Pouch conveyors commonly employ point-contact drive systems, indenting a rigid drive wheel into the viscoelastic running surface of the conveyor. Rigid indentation of a viscoelastic surface exhibits regions of stick and slip, reducing the tractive limits of the contact. By modelling the conveyor cover as both an elastic material, and using a 3-parameter Maxwell approximation, a comparison can be made to predict the attainable traction of both indentation and load dependent contacts, highlighting the influence of viscoelasticity in the drive contact. Accurate prediction of the slip within the contact region allows appropriate drive placement and spacing along a conveyor, maximising transmission of drive power and efficiency, while minimising capital/operating cost and surface wear. Experimental results are presented to validate the model, using both polished steel and wheels with polyurethane, ceramic and rubber lagging.

袋式输送机通常采用点接触驱动系统，将刚性驱动轮压入输送机的粘弹性运行表面。粘弹性表面的刚性压痕显示出粘着和打滑的区域，从而降低了接触的牵引极限。通过将输送机盖建模为弹性材料，并使用三参数麦克斯韦近似值，可以进行比较以预测压痕接触和负载相关接触的可达到的牵引力，从而突出驱动接触中的粘弹性的影响。接触区域内的滑移的准确预测允许在驱动器上适当放置驱动器并沿传送带间隔，从而最大程度地传递驱动力和效率，同时将资本/运营成本和表面磨损降至最低。提出实验结果以验证模型，