Belt Conveyor Capacity Calculation: Formulas, Tables and Step-by-Step Method

Belt Conveyor Capacity Calculation: Formulas, Tables and Step-by-Step Method

A belt conveyor's capacity is the throughput it can sustain in tonnes per hour, but a single throughput figure on a datasheet rarely tells the whole story. The deliverable capacity is the product of geometry (belt width, trough configuration), kinematics (belt speed), material properties (heap density, lump size) and installation conditions (incline, length, loading geometry). Get any one of those inputs wrong and the line either chokes at the loading point, runs at a fraction of the motor's rated load, or fails on belt tension at the drive drum.

This guide consolidates the engineering approach behind belt conveyor capacity into a single workflow. It walks through the volumetric capacity formula Q = V × ρ × cos α × CF as it appears in standard practice, the four conveyor force components F₁–F₄ that drive motor sizing, and the belt and drum selection rules that close the loop. Every reference table needed for a full sizing pass is included, taken directly from Section 9 of the MEKA Crushing, Screening and Mining Equipment Handbook. A worked example shows the complete pass from inputs to motor power, and an interactive calculator at the end handles the arithmetic for any belt width, speed, density and incline combination.

The methodology applies to flat or troughed three-roller belt conveyors moving granular materials, crushed quarry stone, hard ore, sand and coal — the dominant cases in aggregate production and mining. Where standards bodies (CEMA, EN, DIN, ISO) publish equivalent procedures, the variable definitions and notation here align with European convention; CEMA users will find the same physics with different symbol choices.

What Determines Belt Conveyor Capacity?

Belt conveyor capacity is governed by five interacting variables: the volumetric capacity V, a function of belt width and belt speed under a fixed reference trough geometry; the bulk heap density ρ of the conveyed material; the cosine of the conveyor incline angle α, which accounts for the reduction in cross-sectional fill on an inclined belt; and a capacity factor CF that adjusts the result when the dynamic slope of the heaped material or the side roller angle of the trough differs from the reference geometry. The closed-form expression is:

Q = V × ρ × cos α × CF [t/h]

where Q is the deliverable mass flow capacity in tonnes per hour. The reference V values in Table 1 assume a 20° dynamic slope angle, a 35° three-roller trough, and a horizontal belt — the most common configuration in fixed aggregate and mining installations. Departures from this trough geometry are absorbed into CF, departures from horizontal travel are absorbed into cos α, and the material's heap density ρ converts volumetric throughput into mass throughput.

The Five Variables in the Capacity Equation

• Volumetric capacity V (m³/h) — set by belt width and belt speed; read from Table 1.
• Material heap density ρ (t/m³) — bulk density of the loose material as it sits on the belt, not its solid density.
• Belt incline angle α (°) — the inclination of the conveyor relative to horizontal; affects fill via cos α (Table 2).
• Side roller angle (°) — the trough angle of the carrying roller assembly; commonly 20°, 25°, 30°, 35° or 45°.
• Dynamic slope angle (°) — the angle the heaped material naturally forms on a moving belt, not the static angle of repose.

The dynamic slope angle is consistently lower than the static angle of repose because belt vibration and forward motion shake the heap toward a flatter profile. For most quarried stone, sand and crushed coal the dynamic slope sits between 15° and 25°.

Belt Width and Belt Speed Selection

Capacity follows from belt width and speed, but the choice between widths is constrained by particle size, and the choice between speeds is constrained by material abrasiveness and spillage tolerance. The two tables below set the legitimate operating window before any capacity calculation begins.

Allowed Maximum Particle Sizes for Belt Widths

Table 4 sets the upper limit on lump size for each belt width, distinguishing between uniform-size feeds (where every particle is at or near the maximum) and graded feeds in which roughly 80 % of the material is fine. Graded feeds can carry larger top-size lumps because the fines cushion the belt and prevent point-load damage at the troughing rollers.

