bulk handling today oct11

BULK HANDLING TODAY October 2011 1

www.rema-tiptop.co.za

2 BULK HANDLING TODAY October 2011

www.astafrica.com


October 2011

ContentsSAIMH5 SAIMH Presents Bulk Materials Handling Options

Cover Story6 Pumping Air With Care

Crushers, Screens, Chutes & Liners9 A Fine Line13 Smart Machinery for Smart Mining

Harbours, Ports & Railways15 Africa’s First Black Female Marine Pilots

Beltcon17 Magnetic Drive Technology

Lifting Equipment25 Lifting the BIG Stuff29 Safely Within the Law

Trucking33 Extra Heavies on the Up

Transport and Logistics35 Just Another Tax?

37 Market Forum

Endorsing Bodies• CMA (Conveyor Manufacturers

Association)

• LEEASA (Lifting Equipment Engineering Association of South Africa)

• RFA (Road Freight Association)

• SAIMechE (SA Institute of Mechanical Engineering)

• SAIMH (SA Institute of Materials Handling)

Proprietor and Publisher:PROMECH PUBLISHINGTel: (011) 781-1401Fax: (011) 781-1403E-mail:[email protected] Website: www.promech.co.zaManaging Editor: Susan CustersEditor: Kowie Hamman

Trucking Editor: Raymond CamplingAdvertising Sales: Surita MarxDTP: Zinobia Docrat and Yolanda Flowerday

Printed by:Typo Colour PrintingTel: (011) 402-3468

Email us at [email protected] or Visit our website www.promech.co.za

The monthly circulation is 4 016

CopyrightAll rights reserved. No editorial matter published in “Bulk Handling Today” may be reproduced in any form or language without written permission of the publishers. While every effort is made to ensure accurate reproduction, the editor, authors, publishers and their employees or agents shall not be responsible or in any way liable for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies in the publication, whether arising from negligence or otherwise or for any consequences arising therefrom. The inclusion or exclusion of any product does not mean that the publisher or editorial board advocates or rejects its use either generally or in any particular field or fields.

On the cover:

Rema Tip Top AutomotiveTel: (011) 813-2222

Email: gavin.coetzer@rematiptop.

co.za

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.promech.co.za


http://www.promech.co.za


CONVEYOR MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION

From the Chairman’s Desk

Simon Curry

Delegates to the first Safety Symposium were disappointed that representatives of the Department of Mineral Resources did not make their promised presentation or even attend on the day. This year, however, things were different!

The programme started off with a presen-tation outlining the history of what had brought us to this day, swiftly followed by an

interesting description of the proposed changes to the legislation initiated by the Mine Health Safety Council as a result of submissions from industry on difficulties encountered when adhering to the Act. One example is in training the belt – the current legislation stipulates that no work may be done on a moving belt. Mr Anthony Coutinho described each proposed change explaining the effect on operation and maintenance.

In addition to the presentation, the Mine Health Safety Council has indicated that the CMA Safety around Belt Conveyors Guideline is to be incorporated into a Code of Practice as a minimum standard to the industry. At a later stage consideration may be given for this document to be developed into a minimum national standard on Safety around Belt Conveyors through the SA Bureau of Standards.

The third presentation of the day, entitled “Conveyor regulations compliance journey and challenges that remain” was given by Quintin Coetzee of Anglo American. This was followed by a repeat of John Hill’s Beltcon 16 paper entitled “Assessment of effectiveness of safety interventions in the field of bulk materials handling” presented by Rudi Pieterse.

After the lunch break, the real business of the Symposium began with a spirited open debate ses-sion which highlighted how many of the concerns raised last year have now been resolved or are in the process of resolution. A number of new issues were raised including topics such as education on the dangers of stored energy and steps that can be taken to prevent injury; issues of guarding on inclines; nip guards and palisade fencing; and the adequate belt stopping time and the use of flywheels.

Further information will soon be available on the CMA website.

At the end of the day, the CMA was given a mandate to hold these Safety Symposiums on an annual basis in order to keep industry updated with all matters SAFETY.

Simon CurryChairman

Again, it gives me great pleasure to report on yet another successful event last month. The second CMA Safety Symposium was held at Anglo American on

Wednesday 21 September and was well attended by delegates keen to hear what progress had been made since the first Safety Symposium held in August last year.

