Just like other complex industrial systems, a bulk material handling system experiences some wear and tear over time. While repairs and replacement parts can extend the number of years a pneumatic conveying system lasts, this alone won’t stop it from eventually breaking down. Learn how to significantly extend the life of your bulk material handling system with the tips outlined in this article.
Bulk material handling systems are used to carry various types of materials across stockyards, factories, and other industrial sites. While these machines can vary in size, power, and design, they do have a few main components in common:
There is a variety of equipment used in bulk material handling, including things like stackers, which are large pieces of equipment used to move materials between stockpiles. Other types of equipment used in bulk material handling are bucket elevators, truck dumpers, hoppers, and silos.
You’ll typically find a bulk material handling system in storage facilities like grain silos or stockyards. In industrial applications, bulk handling solutions are specialized based on the type of product or materials their systems are designed to carry, like mineral ores, for example.
Bulk materials refer to wet or dry materials that have either chunky or fine particles. Some examples are construction materials like sand, rocks, and cement. Bulk materials may also refer to food items like sugar, grain, flour, and pet food. It can also be larger items, like luggage or compacted solid wastes.
Bulk materials vary in characteristics, such as their lump size, angle of repose, bulk weight or density, particle mobility, moisture content, and abrasiveness. These factors are all important to consider when designing bulk material conveyor systems.
The issues you’ll see on a bulk handling system, and therefore the solutions you’ll need to implement to extend its life, depend on the type of material you’re moving. For example, dry food and pet food can create contamination issues, while wet meat such as bone marrow is highly abrasive, and materials used in heavy industry, such as aggregates and large chemical particles, can be corrosive.
Bulk material handling systems are mechanical setups that are subjected to various types of forces when operating. Over time, these forces damage the various components used in a system. For example, the bulk weight of the material exerts pressure on the conveyors that can twist and bend them, meaning that eventually, the conveyors will need to be replaced.
One of the most common reasons you may need to replace components in a bulk handling system is due to abrasive wear. Abrasion is most commonly found in a system’s bends and elbows, as these are high impact points.
[Related: Read our tips to reduce wear in pneumatic conveying elbows]
Additionally, motors are subjected to internal frictional heat, especially when they are working at full capacity, and similar things happen with gears and pulleys. In fact, any extremes in temperature in either direction can harm a bulk handling system. Vibration can also damage some non-rotating or non-sliding parts.
In fact, even when the machine is not operating, it undergoes wear and tear. Corrosion is one of the silent killers of any mechanical system - and here’s how you can prevent it.
The lifespan of a bulk material handling system can oftentimes be extended even beyond its average life expectancy. The key is maintenance, which should be done in six main ways:
Bulk material handling systems are designed to make your operations more streamlined, productive, and efficient. You can avoid or minimize downtime if you regularly maintain your system.