This compilation of papers from the 2006 SME symposium is must-have reading for the industry with the recent unsurpassed growth in the mining industry. The industrial growth and demand in China and India continues to add fuel to the overall growth of the world economy. In the two years since Bulk Material 5 was published (0-87335-237-8), prices for most minerals have risen dramatically with no indication that this is to be a short-term upsurge as historically has been the case. Most experts are expecting stabilization of prices, but with small growth, for the next five to ten years. As the mining industry continues to thrive, conveyors are also increasing in popularity for bulk materials handling. The desire and ability to move higher tonnages over routes that are more complicated are contributing to the use of conveying to replace other materials handling methods. High-speed conveyors traveling more than 1,500 feet per minute and capable of moving more than 20,000 tons per hour are replacing truck haulage in some waste-removal applications. Precise power distribution, along with advances in belting technology, continues to make conveying more amenable for longer belt routes.

This book describes all parts of belt conveyors, their functions and different types presented one after the other with necessary illustrations covering all the basic aspects so that the reader can obtain an overall understanding of their operation and implementation within the field of bulk material handling, mining and mineral processing. Dedicated study of this work will also enable engineers to carry out minor repairs on their own without having to wait for maintenance personnel. This is an introductory preliminary book for beginners in the field of bulk material handling, mining and mineral processing, written in lucid, easy-to-understand language, well-illustrated, and with self-explanatory descriptions that do not compromise in maintaining academic standards while dealing with the subject matter. A salient feature of this book is that all the new terminology used to describe the components and their functions has been included and explained. Much of the content of this book has been tested and evaluated positively by graduate and postgraduate students and professional engineers of several bulk material handling plants during training programs over the last twenty-five years in India.

Tens of thousands of mechanical engineers are engaged in the design, building, upgrading, and optimization of various material handling facilities. The peculiarity of material handling is that there are numerous technical solutions to any problem. The engineer’s personal selection of the optimal solution is as critical as the technical component. Michael Rivkin, Ph.D., draws on his decades of experience in design, construction, upgrading, optimization, troubleshooting, and maintenance throughout the world, to highlight topics such as: • physical principles of various material handling systems; • considerations in selecting technically efficient and environmentally friendly equipment; • best practices in upgrading and optimizing existing bulk material handling facilities; • strategies to select proper equipment in the early phases of a new project. Filled with graphs, charts, and case studies, the book also includes bulleted summaries to help mechanical engineers without a special background in material handling find optimal solutions to everyday problems.

An understanding ofthe properties and the handling characteristics of liquids and gases has long been regarded as an essential requirement for most practising engineers. It is therefore not surprising that, over the years, there has been a regular appearance of books dealing with the fundamentals of fluid mechanics, fluid flow, hydraulics and related topics. What is surprising is that there has been no parallel development of the related discipline of Bulk Solids Handling, despite its increasing importance in modern industry across the world. It is only very recently that a structured approach to the teaching, and learning, of the subject has begun to evolve. A reason for the slow emergence of Bulk Solids Handling as an accepted topic of study in academic courses on mechanical, agricultural, chemical, mining and civil engineering is perhaps that the practice is so often taken for granted. Certainly the variety of materials being handled in bulk is almost endless, ranging in size from fine dust to rocks, in value from refuse to gold, and in temperature from deep-frozen peas to near-molten metal.