All members subscribe to the CMA Code of EthicsCMA Members List as at October 2011

ABB IndustryActomAfripp ProjectsAtlanta ManufacturingBateman Engineered TechnologiesBauerBearings InternationalBelt RecoBMGBonfiglioli Power TransmissionsBosworthBrelko Conveyor ProductsCKIT Conveyor EngineersCMG Electric Motors South AfricaConveyor WatchCPI TechnologiesCPM EngineeringCT SystemsDavid Brown Gear IndustriesDelras EngineeringDRA Mineral ProjectsDunlop BeltingDymot Engineering Company

ELB Engineering ServicesFacet EngineeringFenner Conveyor Belting (South Africa)Flexible Steel Lacing SAFLSmidth RoymecHägglunds Drives South AfricaHansen Transmissions SAHatch AfricaHosch - Fördertechnik (SA)Iptron TechnologyJoy Global (South Africa)Lesa Mining Equipment and Conveyor BeltLorbrandM & J EngineeringMartin EngineeringMelco Conveyor EquipmentMoret MiningMS Conveyor Pulleys SANepean ConveyorsOE BearingsOriental Rubber Industries SAOsborn Engineered ProductsPH Projects Holdings

Protea ConveyorsRead Swatman & VoigtRema Tip Top South AfricaRenold CroftsRSV ENCO ConsultingRula Bulk Materials HandlingSandvik Materials Handling SASchaeffler South AfricaSENETSET AgenciesSEW EurodriveShaft EngineeringShaw Almex AfricaSKF South AfricaThyssenKrupp Materials HandlingTransmission ComponentsTransvaal Rubber CompanyUnitek EngineersVeyance Technologies AfricaVoith TurboZest Electric Motors


SAIMH

SAIMH Presents Bulk Material Handling Options SAIMH Members

Bateman Engineered Technologies Bearings International (Pty) Ltd Brelko Conveyor Products (Pty) LtdCPM Engineering CT Systems ccConveyor Watch (Pty) Ltd David Brown Gear Industries (Pty) LtdDeebar Mining & Industrial Supplies East Rand Engineering Services ELB Engineering Services (Pty)LtdEngicon Systems (Pty) Ltd Facet Engineering ccGoba Consulting Engineers Group Line Projects (Pty) LtdHagglunds Drives SA (Pty) Ltd Illustech Ketapele Flexible Manufacturing ccMacsteel VRN Martin Engineering Melco Conveyor Equipment Morris Materials Handling SA (Pty) Ltd Osborn Engineered Products (Pty) LtdPD Engineering Services cc PDNA M&I (Pty) LtdPH Projects Holdings (Pty) Ltd Quadrant PHS Renold Crofts (Pty) LtdSandvik Materials Hanlding Africa Screw Conveyors & Material HandlingSenet SEW Eurodrive Shatterprufe a Div. of PG Group Pty Ltd Spar Western Cape Super Dock Systems Unitek Engineering Zest Electric Motors (Pty) Ltd

As presented in the last Institute feedback letter, one of the objectives of the insti-tute was to try to secure leading local and international speakers. The aim is

to impart knowledge on current technologies and solutions that can assist in increasing awareness amongst the industry. These forums are scheduled to occur every second month.

The first SAIMH joint forum under the leadership of Tony Pinto was held on the 25th August 2011 at the ELB Equipment premises in Boksburg, and attracted an attentive audience of 52.

The speaker for this initial presentation was Michael Kutza from FAM Germany. Michael presented an overview of typical Stockyard Equipment which included, Stackers, Reclaimers, Ship loaders and unloaders and other solutions in bulk material handling. Michael also touched on the different types of stockyard stacking methodologies which included the Cone Shell, Strata, Chevron and Windrow method. All items of significant interest to materials handling practitioners.

On other Institute matters, Bulk Material Handling has been kind enough to sponsor the Institute a page that we will be utilizing to support an initiative to educate our readers in Bulk Material Handling con-cepts. This page will explain the various equipment available and typical applications and is expected to be launched in the October 2011 edition.

The institute is also currently revamping their website, where current information and educational information will be displayed.

