torque limit, the belt starter may be required to limit torque increments that would stretch belting and cause traveling waves. An ideal starting control system would apply a pretension torque to the belt at rest up to the point of breakaway, or movement of the entire belt, then a torque equal to the movement requirements of the belt with load plus a constant torque to accelerate the inertia of the system components from rest to final running speed. This would minimize system transient forces and belt stretch (Shultz, 1992). Different drive systems exhibit v