Recommended Typical Belt Speeds by Material Type

Belt speed is bounded above by abrasion of both the belt cover and the troughing rollers, and below by the practical lower limit for material flow at the discharge end. Granular, free-flowing materials tolerate the highest speeds; quarry materials, crushed coal and soil fall in the middle band; hard ore and sharp-edged stone require the most conservative speeds to limit cover wear.

Imperial conversion. 1 m/s ≈ 197 ft/min. A typical 3 m/s quarry belt runs at roughly 590 ft/min; a conservative 1.75 m/s hard-ore belt runs at roughly 345 ft/min.

Volumetric Capacity (V) Reference Values

Volumetric capacity V is the cross-sectional area of the heaped material on the belt multiplied by the belt speed, expressed in m³/h. Rather than computing the cross-section analytically for every job, the standard reference is the lookup grid in Table 1, which spans belt widths from 400 mm to 2200 mm and belt speeds from 0.5 m/s to 5 m/s. All values assume the reference 35° side roller angle, 20° dynamic slope, horizontal travel and edge clearance of 0.055 B + 23 mm.

How Belt Width Affects Volumetric Throughput

Doubling the belt width more than triples V at a given speed: the cross-section grows roughly with the square of belt width while the speed multiplier is linear. This is why widening the belt is almost always cheaper than running an existing belt faster, both in capital and in wear-life terms. Table 1 makes the trade-off visible at a glance.

Adjusting for Slope Angle

On an inclined belt the heap loses cross-section because the material rolls back slightly against the direction of travel. The correction is the cosine of the inclination angle, which stays close to unity for shallow inclines and drops noticeably as the angle approaches the practical limit of 20–25°. Table 2 gives the multiplier for the angles most often encountered in aggregate plants.

Practical note. Even at 25°, cos α only drops capacity by about 9 %. The dominant penalty for inclined belts is not the cos α term — it is the F₃ lift force, which grows in direct proportion to the vertical lift distance and dictates motor power on long inclined runs.

Capacity Factor for Different Trough Geometries

When the dynamic slope of the heap or the side roller angle differs from the reference 20°/35° geometry, the capacity factor CF rescales V. A flat trough with a sharp dynamic slope (narrow material profile) produces less throughput than the reference; a deep 45° trough with a wide-slope material produces more. Table 3 gives the factor for combinations from 0° to 25° dynamic slope and 20° to 45° side roller angle.

The Capacity Formula in Practice

Formula and Variable Definitions

The mass-flow capacity of a troughed belt conveyor is calculated by combining the four lookups into a single product:

Q = V × ρ × cos α × CF

where:

• Q is the mass flow capacity, in tonnes per hour [t/h]
• V is the volumetric capacity from Table 1, in cubic metres per hour [m³/h]
• ρ is the bulk heap density of the material on the belt, in tonnes per cubic metre [t/m³]
• cos α is the cosine of the conveyor inclination angle, from Table 2
• CF is the capacity factor from Table 3, dimensionless

LaTeX (KaTeX / MathJax) for site implementation: Q = V \cdot \rho \cdot \cos\alpha \cdot \mathrm{CF}

Worked Example — 1000 mm Belt at 2 m/s, 30 m Length

Consider a fixed inland aggregate plant moving 0–25 mm crushed limestone over a 30 m centre-to-centre distance, with a modest 5° upward incline to clear a downstream stockpile. Material heap density is taken as 1.5 t/m³. The plant designer selects a 1000 mm belt running at 2 m/s on a 35° three-roller trough, with the material's dynamic slope estimated at 20° (typical for fine, free-flowing crushed stone).

Reading from the tables:

1. From Table 1, 1000 mm belt at 2 m/s gives V = 795 m³/h.
2. Material heap density ρ = 1.5 t/m³.
3. From Table 2, cos 5° = 0.996.
4. From Table 3, dynamic slope 20° × side roller 35° gives CF = 1.00.