On a closing note, the Institute is once again hosting the Annual Golf Day at the ERPM Boksburg Golf Course on the 13th of October. As usual, tickets are going fast and this is expected to be another

good session with the proceeds of the day going to the Avril Elizabeth Home.

Should you wish to join the institute or sponsor a presentation, please contact [email protected]

Alternative contacts:

Tony Pinto 079 890 3599, Adi Frittella: 082 458 3711Roy Barbour: 083 862 3492, Melanie van Straaten: 011 772 1570, Email to: [email protected]

The next meeting is scheduled for the 10th of November 2011 with another international speaker, Aby Schneider from THOR Global, who will be discussing Telescopic Stackers.




COVER STORY

Although not yet legislated in South Africa, many countries require that inflation takes place in a special inflation cage made of steel tubing into which the whole tyre is

placed when it’s first inflated onto the rim after a repair or tyre replacement.

“Many people have lost their lives as a result of the explosion which results when a tyre bursts during inflation,” Gavin Coetzer, general manager at Rema TipTop Automotive, tells “SA Mechani-cal Engineer”. “And it will continue happening if companies don’t start using the right equipment with properly-trained technicians to do tyre repairs on OTR and EM machinery.”

ProtectionOn a walk through the warehouse at Rema Tiptop’s facility in Johannesburg, we see one of these cages, an item which should be as standard as tyre levers, hydraulic jacks, patch & solution and trestles in a mine’s workshop. “Tyre inflation should be taken

Pumping Air With CareInflating a large tyre of an off-the-road (OTR) or earthmoving (EM) machine is dangerous, possibly life-threatening if it’s not done properly and in accordance with prescribed procedures and standards.

more seriously,” Gavin says. Hand in hand with the right equipment for repairs, especially on the large costly tyres of OTR/EM machinery, goes the proper training of the technicians, or vulcanisers who do this highly specialised job. Not only has Rema Tip Top offered this training for some time

now, but they’ve also campaigned for many years to get these trained technicians the rightful recogni-tion they deserve for this highly specialised work.

“Over the past couple of years we’ve systematically compiled training modules for the South African market and developed a training course which has now been approved by the Merseta,” explains Gavin. “As a result, we have the only training programme in South Africa which prepares candidates for an officially-rec-ognised trade in vulcanising. Just like mechanics, electricians and plumbers, the EM (OTR) repair technician can now go through an apprenticeship and write a trade test in order to become a qualified OTR tyre repair profes-sional tradesman.”

Recognised tradeThis apprenticeship runs over two years where candidates do

Gavin Coetzer, General Manager, Rema Tip Top Automotive

Repairing a large tyre is costly, but compared with replacing it, it’s small potatoes

Many people have lost their lives as a result of the explosion which results when a tyre bursts during inflation


COVER STORY

theoretical courses followed by practical training on the job. “In the first year they do a week’s intensive theoretical training presented by our training foundation,” says Gavin. “They then go back to their employer, or we will place them with a certified tyre repairer to do specified practical work for the rest of the year. Thereafter they’re assessed in terms of theory and practical knowledge before going onto the second year of apprenticeship. After this, they are assessed, refreshed and prepared for the trade test.

“Training is safety critical because there are plenty of chancers in this dangerous industry,” says Gavin. “To combat them, we have gone to the mines at executive level with our system and explained the importance of mak-ing proper repairs, not only in terms of safety, but also in terms of cost. Many of the mines now specify that only Rema-certified repair technicians using Rema equipment and repair products, can do work on their OTR vehicle tyres.”

Extending lifeTyres are damaged at any stage of their lives.

The right equipment – 200 tonne tresles

Training is safety critical because there are plenty of chancers in this dangerous industry

Fifty tonne tresltes made specially for OTR tyre changing

It could be a new tyre or one which is close to the end of its life. “The repairer and the owner must decide together whether a repair is viable or not, especially as the repair should last for the rest of the life of that tyre. There is no reason why a professionally-done repair should not last the full seven to nine thousand hours left in a tyre that is damaged early in its life.”

Repairing a large tyre is costly, but compared with replacing it, it’s small potatoes provided the repair is undertaken professionally. Says Gavin in conclu-sion, “Most people tend to base whether they should do a repair or not on the price. I advise customers not to look so deeply at price but rather at how a good quality repair can extend the life of the tyre.”

