At many existing bulk material handling facilities, equipment such as stackers, reclaimers and ore car dumpers are nearing the end of their design lives. Owners are faced with the decision on whether to refurbish existing or procure replacement machines. ASPEC’s program called FULS (Fatigue Useful Life Simulation) helps determine when to carry out machine replacement or major refurbishment.
ASPEC is extremely proud to see the ongoing success of the Surf Lakes Full Scale Prototype, located in Yeppoon, Queensland, which has now been shortlisted as a finalist for the 2020 Australian Engineering Excellence Awards. The prototype has successfully delivered fantastic surfing waves, demonstrating the strength of this amazing concept.
Rotating steel shafts are typically one of the most critical mechanical components on mobile equipment. This article talks about some general principles of good shaft design and issues to be aware of.
The most common chute design tool currently used is discrete element modelling. The other, older, design tool is lumped mass continuum modelling. This article briefly describes the two tools and looks at how they can be used to complement each other to enable the efficient design of transfer chutes.
The Rio Tinto Amrun project, which included the development of the award winning Chith Export Facility and Amrun bauxite mine, has now been in operation for one year. ASPEC is very proud of our long involvement with the project, which commenced in 2013 and which has recently achieved the important milestone of completing the first year of operation of the rail mounted machines at the facility, with great success.
This article provides general project information on the design and installation process of a shaft liner and its supporting concrete and steel structures.
Systems audits are conducted to assess the suitability of the processes that maintain the structural integrity, safety, and reliability of machines such as shiploaders, stackers and reclaimers.
Steel wire rope forms an important part of many machines and structures. The wires and strands are designed to slide in relation to each other, distributing the complicated applied stresses more effectively. This article provides general information on steel wire ropes, guidance on their care and maintenance and discard criteria.
PIANC recently published WG184 Design Principles for Dry Bulk Marine Terminals in March 2019. PIANC formed WG184 as no current guidelines existed for the planning and design of specialist marine terminals for the import and export of bulk solids.