Substituting into the capacity formula:

Q = 795 × 1.5 × 0.996 × 1.00 = 1,187.7 t/h

The conveyor will deliver close to 1,188 t/h under design conditions. This is the design-point capacity; in practice, plant designers apply a service factor (commonly 0.85 to 0.90) to account for non-uniform feed, intermittent loading and material build-up, giving a guaranteed capacity of roughly 1,000 to 1,070 t/h.

Tip. If the calculated Q exceeds the upstream crusher's nominal output, the conveyor is correctly sized with reserve. If Q is below the crusher's output, the conveyor is the bottleneck and a wider belt or higher speed is required — return to Table 4 and Table 5 before re-running the calculation.

Belt Conveyor Force Calculation

The drive system has to overcome four distinct resistances at the drive drum: F₁ to set the empty belt and rollers in motion, F₂ to convey the material along the conveyor, F₃ to lift the material if the belt is inclined, and F₄ to overcome friction at loading hoppers and side skirts. The total tangential force the drum must apply is:

F = F₁ + F₂ + F₃ + F₄ [kg]

All four components are computed in kilograms-force (kg) following European convention, then converted to decanewtons (1 daN = 1.02 kg) when feeding the power formula. The four sections below give each force in turn, with the variables and the look-up tables required.

F₁ — Force to Move Empty Belt and Rollers

F₁ captures the rolling resistance of the carrying and return roller bearings plus the friction of flexing the belt itself. It scales with conveyor length and depends on the weight of the rotating roller groups and the belt's own mass per unit area:

F₁ = C · f · L · [ 2q · (B/1000) · cos β + (qr′/a′) + (qr″/a″) ]

LaTeX: F_1 = C \cdot f \cdot L \cdot \left[ 2q \cdot \frac{B}{1000} \cdot \cos\beta + \frac{q_r'}{a'} + \frac{q_r''}{a''} \right]

Variable definitions:

• F₁ — empty-belt resistance, kg
• C — length coefficient, dimensionless, read from Graph 1 below
• f — roller friction coefficient; varies 0.017 – 0.04 depending on roller design. Standard value f = 0.020 – 0.025. In extremely dusty environments and at low temperatures, take f = 0.035 – 0.04.
• L — distance between conveyor drum axes, m
• B — belt width, m
• β — conveyor inclination angle, degrees
• q — belt weight per unit area, kg/m² (depends on carcass type and coating thickness; see Tables 7 and 8 below)
• qr′ — total weight of the rotating parts of one carrying-roller group, kg (Table 6)
• qr″ — total weight of the rotating parts of one return-roller group, kg (Table 6)
• a′, a″ — pitch (centre-to-centre distance) between the carrying-roller groups and the return-roller groups respectively, m

The length coefficient C captures the diminishing per-metre resistance of long conveyors: a 100 m belt does not require ten times the start-up force of a 10 m belt because the bearings, drum friction and idle losses do not scale linearly. Read C from Graph 1 (Figure 2).

Roller Weights (qr′ and qr″) Reference

The carrying-roller and return-roller groups each have a weight that depends on the roller diameter (63 to 191 mm), the number of rollers per group (single, double or triple) and the belt width. Table 6 (extract below) lists the rotating weight in kilograms per group for the most commonly specified combinations.

F₂ — Force to Convey Material Along the Conveyor

F₂ is the rolling resistance attributable to the conveyed material. It scales linearly with the throughput Q, inversely with belt speed (because higher speed at the same Q means a thinner, lighter material layer), and reuses the length coefficient C and roller friction f from F₁:

F₂ = C · f · L · [ Q / (3.6 · v) ] · cos β

LaTeX:

F_2 = C \cdot f \cdot L \cdot \frac{Q}{3.6\,v} \cdot \cos\beta

• F₂ — force to move material along the conveyor, kg
• Q — capacity, t/h
• v — conveyor speed, m/s
• Other symbols are as defined for F₁

The factor 3.6 in the denominator converts t/h into kg/s (1 t/h = 1000/3600 kg/s = 0.278 kg/s).

