PCI Eradicator® Wing Pulley.
Traditional wing pulleys utilize gussets, mostly in Heavy Duty and Mine Duty variations, in order to strengthen the overall assembly and prevent wing fold over. The design path of the Eradicator® in the development phase was that of a cored wing pulley with angled wings that were essentially self-gusseting. One major objective was to ensure that the self-gusseted design was as strong or stronger than a traditional gusseted wing pulley. PCI Engineers were able to utilize finite element analysis to verify that the self-gusseted design of the Eradicator® wing pulley not only distributed stress more evenly than traditional gusseted wings under equivalent loads, but also had fewer areas of high stress concentration, with lower overall stress concentrations than traditional wings. This analysis provided PCI Engineers verification that the Eradicator® is a more robust design than traditional wing pulleys.
3D Virtual Motion Studies
PCI Eradicator® Wing Pulley.
PCI Engineers utilized 3D virtual motion to test and verify the original Eradicator’s performance in the virtual world, and to compare its performance to traditional wing pulleys, prior to manufacturing any prototype designs. Once the design was optimized in the 3D model, actual prototypes were fabricated and tested against the results obtained using 3D virtual motion. We were very pleased to find that the virtual results closely mirrored the testing done in the real world, giving our Engineering team the confidence to utilize this tool for future products and to trust the results obtained through it.
Application Solutions and Product Evolution
The design principles that have made the Eradicator® wing pulley successful, combined with feedback from the market, have prompted PCI Engineers to continually develop and introduce more new and innovative products, which are designed to solve unique problems in the conveyor components market. Our product evolution is a direct result of the problems that the marketplace brings to us, and the solutions that we develop to solve those problems.
The Deflector® Wing Pulley
Problem: Some applications are not able to benefit from the enhanced cleanout ability of the Eradicator® wing pulley. Reversing applications and environments where material sticks and builds up on the belt may still be better suited for traditional wing pulleys with their belt beating design and ability to operate in either direction.
Solution: The Deflector® Wing Pulley.
PCI Engineers developed the Deflector® wing pulley for Reversing applications and environments where material sticks and builds up on the belt. The Deflector® wing pulley boasts belt beating features of a traditional wing pulley with the addition of ports and deflectors built into the wing members. Using the principles of clean-out ports, and deflectors built into the wing members, the Deflector® wing pulley discharges material five times faster than a traditional wing pulley without sacrificing any of the other qualities already associated with traditional wings.
The Eradicator® D2® (Directional Discharge) Wing Pulley
Eradicator® D2® -RIM
Eradicator® D2® -TIPS
Problem: Customers require a wing pulley with the enhanced cleanout abilities of the Eradicator®, while also being reversible and discharging material to only one side.
Solution: The Eradicator® D2® Wing Pulley. The world’s first and only directional discharge wing pulley.
After the Eradicator® took a foothold in the market, PCI responded to customer’s confined spaces and access points that require an area to one side of a bulk-handling conveyor be free of debris. PCI designed an Eradicator® with the wings all angled the same way to discharge material in only one direction. The major obstacle to making an Eradicator® discharge in one direction was that the angled wings contribute heavily to the pulley’s ability to track the belt. Therefore, if the wings were all angled in one direction, the belt would also track only to one direction. To solve this problem, PCI Engineers developed two new versions of the Eradicator® where the angled wings never actually come into contact with the belt, making the angle of the wings irrelevant to belt tracking, and therefore allowing them all to be angled in a single direction. The Eradicator® D2 Tipped is designed to discharge all sizes of materials, and the Eradicator® D2 Rim is designed to discharge smaller (3” minus) materials. Both models are also fully reversible, although reversing the direction of rotation will also reverse the direction to which material is discharged.
*Eradicator® wing pulley, U.S. Patent #8,857,606
**Eradicator® D2 and Deflector® wing pulleys covered under U.S. Patent #8,857,606 and U.S. Patent #10,422,631.
Eradi-Lag™
Problem: Some applications benefit from enhanced traction or reduced abrasive conditions between the pulley and the belt, and very few solutions are available for round bar wing tips.
Solution: Eradi-Lag™.
PCI Engineers developed Eradi-Lag™ which is an innovative approach to wing pulley lagging for the Eradicator® or on any round bar angled wing pulley product. Eradi-Lag™ is constructed using a proprietary blend of 60A SBR for maximum wear life and a weldable steel backing plate for ease of installation.
*Eradi-Lag™, U.S. Patent #11,142,404
Ice-Eradicator®
Problem: Cold weather introduces many challenges to the operation of bulk-handling conveyor systems. Current methods to soften stiff belts, and remove ice-build up can be dangerous, time-consuming and environmentally hazardous.
Solution: The Ice-Eradicator®.
PCI Engineers developed the Ice-Eradicator® to eliminate these problems before they occur. By heating an environmentally friendly liquid solution contained between the inner and outer wall, the Ice-Eradicator® maintains a temperature well above the freezing point both while in operation and while standing still. In the drive position, the Ice-Eradicator® Drum provides direct heat transfer to soften the belt for increased drive traction. For non-drive positions, The Ice-Eradicator® wing pulley version’s elevated temperature prevents snow and ice build-up during continuous operation or during shut-down periods.
*The Ice-Eradicator®, U.S. Patent # 11,572,234
