A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg,in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering (Mechanical Engineering), June 2017 / This research report describes the creation of a unique experimental facility for investigating localised stresses that can develop in conveyor belting during operation. High localised stresses can cause premature failure of conveyor belts, requiring expensive replacement. A key objective of carrying out research in this field is to gain a fundamental understanding of the stress that develops in various types of conveyor belting as it crosses over idler rollers. An experimental facility was developed that will be able to measure the stress and the deformation for different types of belting, such as solid woven/PVC and ply belting, with different belt classes. Particular attention was given to the various effects at the junction point caused by different idler configurations. Idler arrangements are configurable in the 24m–long test facility for inline, offset and belt-friendly types. Belt stresses at the idler junctions of these configurations are measured by applying strain gauges and load cells. The offset distance can be varied to determine the effect this has on the developing idler junction stress. This will allow comparison of the stresses as the class of belt increases, for each type of belt. The value of doing so is to determine the effect that the weft strength or stiffness has as the belt is forced into the idler junction. The test facility that was designed and built was shown to meet the requirements of the project. The instruments were calibrated to an acceptable uncertainty. The test facility can handle the full range of planned tests in terms of the design strength and is modular enough to handle a variety of other research initiatives. This establishment of a large, specialised experimental facility constitutes the first phase of an ongoing research programme into improving the design standards for belt conveyor systems / CK2018

Thesis (M. Eng.)(Electrical)--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Summaries in English and Afrikaans. Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

M.Ing. (Engineering Management) / In a tender bid to energy and chemical company Sasol, a request to offer a technical solution for a two-flight overland conveyor system whose function is to transport coal from a 15 000 tonne bunker into an external stockpile storage facility in the plant was made. This conveyor consisted of two conveyor flight sections of lengths 18 423m and 8 537m each. The prospect of combining the two flights of conveyors to form one, super-efficient conveyor structure with additional cost saving benefits was identified. It was found that this occurrence was not unique to the individual project as other researching engineers have been faced with similar problems before [18]. This then lead the researcher into believing that there could be some advantage in investigating the possible benefits to the overall cost, maintainability and scheduling of the fabrication and erection activities for the entire project of combining the multiple flight conveyors into a single-flight conveyor. It is also the conviction of the researcher that the achieved outcomes will prove beneficial to the bulk materials handling industry as a whole. The problem is traditionally short, multiple flight conveyors have always been used for performing the function of transporting bulk material from one location in a mining plant to another hence; long, single-flight overland conveyors of lengths exceeding 26 km have not been commonly installed. In this dissertation the possibility of employing a single-flight overland as opposed to a two-flight conveyor in the Sasol Impumelelo coal plant is investigated. This is done against the work of other researchers who have conducted similar studies in the field as well as by utilizing project-specific data using applicable industry standards as well as Engineering Management course theory. By employing actual project procurement and engineering design data; the investigation is done by calculating and comparing the individual capital and operational costs that encompass the total cost of ownership (TCO) for both conveyor systems as well as the two systems’ reliability, availability and maintainability to establish each system’s complete life cycle costs. It is the opinion of the researcher that the investigation method is valid as it is in line with the guidelines given by The Miami University of Ohio [24] as well as J Hanek [25] and thus provides the researcher with a plausible technique for establishing which between the single-flight overland conveyor and two-flight overland conveyor configurations is overall the more superior system to install. It was found that even though its initial capital and operational costs are higher; the single-flight conveyor system is more reliable, readily available and cheaper to run and sustain over the 30 year expected life-span of the plant. It also is less labour intensive to perform maintenance on, yields less material degradation and results in less material spillage because of the elimination of additional transfer points and transfer towers. These results can be taken as valid on a global scale, for any mining plant, not restricted to any specific material as they are not subject to South African temperature, altitude or seismic conditions nor are they constrained to the type of bulk material being mined.

