Posted on April 29, 1999 at 01:24:50:

I am a 4th year mechanical engineering student at the University of Tasmania. I am currently doing my honours project under the supervision of Dr. Colin Foster (University of Tasmania) and Lyndon Stevenson (SEMF Consulting).

The aim of the project is to gain a qualitative and, hopefully, quantitative understanding of the dynamics of a bucket grab.

To date I have been reading up on, and measuring properties of, cohesionless granular materials in order to gain a more complete understanding of the mechanics involved. As well as this a small clear perspex model of a grab is being made so i can view the flow into it and measure the forces on it.

The expertise in bulk materials handling at utas is limited, to say the least. I would, therefore, be extremely grateful for information regarding such a project including, suggestions, contacts, information on the conduct of similar studies (especially in regard to scaling for models, dimensionless numbers, and suitable materials for testing), and suitable publications.

Please don't hesitate to contact me at

cjlaning@postoffice.utas.edu.au

Thank you very much for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards

Christopher Laning ■