Continuous conveyor for transporting heavy bulk material or articles

A continuous conveyor, for example a conveying belt for transporting heavy bulk material or articles, comprises an endless transporting belt (1) which circulates between a drive roller (2) and a deflecting roller (3). The drive roller (2) is driven by a permanently excited high-pole synchronous motor (6) which, at a comparatively low nominal rotational speed, provides for a very high torque. The synchronous motor (6) can drive the drive roller (2) directly or, as an alternative, can also drive the same via a single-stage reduction-gear mechanism (15) with a low step-down factor. The drive according to the invention is distinguished by a mass moment of inertia which is up to 10 times lower than that of conventional drive systems. This vastly reduces the risk of damage to, or even cracking of, the transporting belt (1) in the event of problems, and therefore the operational reliability is significantly increased.