M.Phil. / Pulleys are critical items in belt conveyors. Their primary role is to drive large mining conveyor systems, facilitating the transportation of ore over extensive distances, both in South Africa and abroad. The effect of the manufacturing process (with specific emphasis on the induced residual stresses) on the fatigue performance of conveyor pulleys is herein investigated and reported. A pre-selected pulley was chosen based on size, suitable for experimental work as well as practical specifications. The static and fatigue performance of the pulley were investigated both with the current design criteria as well as Finite Element Analysis, with comparisons drawn. The material data for the Finite Element Models was obtained experimentally with tensile tests of the SANS 1431 350 WA plate. The magnitude of the residual stresses were obtained experimentally by using the incremental hole-drilling technique for non-uniform residual stresses. The method was verified by comparison with the Finite Element Analysis results for the non-linear material analysis of the roll-bending of the shell. The fatigue analysis revealed that the stress ranges of interest for the pulley were below the non-propagating stress range, and hence theoretically infinite fatigue life would be possible under constant amplitude conditions. The operational fatigue life required for the pulley would be possible, when considering the latest S-N curve for "very high cycle fatigue". The stress intensity factors for the weld details were also below the threshold value and hence crack growth should not occur, upon crack initiation. A new design criteria was proposed for the fatigue analysis considering either fatigue assessment standards or fracture mechanics for the assessment of the butt-welds. This investigation showed that the manufacturing-induced residual stresses may play a significant role in the fatigue life of a pulley. The fatigue strength of a machined stressrelieved joint is higher if the stress range is partly compressive. The fatigue strength of a machined as-welded joint is higher than estimated by the fatigue classifications. This is due to residual stress relaxation that occurs at the weld toe because of yielding and hence a subsequent reduction and redistribution of the residual stresses. This reduction in the mean stress level, with a stress range that is partly compressive, would mean an increase in the fatigue strength of the joint. This would in conclusion result in similar fatigue strengths for a stress-relieved and an aswelded joint. This would additionally depend on the extent of the reduction of the residual stress in the as-welded joint. Recommendations were suggested for further experimental and numerical work for both the T-bottom and Turbine-type pulleys.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1985 C37 / Master of Science

In recent years increasing growth rate of all industrial fields generated an emerging energy demand and consequent environmental problems worldwide. Defining environmental profiles of products and systems using environmental tools, such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), is a critical issue for sustainable mining. In order to tackle the increasing environmental challenges and air emissions induced by surface coal mining, alternative material handling options are needed to be evaluated. This research study aims to provide a robust LCA model in selection of the alternative material haulage systems as a decision support system. The main objectives of this thesis study are: i) contributing to the national archived data by gathering data about haulage systems from an open pit coal mine, ii) constructing life cycle inventory from the acquired environmental data, iii) performing life cycle assessment of both material haulage systems in an open pit coal mine according to their environmental burdens, iv) conducting uncertainty assessment, and v) suggesting improvement in stages where emissions are critical. In order to accomplish these objectives, comparative LCA from cradle-to-grave was carried out in SIMAPRO 7.3 to determine life cycle environmental impacts of off-highway mining trucks and belt conveyors in coal transportation. Climate change and acidification were selected as major impact categories considered to be major concerns in mining industry. The results of this study revealed that off-highway trucks had 1.9 times greater impact on acidification category than belt conveyors, on the other hand, belt conveyors had 1.6 times greater impact on climate change. NOx emissions caused 96 percent of the acidification impact. CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion led to 95 percent of the climate change effect. The obtained results also indicated that the highest impact on all selected impact categories were generated from the utilization stage of the trucks operated by diesel oil and utilization of belt conveyor systems operated by electricity. The main novelty of this study is that it is one of the first LCA studies in the Turkish mining industry where considerable amount of emissions occur due to material handling. This study also advances the current knowledge about environmentally critical processes in material handling systems and places recommendations for both alternatives aiming better decision making. The results of the study are expected to provide a decision support system for the mining industry.

The main content of of this thesis is a construction design and analysis of a machine for cutting tires. The resulting solution emerges from the design options and the option that meets the best selection criteria is chosen. Then the thesis stops for a while at the choice of cutting technology and tries to exemine its suitability for cutting tires. In its other part there is an attempt to clarify the relevant parts of the machine, where the benefits of three-dimensional views is used. Basic design and check calculations are done in the selected machine parts.