Gavin Coetzer, Rema Tip Top Automotive, Tel: (011) 813-2222, Email: [email protected]




www.wearcon.co.za


CRUSHERS, SCREENS, CHUTES & LINERS

throughput in a chute system. Naturally, chute system design has become a large part of our busi-ness as opposed to only being a supplier of wear resistant materials.”

Again, the design of the chute is dependent on a number of factors. It’s not the sort of thing that comes in a standard format for all situations. “The focus in chute system design is to achieve consistent flow with a controlled throughput in a plant,” elaborates Spike. “Traditionally a chute is designed for a certain tonnage throughput, but then the client starts to pick up problems because the ore changes in the wet season compared with the dry season and so on. We look at the plant and its operating conditions as a whole and design around it to try to overcome all possible eventualities.”

Material dataIn order to design a chute system with the correct lining material for every stage of the operation, Multotec analyses each detail for each individual application. “We need data on the ore such as the size, the angle of repose, the throughput tonnage and also the moisture and clay content of the

Thus it is logical for a wear liner manufacturer, like Multotec, to offer a packaged solution in terms of equipment protection

in bulk materials handling applications. After all, they know the characteristics of the wear liners they make better than anyone else, so “Bulk Han-dling Today” gets the low-down from Spike Taylor, managing director of Multotec Rubber.

Liners “There’s a good rea-son for having a whole range of different types of wear liners made in ceramics, rubber, or even com-posites using various combinations of these materials as well as special steels,” he says. “Each mate-rial has certain flow and energy absorp-tion characteristics which we know how to utilise to achieve optimum, controlled

A typical diamond plant where Multotec wear resistant solutions are used A Fine Line

Selecting the liners for a chute is not just about picking a strong abrasive resistant material to protect the chute, it’s a much more scientific process where the chute design, the liner material and the type of

product going through the chute has to be considered to achieve optimum material flow with the least

abrasion on the equipment.

Spike Taylor, managing director of Multotec Rubber


product being transported in order to do a design,” explains Spike. “The angle of impact on wear plates is one of the most important factors that has a huge influence not only on the chute design as such, but also on the choice of liner material, its shape and thickness.

“Very often we even have to consider the value of


the ore being handled. In the case of diamonds, for instance, a dead box can contain diamonds which is a security risk plus high speed impact onto steel liners can damage the diamonds,” adds Spike. “The data about problem areas in a plant can either be supplied by the client or we go out and undertake an audit to identify problem areas in terms of material flow. A report is then drawn up for the client to consider before we re-design the chute systems of a plant.”

All things consideredHowever, the problem is often not so much the chute itself but another element of the handling system. “In order to supply a complete chute we have to look at all the aspects leading up to and from the chute as well,” explains Spike. “For example, if the problem is rapid wear in the impact area, it could very well be the feed arrangement which is caus-ing the problem and not the wear material itself.

Sometimes it’s a fine line to get it just right,” adds Spike. “Velocity through the chute, for instance, is critical. If material goes through too slowly, the chute will block up. If it goes through too fast, it might cause spillage on the outgoing side or cause other problems with the downstream equipment. The output side of a chute is also an important fac-tor to consider in design. You might be discharging

Mill feed chute lined with impact resistant ceramics

www.thyssenkrupp-materialshandling.co.za


An illustration showing Multotec impact panels

customised to address a specific flow problem. “We can cut ceramic tiles to odd shapes before the firing process when the mate-rial is soft, for example,” Spike explains. “Similarly we produce rubber wear plates with different profiles in order to get the rubber wear plate closer to a 90 degree impact angle and so on.

In a final remark on chute design in general, Spike shares some of the wisdom he’s gained through many years’ experience in the field. “Many forget about maintenance of chutes when they design and sometimes accessing to a chute is well-nigh impossible. You not only have to consider ease of access after the installation, but when installing, there should be hooks and fittings on the chute in order to lift equipment into place for trouble-free installation and operation.”

