Whenever you’re transporting materials up an incline, such as on a graded conveyor, you’ve got the potential for disaster. If the power cuts out or your power transmission equipment goes kaput, you run the risk of damaged equipment and injured employees.
That’s why a backstop is such an important mechanical power transmission product for applications involving a grade, such as inclined conveyors, bucket elevators, fans, rotary pumps and kilns. The backstop acts as your safety net, preventing reverse rotation in your power transmission equipment.
How Falk Backstops Work
Falk backstops feature a roller/ramp design, freewheeling cylindrical rollers that allow load engagement upon reversal. These large, rugged cylinders offer a wide contact area, reducing wear on your power transmission equipment, while the ramp, or wedge, acts as a door stop – the greater the torque, the tighter the stop. Falk backstops feature capacities ranging from 3,000 to 747,000 lb-ft, which makes them a versatile choice for any application in which materials must be conveyed up steep grades.
Other Types of Backstops
Unlike Falk’s cylindrical backstops, sprag-type backstops feature a non-cylindrical clutch wedge that creates a sliding or dragging. The result is that wear and tear is focused on a smaller surface, which can limit the life of the mechanical power transmission product. Sprag-type backstops also lack uniformity of shape, making them less reliable under the normal stresses associated with operating your power transmission equipment.
Importance of Lubrication
As with any other mechanical power transmission product, your backstop requires proper lubrication in order to prevent power transmission equipment failure. The better the lubrication system, the longer the life of your backstop. Falk backstops feature an innovative lubrication system with purgeable grease-cavities, tandem seals, a contamination-proof oil sight gauge and a filtered breather to help extend the life of the product.
[Photo by: CDEGlobal]
Posted under Products/Services on Tuesday, June 21st, 2011