Track: Master Thesis Competition

Abstract

South African mining industry is struggling with quick methods of structural change set ups. This is also a challenge even in temporary set ups and installation. Most mining materials are handled/moved using conveyor belts. These conveyor belts are reducing downtimes and increases operating cost due to higher maintenance and breakdowns. A study for different equipment making up a complete conveyor belt was conducted to learn more about this equipment and their behaviour. Advantages and disadvantages were noted in studying different types. Causes of failures with recommended maintenance and operating methodologies were also noted on the research made in the past. Conveyors systems can be very dangerous especially when in operations. Protective devices and methods are also noted and advised. Plough Scraper and Tilting Device are also researched as they provide a cheaper method of transferring materials or offloading a conveyor system either temporarily or permanently. History of scrapers and tilting device is also observed to further understand the background in contribution to recommending the best suitable solution to scrap off materials either in a tilted method or non-tilted scraping off from a moving conveyor. All of the equipment making up the conveyor belts including the tilting and scraping systems contributed to coming up with a very successful method of scraping or offloading a moving conveyor in a reasonable time and cost without major modifications as before this technology was discovered.