UNIT 2- Design of Belt Conveyor System

for Material Handling

Material Handling Systems
•Materials handling is loading,
moving and unloading of materials.
•Not a production process and hence
does
not add to the value of the product.
• It also costs money; therefore it should
be eliminated or at least reduced
•as much asthe
However, possible. point in favor of
important materials that it
production
handling is. helps
 IMPORTANCE OF MATERIALS HANDLING
A well designed materials handling system attempts to achieve
the following:
(i)Improve efficiency of a production system by ensuring
the right quantity of materials delivered at the right place at the
right time most economically.
(ii) Cut down indirect labour cost.
(iii) Reduce damage of materials during storage and movement.
(iv) Maximise space utilization by proper storage of materials
and thereby reduce storage and handling cost.
(v) Minimise accident during materials handling.
(vi) Reduce overall cost by improving materials handling.
(vii)Improve customer services by supplying materials in
a manner convenient for handlings.
(viii) Increase efficiency and saleability of plant and equipment
with integral materials handling features.
 Systems concept of materials handling
•The term ‘‘system’’ has many meaning
depending on the field where applied. A general
definition of the term could be:
a complex unity formed of many often
diverse parts subject to a common plan or
serving a common purpose. The
important characteristics of a system is that the
parts, called subsystems, are interrelated and
guided
by an objective for which the system exists.
 Systems concept of materials handling
•In an industry, materials handling is a subsystem (or part) of the
production system.
•Materials handling itself can also be considered to be a system
whose subsystems are
(i) design or method to be adopted,
(ii) types of materials handling equipment to be used,
(iii)different operations like packing /unpacking, movement and
storage involved,
(iv) maintenance required for the equipment employed,
(v)mode of transportation by the raw materials suppliers,
distributors / customers, waste / scrap collectors etc.
•The common objective by which the different subsystems
are
guided is the lowest cost solution of the materials
handling system for that industry.
 CHARACTERISTICS AND CLASSIFICATION
OF MATERIALS
•Method to be adopted and choice
equipment of for a materials handling
systemon the type of material/s to
primarily depends
be handled.
•Basic classification of material is made on
the basis of forms, which are (i) Gases, (ii)
Liquids,
(iii) Semi Liquids and (iv) Solids.
•For gases it is primarily pressure, high (25 psi and more) or low
(less than 25 psi). Chemical properties are also important.
•For liquids the relevant characteristics are density, viscosity,
freezing and boiling point, corrosiveness, temperature,
inflammability etc.
Examples of common industrial liquids are: water, mineral oils,
acids, alkalies, chemicals etc.
Examples of common semi-liquids are: slurry, sewage, sludge,
mud, pulp, paste etc.
•Gases are generally handled in tight and where required,
pressure resisting containers. However, most common method of
handling of large volume of gas is through pipes by the help of
compressor, blower etc. This process is known as pneumatic
conveying.
•Liquids and semiliquids can be handled in tight
or open containers which may be fitted with
facilities like insulation, heating, cooling,
agitating etc. as may be required by the
character of the liquid.
•Large quantity of stable liquids/semiliquids are
generally conveyed through pipes using suitable
pumps, which is commonly known as hydraulic
conveying.
•Solids form the majority of materials which are
handled in industrial situation.
•Solids are classified into two main groups: Unit
load and Bulk load (materials).
•Unit loads are formed solids of various
sizes,
shapes and weights. Some of these are counted
by number of pieces like machine parts, molding
boxes, fabricated items.
•The specific characteristics of unit loads are
their overall dimensions, shape, piece-weight,
temperature, inflammability, strength/fragility
etc.
•Hoisting equipment and trucks are
•Unit loads have been classified by Bureau of Indian Standards' (BIS) specification number IS
8005:1976(2).
The classifications are based on:
(a) Shape of unit loads –
i) basic geometric forms like rectangular, cylindrical, pyramidal/conical and spherical;
ii) typical or usual forms like pallets, plate, containers, bales and sacks;
(iii) irregular forms like objects with flat base dimension smaller than overall size, loads on
rollers/wheels and uneven shapes.
(b) Position of C.G. (stability) of load.
(c) Mass of unit load in 10 steps from 0-2.5 kg to more than 5000 kg.
(d) Volume per unit in 10 steps from 0-10 cm3 to more than 10 m3.
(e)Type of material in contact with conveying system like metal, wood, paper/cardboard,
textile, rubber /plastics, glass and other materials.
(f) Geometrical shape (flat, concave, convex, irregular/uneven, ribbed etc.) and physical
properties (smooth, slippery, rough, hard, elastic etc) of base surface of unit load.
(g)Specific physical and chemical properties of unit loads like abrasive, corrosive, dust
emitting, damp, greasy/oily, hot, cold, fragile, having sharp edges, inflammable, explosive,
hygroscopic, sticky, toxic, obnoxious, radioactive etc.
(h)Loads sensitive to pressure, shock, vibration, turning/tilting, acceleration/deceleration,
cold, heat, light, radiation, damp etc.
•Bulk materials are those which are powdery, granular
or lumpy in nature and are stored in heaps.
•Example of bulk materials are:
minerals (ores, coals etc.), earthly materials (gravel,
sand, clay etc.) processed materials(cement, salt,
chemicals etc.), agricultural products (grain, sugar,
flour
etc.) and similar other materials.
•Major characteristics of bulk materials, so far as their
handling is concerned, are:
lump-size, bulk weight, specific weight,
moisture
content, flowability (mobility of its particles), angles
of repose, abrasiveness, temperature, proneness to
explosion, stickiness, fuming or dusty, corrosivity,
hygroscopic etc.
•Mobility not flowability of a bulk material is generally
determined by its angle of repose. When a bulk
material is freely spilled over a horizontal plane, it
assumes a conical heap. The angle ‘φ’ of the cone with
the horizontal plane is called the angle of repose.

Less is ‘φ’, higher is the flowability of the bulk

material. If the heap is shaken, the heap becomes
flatter and the corresponding angle of repose under
dynamic condition is referred to as dynamic angle of
repose φdyn,
where φdyn is generally considered to be equal to
0.7φ.
•Classification and codification of bulk materials
based on lump size, flowability, abrasiveness,
bulk density and various other characteristics
have been specified by the BIS specification
number IS:8730:1997(3). The alphanumeric
codification system as per this specification is
shown below:
•001455.pdf
 Objectives of Material Handling
System
•Accuracy in transporting loads to destination
•Precision in Pick-up of loads
•Transporting loads in schedule time
•Transporting loads in required quantity
•Transporting loads without damage
•Automation with minimum manpower
•Low initial and overhead cost
•Simplicity and easy maintenance
•Operational Safety
 Guidelines in selecting material
handling equipments
•Direction of load travel
•Length of load travel
•Type and properties of load to be handled
•Required load moving capacity of unit
•Characteristics of Production processes
•Method of stacking loads at initial and final
points
•Local conditions
•Initial and operational costs
Belt Take-up Devices
•Maintain adequate tension in belt so as to :
Transmit the mechanical power from drive pulley to
belt without slip under all operating conditions
Limit the belt sag
•Std take-up travel of horizontal conveyor is
(1/100th) of belt length or 400 mm (greater)&
inclined installations – (3/200th)
Belt tensions at various points
along conveyor path