Spike Taylor, Multotec, Tel: (011) 928-4172, Email: [email protected]

onto a high speed conveyor belt where the client often positions the chute at 90º to the belt, but it would be much better if the discharge was in the same direction as the belt travel in order to centralise the material on the belt.”

Wear materialsLast but not least, the wear material for the chute system has to be chosen which is where the vast knowledge and experience of Multotec engineers comes together to produce an optimum chute. “Very often ceramic tiles, for example, are sum-marily dismissed because they’re regarded as too brittle for a lining where impact is concerned, but if used correctly in the right place in a chute, it’s the perfect material for high abrasive conditions,” says Spike.

“The different materials show different properties at different angles of impact. Ceramics, for instance, perform best at zero to 31 degrees in terms of impact angles while rubber prefers impact between 90 to 70 degrees to achieve the best energy absorption.

Practical designThe liner, as an integral part of a chute, has made designing the tiles an integrated part of the chute design process, especially in out-of-the ordinary situations where the wear tile shapes have to be



wwwjoyglobal.co.za


www.bateman.com


Paving the way for the technology that will eventually enable complete remote control of underground machinery from above the ground is Joy Global, the engineering

company specialising in mining solutions. “Bulk Handling Today” meets Dirk van Dyk, technical director at Joy Global in South Africa, to talk about the latest underground feeder-breaker that’s just been built locally.

New generation“This is our second generation feeder-breaker, a world first in terms of being the first machine that is entirely Smart Services enabled,” says Dirk. “In

Smart Machinery for Smart Mining

In the not too distant future very deep mines may well become a man-less operation mainly because it’s the safest way to mine under the inhumane conditions

prevalent several kilometres under the ground.


short, this means that up on the surface in a control room you can see the tonnages being put through the feeder-breaker, for example. You can also see how the machine is performing in general, the power consumed and even how far the machine has moved, culminating in the ability to calculate overall productivity of the mining operation.

“The first of these machines has just been completed, coinciding with the opening of Joy Global’s Smart Services Centre in eMalahleni (Witbank), the first globally in the group,” explains Stefan Hefer, prod-uct engineer at Joy Global. “The Smart Services Centre combines all our services into one package under one roof as an integrated of-fering to our customers. The centre features technological advance-ments in predictive maintenance, field engineering, and integration of mining processes and system optimisation including remote

machine health monitoring, condition monitoring, training and 24-hour support. Smart Services goes well beyond the traditional product offering and associated services. It’s about applying technology to assist our customers to produce in the safest manner and at the lowest cost per tonne.”

Systems approach“The centre emphasises our systems approach which is more than just selling machines,” says Dirk. “Although we have a series of equipment dedicated to underground mining as well as a whole series specifically for surface mining, the systems approach allows us to present a total engineered mining solution by integrating all the machinery through the Smart Services Centre. This is our way of adding value for customers who use our machinery.

Dirk van Dyk, technical director at Joy Global in South Africa

Stefan Hefer, product engineer at Joy Global

A total engineered mining solution by integrating all the machinery through the Smart Services Centre



“The Smart Services concept differentiates us from others in the market,” adds Dirks. “Most of our products, like our new generation feeder-breaker, can be monitored online regardless of where they’re working in the world. The main value-add for customers under contract lies in the fact that we can analyse system productivity of their operations underground.”

To better explain their systems approach, Dirk uses a coal mine operation as an example. “Right from the coal face where a continuous miner digs out the coal, to our feeder breaker, haulage

machines and all the way up to our conveyor systems taking the coal to the beneficiary plant, comprise a system,” he explains. “In monitoring the system through the Smart Services Centre we can determine, for example, that our continuous miner machine may very well have an uptime of about 97%, but if you integrate the whole opera-tion as a system, the uptime often proves to only be between 50 to 60%. The challenge thus lies in getting the overall productivity up which is done through Smart Services.

Machine interactionThis means that all machinery in the system has to be Smart Services enabled and the new feeder-breaker is the latest to join the ranks of other ma-chines that are already ‘smart’ enabled. “The new machine is based on the Stamler feeder-breaker we’ve always sold, but since Joy has bought out the technology we’ve now added features to offer the generation 2 version which is totally system-orientated in terms of Smart Services linking,” says Stefan. “This means complete interaction and communication with the mining equipment up front of the feeder-breaker as well as downstream to the conveyor systems taking product out of the mine.

