At the Chicago Area Consolidation Hub of UPS, infrared thermography is being used with ultrasound to predict mechanical failure in 452 rubber-belted powerturn conveyors used to redirect conveyor trains in a particular direction.

Powerturn conveyors have a bead stitched into the edge of the belt, which rides on guide rollers designed to keep the belt centered. With the conveyors running at up to 450 fpm, even a slight misalignment at any of the 240 rollers will cause the bead to wear prematurely. The speed of the conveyors makes it nearly impossible for a mechanic to evaluate the bead during a runtime PMI.

According to UPS, thermography has detected slight temperature increases at the guide rollers caused by improper belt tension or roller adjustment, enabling minor corrections to be made before the bead is damaged. . . click here to read complete case study (759 kb). Or right-click on the link to download file.

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