Re: Landing The Bucket Wheel Onto The Iron Ore Stockpile
Hello,
Bucket wheel does not plunge or pierce into stockpile. Bucket-wheel’s buckets cut / scoop material from exposed face of stockpile (exposed face along width, at stockpile end only). Stockpile is reclaimed in benches (top bench, middle bench, bottom bench, etc.). Bench depth is generally upto 50 to 55% of bucket wheel diameter. Cut depth is approximately 90 to 95% of bucket depth (radially).
Easy to understand somewhat similar analogy is milling cutter which cuts material by its own rotation, depth of cut and travel. Milling cutter does not attack the object head-on, but scraps / cuts out material stage by stage.
Bucket wheel landing on stockpile can influence load distribution in machine. Bucket wheel boom is balanced by counterweight boom in natural / operational status.
Ishwar G. Mulani
Author of Book: Engineering Science And Application Design For Belt Conveyors (new print November, 2012)
Author of Book: Belt Feeder Design And Hopper Bin Silo
Advisor / Consultant for Bulk Material Handling System & Issues.
Pune, India.
Tel.: 0091 (0)20 25871916
Email: conveyor.ishwar.mulani@gmail.com
Website: www.conveyor.ishwarmulani.com ■
Cutting Edge Technology
Landing is a poor choice of words. There was a case where a boom made heavy contact down on the pile; bucket shaft bearing housings were not designed for this duty; shaft broke free and left the wheel on the pile while the counterweight swung down and knocked the remaining machine over onto the adjacent pile. Modern control systems do not let this happen any more. It rather takes all the 'fun' out of the job!
BWR's are critically dependent on the settings of the clutches in the slewing and bucket wheel drives. Unfortunately there is no formula for the optimal working conditions. Cutting depth and wheel speed determine the machine output but the upstream control system has to regulate cutting without much help from the stockpile. These machines are small scale versions of BWE's which have to excavate overburden, ore bodies and canals without flinching. Designers and users of BWR's encounter many problems which they valiantly overcome. Several manufacturers offer add-on control systems which scan and monitor the pile and prevent collisions while maintaining a semblance of the guidelines outlined in the previous reply. ■
John Gateley johngateley@hotmail.com www.the-credible-bulk.com
Landing the Bucket Wheel onto the Iron Ore Stockpile
Hello all:
I was wondering if there are any restrictions when land the bucket wheel on a iron ore stockpile ? For example, what the minimum height of the central point of the wheel ? I assuming this height should be as same as the height of stockpile. Also, I think all the buckets should cut into the stockpile but not the wheel. How can we determine such constraint ? Is there a formula to find out the best landing point ?
Thanks in advance
Josh ■