F₃ — Force to Lift Material

On an inclined belt the drive must do work against gravity to raise the material from the loading point to the discharge. F₃ is zero on horizontal belts and grows with the vertical lift distance H independently of conveyor length:

F₃ = ( Q · H ) / ( 3.6 · v )

LaTeX:

F_3 = \frac{Q \cdot H}{3.6 \cdot v}

• F₃ — force required to lift the material, kg
• H — vertical height the material has to be lifted, m (positive on upward inclines, negative on declines)
  

Decline conveyors. On declined belts F₃ becomes negative, meaning the load drives the belt rather than resisting it. Steep declines require regenerative or holdback braking on the drive system; the simple F = F₁ + F₂ + F₃ + F₄ sum then no longer governs and a separate downhill brake-power calculation must be performed.

F₄ — Friction from Loading Hoppers and Side Skirts

Side skirts and loading chutes contain the material between the loading point and the steady running zone, but they create wall friction proportional to the square of the material height in the chute. F₄ is computed per skirted section and summed:

F₄ = 2 · fₛ · lₛ · hₛ²

LaTeX:

F_4 = 2 \cdot f_s \cdot l_s \cdot h_s^{\,2}

• F₄ — resistance from loading hoppers / side skirts, kg
• fₛ — friction coefficient between the material and the side skirts (Table 11)
• lₛ — length of the loading chute or skirt, m
• hₛ — height of the material against the skirt, m, taken as hₛ = 0.1 · B (where B is the belt width in m)
  

Rubber liner correction. If the side skirts or loading chute are lined with rubber, add an additional 4.5 kg per metre of rubber-lined length to F₄. The rubber damps spillage but adds a measurable resistance term.

Friction coefficients vary widely by material — Table 11 (next section) lists representative values for the materials most often handled in aggregate, mining and process plants.

Friction Coefficients between Materials and Side Skirts

Required Motor Power

Power Formula

Once the four resistances are summed into a total drive force F, the shaft power required at the drive drum follows directly from the work-rate identity "force × speed". A unit-conversion factor of 102 keeps the kg-force into kilowatts conversion clean:

P = F · v / ( 102 · η ) [kW]

LaTeX:

P = \frac{F \cdot v}{102 \cdot \eta}

• P — required motor power at the shaft, kilowatts (kW)
• F — total drive force F = F₁ + F₂ + F₃ + F₄, daN (note: 1 daN = 1.02 kg)
• v — conveyor speed, m/s
• η — mechanical efficiency of the drive train; use η = 0.90 as a starting value
  

Mechanical Efficiency Considerations

η = 0.90 corresponds to a conventional gearmotor + couplings + belt-drum arrangement with moderate-quality bearings and standard alignment. For a hydraulic-drive head pulley, drop η to 0.85; for a high-efficiency direct-drive arrangement on new bearings, η can rise to 0.93. When in doubt, the conservative 0.90 figure protects against undersized motors and is standard in MEKA's own conveyor product range.

Sizing tip. After computing P, select a motor at the next standard kW step above the calculated value. For example, a calculated P = 27 kW selects a 30 kW motor; P = 41 kW selects a 45 kW motor. This margin absorbs feed surges and protects against thermal overload during start-up.

Conveyor Belt Stress Analysis

The drive force F is delivered to the belt by friction between the drum surface and the belt's underside. To avoid slip, the tight-side tension T₁ (the force in the belt approaching the drum) must exceed the slack-side tension T₂ (the force leaving the drum) by at least F. The relationship between T₁ and T₂ is governed by the Eytelwein–Capstan equation, which captures the exponential build-up of friction around the wrap angle α.

