# Structural Analysis and Mechanical Performance of Industrial Conveyor Flight Bars Manufactured with Epoxy Matrix Composites Reinforced by Glass, Carbon, and Kevlar Fibers

## TL;DR

This paper explores using lightweight composite materials as alternatives to steel in conveyor systems, showing significant energy savings and structural safety.

## Contribution

The study introduces a multiscale analytical approach to evaluate composite materials for industrial conveyor flight bars.

## Key findings

- Carbon/epoxy laminates show the lowest longitudinal stresses, indicating superior mechanical performance.
- Replacing steel flight bars with composites reduces moving mass by 82–85%, leading to substantial energy savings.
- Polymer-matrix composites are found to be structurally safe and energetically advantageous for industrial use.

## Abstract

Industrial conveyor systems commonly use steel flight bars, which can account for nearly 50% of the total system mass and significantly affect energy consumption. This study investigates epoxy matrix composites reinforced with glass, carbon, and Kevlar fibers as lightweight alternatives to steel flight bars. A multiscale analytical approach combining micromechanics, Classical Laminate Theory (CLT), and ply-level failure criteria is applied to evaluate the structural response under an industrial bending moment of 342.02 N·m. Tensile tests on vacuum-infused woven glass/epoxy laminates are used to validate micromechanical assumptions and calibrate elastic properties. Ply-wise analysis shows that carbon/epoxy laminates exhibit the lowest longitudinal stresses (≈43 MPa), followed by Kevlar/epoxy (≈53 MPa) and glass/epoxy (≈95 MPa), all well below their respective strength limits. Replacing steel flight bars (4.64 t) with composite alternatives reduces the moving mass to 0.68–0.82 t, corresponding to an 82–85% reduction. This mass reduction significantly lowers the required mechanical power, resulting in an estimated annual energy saving of R$ 8812.80 under continuous operation. Overall, the results demonstrate that polymer-matrix composite flight bars are structurally safe and energetically advantageous, with carbon/epoxy providing the highest mechanical efficiency.