Idler roller
AssigneeAerofoam Industries Proprietary Limited
InventorsThomas J. Blackwood-Murray, David Evans
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An idler roller particularly for conveyor belt support and comprises a prefabricated core member about which is moulded an abrasion and impact resistant load bearing synthetic plastic shell. The shell includes a tubular load bearing wall and integral side walls for the accommodation of bearings which receive the idler shaft. By the utilization of a relatively inexpensive core which does not require to possess load bearing properties, and utilizing this core as a former about which the load bearing shell is moulded, a satisfactory idler roller structure can be constructed relatively inexpensively. The shell should be moulded from a non-foamed polyurethane elastomer material to give high quality abrasion resistance coupled with impact resistance.
Claims10
An idler roller, comprising:
- a prefabricated cylindrical core having a central bore therethrough for accommodating an idler shaft, and an outer cylindrical shell of non-foamed synthetic plastic material separately moulded around the outer cylindrical surface and end faces of the core but not within said central bore to provide a tubular load bearing wall and end walls integral therewith, the end walls of the shell each including a cavity in which a bearing for receiving the said shaft is to be mounted.
The idler roller of any one of the above claims in which the core comprises foamed or expanded polymer material and the shell comprises non-foamed polymer material.
A method of manufacturing an idler roller, including the steps of:
- mounting a prefabricated annular core having a central bore therethrough within a closed circular cylindrical mould to provide a moulding cavity between the cylindrical surfaces of the core and mould as well as between the ends of the core and the ends of the mould but to isolate said central bore, and introducing a suitable settable plastic material into the moulding cavity to form a non-foamed, load bearing shell around the outer cylindrical surface and end faces of the core but not within said central bore.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.