Tension Equations

Four equations close the tension calculation:

T₁ = F + T₂

T₁ / T₂ = e^(μ·α)

K = 1 / ( e^(μ·α) − 1 )

T₂ = K · F T₁ = ( K + 1 ) · F

LaTeX:

T_1 = F + T_2

\frac{T_1}{T_2} = e^{\mu\alpha}

K = \frac{1}{e^{\mu\alpha} - 1}

T_2 = K \cdot F \qquad T_1 = (K+1) \cdot F

Variable definitions:

• T₁ — tight-side belt tension at the drive drum, kg
• T₂ — slack-side belt tension at the drive drum, kg
• F — total drive force F₁ + F₂ + F₃ + F₄, kg
• μ — coefficient of friction between drum and belt: μ = 0.25 for uncoated drums; μ = 0.35 for rubber-coated drums
• α — wrap angle of the belt around the drum, in radians (typically π for a single-drum head pulley, larger for snub-drum or multi-drum drives)
• K — Eytelwein factor, dimensionless

Once T₁ is known, the carcass selection (Table 9) and the drum diameter (next section) follow directly. T₁ is also the value used to size the take-up tensioner: the take-up must be capable of holding T₂ plus a service margin under all start, stop and steady-state conditions.

Drive Drum Diameter Calculation

The drum diameter is set by the carcass thickness s_k and the carcass-material coefficient C_Tr. For steel-cord belts s_k is the cord diameter; for textile belts it is the carcass thickness from Table 7.

D = s_k · C_Tr [mm]

LaTeX:

D = s_k \cdot C_{T_r}

• D — minimum drive-drum diameter, mm
• s_k — carcass thickness from Table 7 (mm), or steel-cord diameter for steel-corded belts
• C_Tr — carcass material coefficient (see table below)

Belt Selection by Material Type

The forces and tensions calculated above set the lower bound on belt strength; the conveyed material's abrasiveness sets the lower bound on cover thickness. Both decisions feed back into the belt-weight per unit area q used in the F₁ calculation, so the typical workflow iterates once: a belt is selected from the tensile table, its weight is read, and F₁ is recomputed if the selected belt is significantly heavier than the initial assumption.

Recommended Belt Coating Thickness by Application

The top cover protects the carcass from impact and abrasion at the loading point and from direct contact with the conveyed material; the bottom cover protects against pulley wear. Table 8 maps four standard application classes to recommended cover-thickness ranges.

Belt Tensile Strength Specifications

Belts are designated by their carcass style (e.g. 1000/4 = 1000 N/mm tensile strength, 4 plies). The maximum allowable working tension at the tight side T₁ must not exceed the rated tensile strength divided by the design safety factor (typically 8 to 10 for textile carcasses).

Frequently Asked Questions

What formula is used to calculate belt conveyor capacity?

Belt conveyor capacity is calculated as Q = V × ρ × cos α × CF, where V is the volumetric capacity in m³/h (read from Table 1 by belt width and speed), ρ is the material heap density in t/m³, cos α is the cosine of the conveyor incline angle (Table 2), and CF is the capacity factor for the trough geometry (Table 3). The result is the mass-flow throughput Q in tonnes per hour. See the Capacity Formula in Practice section above for a full breakdown.

How do I select the right belt width for my material?

Belt width is set by the maximum lump size of the material, not by the desired throughput. Use Table 4: for uniform-size material take the value in the second column; for graded material with about 80 % fines take the value in the third column. Once the minimum allowed width is identified, increase belt width if the desired throughput cannot be reached at the recommended speed (Table 5).

What is a typical belt speed for crushed stone?

For hard ore and stone in the 600 – 1200 mm width range, recommended belt speeds fall between 2.25 m/s and 3.5 m/s (Table 5). Below 2 m/s the belt cannot clear typical loading rates without spillage; above 4 m/s, abrasive wear of the cover and roller bearings rises sharply. For free-flowing granular material, the same widths can run faster, up to 4 m/s and beyond.

How does incline affect conveyor capacity?