“It is no use, for instance, that the feeder-breaker continues processing material if the conveyor system or hauler downstream has stopped operating for some reason,” clarifies Stefan. “The system will sense any such events and accordingly stop other affected equipment to avoid blockages or spills that then require hours to clear or recover material just because one link in the system is not working properly. Apart from this dynamic feature, the new generation feeder is crawler mounted, making the moving of the machine and adjusting conveyor alignment after belt extensions a much quicker exercise than in the past.”

Centre of excellenceAlthough several branches across the world partici-pate in the development of a machine or technology, the feeder-breaker was built in South Africa. “With the technology now proven, our mother company in the USA will now start applying it to feeder-breakers being built there,” Stefan says proudly.

“Joy Global, Africa is the centre of excellence for the group in terms of Smart Services,” adds Dirk in conclusion. “The technology of monitoring equip-ment and processes under and above ground is being developed in South Africa for Joy branches over the world. Many people don’t realise that a Joy system solution comes entirely from within one company, starting with the software and electronics right through idlers and conveyor structures, to our huge mobile all-encompassing crushing solution for open pit mining - everything is manufactured within the company.”

Annalien Hattingh, Joy Global, Tel: (011) 406-6100, Email: [email protected]

Complete interaction and communication with the mining equipment up front of the feeder-breaker as well as downstream

The feeder-breaker was built in South Africa

The new generation feeder is crawler mounted



HARbOURS, pORTS & RAILwAYS

Africa’s First Black, Female Marine Pilots

Three Durban women have made history by becoming Africa’s first black, female marine pilots to obtain an open

licence that enables them to navigate ships of any size and type into South African waters.

Not only are Precious Dube, Bongiwe Mbambo and Pinky Zungu three of only five female marine pilots in South Af-rica, but their open licence gives them

authority to guide anything from the very smallest vessels to the biggest supertankers and container ships into port.

The three were among the earliest development candidates introduced by Transnet National Ports Authority in the late 90’s, to encourage more black participation in the country’s ports. Today, the majority [of candidates] have worked hard to achieve success in senior positions such as harbour mastering and port captaincy.

Transnet National Ports Authority CE Tau Morwe says the achievements of the three illustrate the successes of the port authority’s programme of transformation and employment equity. “The mari-time sector used to be one that was closed off to the historically disadvantaged, including women, but this is changing and we are geared for even greater success stories like this,” he says.

Women are now found across all levels of the country’s maritime sector, from crane operators to senior executives.

Guide anything from the very smallest vessels to the biggest supertankers and container ships into port

Precious Dube (left) and Pinky Zungu (right)


HARbOURS, pORTS & RAILwAYS

In-depthPrecious, a thirty-something from Inanda Newtown, was the first female to qualify with an open licence and says she was very excited when told of her historic achieve-ment. “The captains of foreign ships can be very sceptical when you’re a woman because it’s not common for them to see a female marine pilot, although I’ve heard there are a few in the United States and possibly Australia.”

She says she’s used to being quizzed about her experience as a pilot, adding, “But once you exchange information with the captain and make him feel confident that you know the port like the back of your hand and can get his ship into the port safely, you win him over easily enough.”

Bongiwe, 29, lives in Glenwood, Durban. She laughs when she recalls the amazement of the captain of the first vessel she guided in after qualifying as an open licence pilot recently. “The captain actually took photographs and recorded a video while I was performing my job alongside him. It was very funny,” she says.

Pinky is the latest to qualify and echoes the proud senti-ments of her peers. “Being at sea was difficult at first. I was the only cadet and the only female on a Russian cruise ship, where only the captain spoke English well. But I eventually befriended another South African woman who joined the ship later and together we focused on achieving our career goals despite the challenges,” she relates. “Today I love my job and can imagine myself still doing this at the age of 65.”

Career pathThe three followed similar career paths, first receiving bursaries from Transnet to pursue a one-year maritime studies programme. They then completed experiential training as cadets out at sea, with shipping lines such as Safmarine and Unicorn, sailing between South Africa, Europe and the Far East.

