Conveying plant

A conveying plant comprising:

• an endless conveyor belt having a pair of transversely spaced opposite longitudinal edges and spaced apart carriers formed along one surface thereof adapted to receive material to be conveyed by said belt;
• respective guide rails formed on said longitudinal edges and comprising pairs of blocks spreadable from one another and fixed in succession along the respective edges and forming guides for said edges along the full lengths thereof;
• means including said guides defining at least one relatively steep section ascended by said conveyor belt;
• respective endless ropes flanking said conveyor belt and having traction passes receivable between the blocks along each of said edges and clampingly engaged by said blocks for supporting said conveyor belt as said conveyor belt ascends along said section, said ropes passing into and out of said rails at lower and upper regions of said section respectively;
• means fixedly positioned along said section engaging said rails for clamping said passes between said blocks;
• and
• a drive unit for displacing said ropes so that said traction passes transmit tractive force to said belt when said traction passes are clamped between the pairs of blocks forming the rails along the longitudinal edges of said belt.