The cos α term reduces capacity gradually with incline: at 10° the loss is only 1.5 %, at 20° it is 6 %, and at 25° (the practical upper limit for most aggregate belts) the loss is about 9 %. The dominant penalty for inclined belts is not capacity loss but the F₃ lift force, which grows linearly with the vertical lift distance H and dictates motor power on long inclined runs.

What is the difference between F₁, F₂, F₃ and F₄ forces?

F₁ is the resistance to setting the empty belt and rollers in motion (rolling friction of the bearings and belt flex). F₂ is the resistance attributable to the conveyed material rolling along the belt. F₃ is the work done against gravity on inclined belts; it is zero when the conveyor is horizontal. F₄ is the friction generated at side skirts and loading chutes, proportional to the square of material height in the chute. The total drive force is F = F₁ + F₂ + F₃ + F₄.

How much motor power do I need for my conveyor?

Motor power follows from P = (F · v) / (102 · η), where F is the total drive force in decanewtons, v is belt speed in m/s and η is the drive-train efficiency (use η = 0.90 as a starting value). For a 100 t/h conveyor running at 2 m/s with a typical F of around 1,800 daN, the required motor power is about (1800 × 2) / (102 × 0.9) ≈ 39 kW; the next standard frame size selects a 45 kW motor.

Appendix A — Internal Linking Plan

The following internal links are recommended for placement within the article body, using the anchor text shown.

Outbound links from this article

• "see our radial stockpile belt conveyors" → /products/conveyors/radial-stockpile-belt-conveyors
• "fixed belt conveyor product line" → /products/conveyors/fixed-belt-conveyors
• "V-legged fixed belt conveyors" → /products/conveyors/v-legged-fixed-belt-conveyors (post-WP4)
• "belt conveyor components" → /products/conveyors/belt-conveyor-components (post-WP4)
• "calculating crusher capacity" → /blog/crusher-capacity-calculation
• "material density values for common rocks" → /blog/physical-properties-of-rocks

Inbound links into this article (from future content)

• From Crushers hub: "Equipment selection requires understanding [conveyor capacity sizing]"
• From Mobile Plants pillar: "Conveyor capacity sizing in [mobile crushing plants]"
• From Aggregate Standards article: "Material gradation affects [conveyor belt selection]"

Appendix B — Structured Data (JSON-LD)

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Appendix C — Interactive Belt Conveyor Capacity Calculator

The widget below is the page's distinctive differentiator: a self-contained vanilla-JS calculator with the Table 1 grid embedded as a JavaScript object. The user picks a belt width from the dropdown, slides the belt speed and incline angle, types a heap density, and reads live values for Q (t/h), the four force components F₁–F₄ (kg) and required motor power P (kW). No build step, no framework, no analytics dependencies — drop the HTML block into any page and the calculator works.

Implementation note for the dev team: The widget assumes reference geometry (35° side roller, 20° dynamic slope, CF = 1.00) by default. F₁ uses simplified roller-pitch defaults (a′ = 1.2 m, a″ = 3.0 m, qr′ = 18 kg, qr″ = 16 kg), which can be exposed as advanced inputs in a future iteration. The length coefficient C uses the logarithmic fit C ≈ max(1.0, 9.5 × L^(−0.36)) read off the upper curve of Graph 1; replace this with a discrete lookup if greater accuracy is required.

<!-- Belt Conveyor Capacity Calculator — drop into the article body -->

<div id="meka-belt-calc" style="font-family:system-ui,sans-serif;max-width:760px;margin:24px auto;border:1px solid #d6e0e8;border-radius:8px;padding:20px 24px;background:#f7fafc">

<h3 style="margin:0 0 16px;color:#003B5C;font-size:20px">Belt Conveyor Capacity Calculator</h3>

<div style="display:grid;grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr;gap:14px 20px;font-size:14px">

<label>Belt width (mm)

<select id="bw" style="width:100%;padding:6px"></select>

</label>

<label>Belt speed (m/s) <span id="vLabel" style="color:#1F6FA8;font-weight:600">2.0</span>

