Optimally designed transfer points can help to avoid damage and undue wear of conveyor belts, traditionally seen as high cost items in bulk materials handling applications.

Chute systems that are not correctly designed and manufactured can lead to escalating conveyor belt costs for mines. Transfer chute specialist Weba Chute Systems maintains that it is critical to ensure transfer points are appropriately engineered for individual applications, asserting that custom solutions can significantly reduce costs.

The company highlights that conventional chutes tend to allow run-of-mine material, which can be up to half a metre in size, to drop from considerable heights onto conveyor belts. This is a common cause of damage and may significantly reduce belt life. Differences between the material’s velocity and the speed of the belt also aggravate wear and tear. Frequent belt replacements or repairs add to production costs and unplanned stoppages also lead to disruptions and increased costs as a result of downtime.

“The answer lies in a holistic chute design that controls the flow, volume and velocity of material,” says Weba Chute Systems MD Mark Baller. “This control is a key factor in reducing wear and tear on belts, while also cutting dust levels which are caused by the impact of falling material.”

The company explains that it develops effective chute systems through sound engineering principles, in particular by building the ‘super flow effect’ into its custom-designed products. The customer’s application and environment are also studied in detail to ensure that each design is fit-for-purpose.

Weba Chute Systems conducts on-site assessments to check that the data being used is correct and uses 3D scanning and 3D software for the assessment of information in order to ensure that designs are optimal and accurate. Discrete Element Method simulation is also used as a verification tool.