Woven-wire belt with vertically-oriented lateral edges and conveyance methods and apparatus

摘要

Method of manufacturing, assembling and fabricating a woven-wire belt with unitary vertically-oriented lateral edge flattened-wire helically-wound surfaces along each lateral edge for dynamic-frictional drive of the belt by a rotatable substantially-cylindrical drive surface in a helically-curved path, free of any mechanical drive connection while in the helical path. Lengthwise-directed tension control of the belt is exercised, while the belt is exterior to the helically-curved path, to achieve desired frictional drive contact within the drive surface. An exterior travel path for the belt between exit from and return to the helically-curved path provides an endless belt travel array. Increasing belt movement from the helically-curved path to the exterior travel path is used to increase lengthwise-extended tensile stress in the outer perimeter of the belt, while in the curved path; the increase in tensile stress in the outer perimeter increases constrictive force transferred to the inner perimeter of the belt so as to increase dynamic-frictional drive force along the inner perimeter of the belt which is in contact with the rotatable substantially-cylindrical drive surface.