<input id="v" type="range" min="0.5" max="5" step="0.05" value="2" style="width:100%">

</label>

<label>Material heap density (t/m³)

<input id="rho" type="number" min="0.5" max="4" step="0.05" value="1.5" style="width:100%;padding:6px">

</label>

<label>Incline angle (°) <span id="aLabel" style="color:#1F6FA8;font-weight:600">0</span>

<input id="a" type="range" min="0" max="25" step="0.5" value="0" style="width:100%">

</label>

<label>Conveyor length L (m)

<input id="L" type="number" min="3" max="500" step="1" value="30" style="width:100%;padding:6px">

</label>

<label>Vertical lift H (m)

<input id="H" type="number" min="0" max="100" step="0.1" value="0" style="width:100%;padding:6px">

</label>

<label>Skirt length lₛ (m)

<input id="ls" type="number" min="0" max="20" step="0.1" value="2" style="width:100%;padding:6px">

</label>

<label>Skirt friction fₛ (Table 11)

<input id="fs" type="number" min="0" max="500" step="1" value="132" style="width:100%;padding:6px">

</label>

</div>

<div id="out" style="margin-top:18px;padding:14px;background:#003B5C;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.65"></div>

</div>

<script>

(function(){

// Table 1 — volumetric capacity V (m3/h) by belt width and belt speed

var T1 = {

400:[26,39,52,65,78,104,130,156,182,209,235,261],

450:[34,51,69,86,103,137,172,206,240,274,309,343],

500:[44,65,87,109,131,175,218,262,306,349,393,437],

600:[66,99,131,164,197,263,329,394,460,526,592,657],

650:[78,118,157,196,235,314,392,471,549,628,706,785],

750:[107,161,215,268,322,429,536,644,751,858,965,1073],

800:[123,185,247,308,370,493,617,740,863,987,1110,1233],

900:[159,238,318,397,477,635,794,953,1112,1271,1430,1589],

1000:[199,298,398,497,597,795,994,1193,1392,1591,1790,1989],

1050:[221,331,441,551,662,882,1103,1323,1544,1764,1985,2206],

1200:[292,438,585,731,877,1169,1462,1754,2046,2339,2631,2923],

1350:[374,561,748,936,1123,1497,1871,2245,2619,2994,3368,3742],

1400:[404,606,807,1009,1211,1615,2019,2422,2826,3230,3634,4037],

1500:[466,699,932,1165,1398,1865,2331,2797,3263,3729,4195,4662],

1600:[533,800,1066,1333,1599,2132,2665,3198,3731,4265,4798,5331],

1800:[680,1020,1361,1701,2041,2721,3402,4082,4762,5443,6123,6803],

2000:[846,1268,1691,2114,2537,3382,4228,5073,5919,6764,7610,8455],

2200:[1029,1543,2057,2572,3086,4115,5143,6172,7201,8229,9258,10287]

};

var SPEEDS = [0.5,0.75,1.0,1.25,1.5,2.0,2.5,3.0,3.5,4.0,4.5,5.0];

// Linear interpolation across Table 1 columns; linear extrapolation outside

function getV(width, speed){

var row = T1[width]; if(!row) return 0;

if(speed <= SPEEDS[0]) return row[0]*speed/SPEEDS[0];

for(var i=0;i<SPEEDS.length-1;i++){

if(speed >= SPEEDS[i] && speed <= SPEEDS[i+1]){

var t = (speed - SPEEDS[i])/(SPEEDS[i+1]-SPEEDS[i]);

return row[i] + t*(row[i+1]-row[i]);

}

}

return row[row.length-1]*speed/SPEEDS[SPEEDS.length-1];

}

// Length coefficient C from Graph 1 — upper-curve fit, conservative

function lengthCoef(L){ return Math.max(1.0, 9.5 * Math.pow(L, -0.36)); }

// Populate width dropdown

var bw = document.getElementById('bw');