After a compulsory oral examination with the South Af-rican Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), they obtained Class 3 tickets to be junior deck officers responsible for auto-piloting vessels and managing safety equipment. They then trained and worked as tug masters at Transnet, manoeuvring ships in and out of the port with the aid of small tugboats. After a one-year pilot training programme they qualified as junior pilots before progressing through the various licence grades, starting with smaller ships of around 16 000 gross tons, then up to 35 000 tons and eventually finishing with an open licence.

Rufus Lekala was also part of that first development group and now holds the position of Chief Harbour Master for South Africa. He is also the youngest in the world. He applauds the women’s progress saying, “South Africa is leading the pack in terms of equity and transformation in the maritime field. Pilots Dube, Mbambo and Zungu have put us on the map once more and should be very proud of their achievements.”

Transnet National Ports Authority, Lunga Ngcobo, Email: [email protected]

The captain actually took photographs and recorded a video while I was performing my job


www.bearings.co.za


bELTCON

This paper discusses magnetic drive tech-nology in theory and goes a step further where case study results are portrayed from actual installations. The advantages

and disadvantages of this technology are portrayed and guidance is given as to where this technology is best suited in the conveying industry.

Background to Magnetic Drive CouplingsOver the past decade, magnetic drive couplings have emerged as a method of accelerating and driving belt conveyors. The torque is transmitted by means of a very strong magnetic field created through permanent magnets restraining the driving element from the driven element. These magnets are rare-earth magnets: neodymium, iron and bo-ron, and have very low magnetic losses, typically 0.09% over a 25 year period.

The magnets are known as ‘rare-earth magnets’ because the element neodymium is found within the rare earth section of the atomic chart. Rare earth metals such as neodymium were thought to be extremely rare in the earth’s crust. NdFeB magnets have the highest energy of all permanent magnets, permitting the small size and high torque transmission capability. NdFeB magnets theoretically retain their magnetic strength and performance for up to 20 000 years, when used continuously within their temperature limits of 120° C

How does the Magnetic Coupling workMagnetic drive couplings operate on the principle of transferring torque from the driving element to the driven element across an air gap. Magnets are bonded into pockets on the driven element and the torque is transferred to the non-drive side across

Magnetic Drive Technology

Unlike a fluid coupling where the torque is built up as the fluid passes from rest to the working chamber over a period of time, in a fixed magnetic drive, the torque is at its maximum and slips from a high slip value to a zero slip value during ramping until the drive speed and the conveyor speed are eventually equalised. It is thus important that the final overall conveyor loading suits the torque setting of the magnetic coupling which is adjusted accordingly by shimming the air gap. In the adjustable version of the magnetic drive coupling, the air gap can be altered to a higher or lower transmittable torque. This is done by mechanically altering the air gap whilst in motion which can also be modulated by means of a PLC, allowing for the coupling to have a low initial torque which is increased over a period of time as the conveyor accelerates.

Figure 1. Eddy currents created by fixed magnets


the air gap. There is thus no physical connection between the driving and driven elements, with all torque being transmitted across the air gap separating the two elements.

Eddy currents are created when a conductor is moving in relation to a magnetic field.

• Relative motion forms eddy currents, ’swirls’ of current that resist, or oppose, the movement of the conductor

• If the conductor is being rotated through the field, the opposing force will be in the form of torque

• If the conductor is moving, and the magnetic field is allowed to move freely, this torque force will cause a rotation of the magnetic field.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Magnetic Drive CouplingsAdvantages:• Vibration cannot be transmitted across the coupling

• Due to the transfer of torque being ’vibration free’, the energy saving is considerable when com-pared to a poorly installed coupling that is consum-

ing energy due to overcoming vibration. It can thus be said that as a result of no apparent misalignment, energy is saved

Figure 2. Air gap vs. torque transmitted

Figure 3. Fixed type coupling

bELTCON

• There are no wearing surfaces and thus no oils, greases etc. are required

• Noise levels are lower than fixed couplings in the case of (DOL) starting

• Maintenance levels are clas-sified as being low

• The coupling is impervious to shock loading, but heat will build up whilst slipping

• There are no electro magnets used in the couplings and thus no consumption of external power is required.

