Figure 10- Baumgartner Tunnel Plan View

Pipe Conveyors

And if conventional conveyors cannot negotiate the required radii, other variations of belt conveyor such as the Pipe Conveyor might be used.
 
Figure 11- Pipe Conveyor

In its simplest description, a pipe conveyor consists of a rubber conveyor belt rolled into a pipe shape with idler rolls. This fundamental design causes the transported material to be totaled enclosed by the belt which directly creates all the advantages.

The idlers constrain the belt on all sides allowing much tighter curves to be negotiated in any direction. The curves can be horizontal, vertical or combinations of both. A conventional conveyor has only gravity and friction between the belt and idlers to keep it within the conveyance path.
 
Figure 12
Another benefit of pipe conveyor is dust and/or spillage can be reduced because the material is completely enclosed. A classic example where both environment and adaptability to path were particularly applicable was at the Skyline Mine in UT, USA (Figure 12). This 3.38 km (11,088 ft) Pipe Conveyor was installed by ThyssenKrupp Robins through a national forest and traversed 22 horizontal and 45 vertical curves.4

Metso Rope Conveyor

Another variation from conventional is the Metso Rope Conveyor (MRC) more commonly known as Cable Belt. This product is known for long distance conveying and it claims the longest single flight conveyor in the world at Worsley Alumina in Australia at 30.4 km. With Cable Belt, the driving tensions (ropes) and the carrying
medium (belt) are separated (Figure 13).
 
Figure 13- MRC- Straight Section
This separation of the tension carrying member allows positive tracking of the ropes (Figure 14) which allow very small radius horizontal curves to be adopted that defeat the traditional design parameters based on tension and topography.              
Figure 14
MRC vs. Conventional Conveyor in Horizontal Curve
 
Figure 15- MRC at Line Creek, Canada

Figure 15 shows a 10.4 km Cable Belt with a 430m horizontal radius at Line Creek in Canada.

Vertical Adaptability
Sometimes material needs to be raised or lowered and the conventional conveyor is limited to incline angles around 16-18 degrees. But again non-traditional variations of belt conveyors have been quite successful at increased angles
as well as straight up.

High Angle Conveyor (HAC.)

The first example manufactured by Continental Conveyor & Equipment Co. uses conventional conveyor components in a non-conventional way (Figure 16). The concept is known as a sandwich conveyor as the material is carried between two belts.
 
Figure 16
Continental’s 100th installation of the HAC was a unique shiftable installation at Mexican de Canenea’s heap leach pad (Figure 17).
The second example shows a non-traditional belt construction which can be used to convey vertically (Figure 18).

This Metso Pocketlift. belt was installed by Frontier Kemper Constructors at the Pattiki 2 Mine of White County Coal in 2001 (Figure 19). It currently lifts 1,818
mtph of run-of-mine coal up 273 m (895 ft). 5

 One of the most interesting developments in technology in the recent past has been the distribution of power along the conveyor path. Is has not been uncommon to see drives positioned at the head and tail ends of long conveyors and let the tail drive do the work of pulling the belt back along the return run of the conveyor. But now that idea has expanded to allow designers to position drive power wherever it is most needed.

The idea of distributing power in multiple locations on a belt conveyor has been around for a long time. The first application in the USA was installed at Kaiser Coal in 1974. It was shortly thereafter that underground coal mining began consolidating and longwall mines began to realize tremendous growth in output. Mining equipment efficiencies and capabilities were improving dramatically. Miners were looking for ways to increase the size of mining blocks in order to decrease the percentage of idle time needed to move the large mining equipment from block to block. Face widths and panel lengths were increasing. 带式输送机技术英文文献用中文翻译(3):http://www.751com.cn/fanyi/lunwen_34337.html