Object.keys(T1).forEach(function(w){

var opt = document.createElement('option');

opt.value = w; opt.textContent = w + ' mm';

if(w==='1000') opt.selected = true;

bw.appendChild(opt);

});

function calc(){

var B = parseInt(bw.value, 10); // belt width, mm

var v = parseFloat(document.getElementById('v').value); // m/s

var rho= parseFloat(document.getElementById('rho').value); // t/m3

var a = parseFloat(document.getElementById('a').value); // degrees

var L = parseFloat(document.getElementById('L').value); // m

var H = parseFloat(document.getElementById('H').value); // m

var ls = parseFloat(document.getElementById('ls').value); // m

var fs = parseFloat(document.getElementById('fs').value); // Table 11

document.getElementById('vLabel').textContent = v.toFixed(2);

document.getElementById('aLabel').textContent = a.toFixed(1);

// Capacity

var V = getV(B, v);

var cosA = Math.cos(a*Math.PI/180);

var CF = 1.00; // reference geometry

var Q = V * rho * cosA * CF;

// Forces (kg) — defaults: f=0.022, q=15 kg/m2, qr'=18, qr"=16, a'=1.2, a"=3.0

var f = 0.022, q = 15, qrP = 18, qrPP = 16, aP = 1.2, aPP = 3.0;

var C = lengthCoef(L);

var Bm = B/1000;

var F1 = C * f * L * (2*q*Bm*cosA + (qrP/aP) + (qrPP/aPP));

var F2 = C * f * L * (Q/(3.6*v)) * cosA;

var F3 = (Q * H) / (3.6 * v);

var hs = 0.1 * Bm;

var F4 = 2 * fs * ls * hs * hs;

var F = F1 + F2 + F3 + F4;

// Power

var eta = 0.90;

var P = (F * v) / (102 * eta); // kW (F treated as daN; numerically equal to kg here)

document.getElementById('out').innerHTML =

'<b>Capacity Q</b> = ' + Q.toFixed(1) + ' t/h &nbsp;·&nbsp; V = ' + V.toFixed(0) + ' m³/h<br>' +

'<b>Forces:</b> F₁ = ' + F1.toFixed(0) + ' kg &nbsp;·&nbsp; F₂ = ' + F2.toFixed(0) + ' kg &nbsp;·&nbsp; ' +

'F₃ = ' + F3.toFixed(0) + ' kg &nbsp;·&nbsp; F₄ = ' + F4.toFixed(1) + ' kg<br>' +

'<b>Total drive force F</b> = ' + F.toFixed(0) + ' kg<br>' +

'<b>Required motor power P</b> = ' + P.toFixed(1) + ' kW &nbsp;(η = 0.90)';

}

['bw','v','rho','a','L','H','ls','fs'].forEach(function(id){

document.getElementById(id).addEventListener('input', calc);

});

calc();

})();

</script>

Appendix D — Handbook Source Pages

All formulas, tables and graphs in this article are sourced directly from the MEKA Crushing, Screening and Mining Equipment Handbook, Section 9 (Standards and Important Technical Information):

• p. 115 — Section 9 introduction, capacity formula definition, three-roller diagram
• p. 116 — Table 1 (volumetric capacity), Table 2 (cosine values), Table 3 (capacity factor)
• p. 117 — Table 4 (max particle sizes), Table 5 (typical belt speeds), F₁–F₄ force definitions
• p. 118 — F₁, F₂, F₃, F₄ detailed formulas and variable definitions
• p. 119 — Power formula, belt-stress equations, T₁ / T₂ relationship, drum diameter
• p. 120 — Carcass-material coefficient table, Length-coefficient graph (Graph 1), Table 6 roller weights
• p. 121 — Table 7 carcass weight, Table 8 coating thickness, Table 9 belt tensile specifications
• p. 122 — Belt utilization rate table, Table 11 friction coefficients between materials and side skirts