Disadvantages:• Eddy currents generate


considerable heat when relative slip is present, particularly during ramping. This heat needs to be dissipated and the coupling must be well ventilated and installed within an acceptable non-gaseous environment. If the coupling stalls due to the load, the heat generated needs to be dissipated or overheating will occur. Coupling selection is thus imperative. When used on conveyors, the full load condition must not allow the coupling to stall as excessive heat build-up will be created

• The rare earth magnets are set into a machined aluminium rotor which is restrictive as a result of being a light metal alloy when applied in explosive atmospheres. particularly in fiery mining conditions. (The magnesium content of the aluminium needs to be checked for compliance)

• High magnetic fields are present when working with, or in close proximity to, the couplings. These magnetic fields can affect other electronic control systems in close proximity

• When the load is up to full speed, magnetic slip occurs at between 1% to 3%.

Other NotesThe value of torque is achieved by setting the distance between the driving element and the driven element. Two different types of couplings are generally used in conveyors, namely the fixed type and the delay type.

Figure 4. Fixed type cross section

Figure 5. Delay type coupling

bELTCON

www.rema-tiptop.co.za


Delay CouplingOperating state

Motor Load Slip Repellingforce

Attractiveforce

Air gap Torque

At rest Stopped Stopped 0 0 Normal Minimum 0

Start up Fastacceleration

Slower High High Normal Maximum Lowincreasing

Normal Normalspeed

Normalspeed

Low Low Normal Minimum Rated

Loadseizure

Normalspeed

Stopped High High Normal Maximum Reduced

Shut off Decelerating Decelerating Low Decreasing Normal To minimum DecreasingTable 1. Delay coupling

Type 1 - Fixed Type CouplingIn this coupling the air gap is fixed and thus the characteristics cannot be easily altered once in-stalled. The slip can however, be changed if the coupling is removed, stripped and the effective gap is reduced to increase the transmitted torque or increased to reduce transmitted torque by means of shimming the distance between the driving and driven elements.

Type 2 — Delay Type CouplingsIn some applications a delayed start capability is required in order to extend the ramping time. The delay type couplings have the ability to apply a

lower torque to get the belt moving and then apply full torque. The net effect is extending the ramping time. The delay start coupling is commonly used on conveyors.

Type 3 — Torque Limiting Coupling In torque overload situations, the coupling automati-cally disengages as a result of the loss of output speed relative to input speed, disengaging the drive. When the jam is cleared and the motor is turned off, the coupling automatically resets itself centrifugally to resume operation on the next start command. It thus offers overload torque protection and automatic resetting when the motor is turned off. Torque limiting couplings are seldom used on conveyors.

Type 4 — Adjustable Speed Drive (ASD)Applications currently benefiting include pumps, fans, blowers, centrifuges and bulk handling equipment, although there are very few installa-tions using ASDs on conveyors. Industries served include water and wastewater treatment, pulp and

bELTCON

Figure 6. Cross section

www.batemanengineering.com


Figure 7. Torque limiting coupling

paper manufacturing, power generation, oil and gas processing, cement, mining, chemical and food processing, irrigation, maritime and HVAC systems.

The principle of magnetic induction requires relative motion between the magnets and the conductors. This means that the output speed is always less than the input speed. The difference in speed is known as slip. Typically, when the coupling is operating at full rated motor speed, the slip is between 1% and 3%.

The output torque is always equal to the input torque. The motor is only required to produce the amount of torque needed by the load. The efficiency of the system is calculated by dividing the output (load) speed by the input (motor) speed.

The ability to transmit power or to control speed is not affected by minor angular or offset alignments between the motor and load. Vibration due to mis-alignment is virtually eliminated. Transmission of vibration across the drive is also eliminated due to the air gap configuration.

When installed in a system, the coupling is con-trolled from a process signal. The pressure, flow, level or other process control signal is provided to the coupling actuator. The drive will then modulate the speed of the load to satisfy the control needs.

The coupling is easily retrofitted to existing instal-lations. No modifications to the power supply are necessary, minimizing capital and installation costs. No Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) or harmonic distribution is created by the system. The load is operated at its optimum speed, increas-ing energy efficiency and reducing operating and maintenance costs.

Cost of ASD vs. VFDThe ASD magnetic drive is cost advantageous when compared to the VFD drive technology up to around 75 kW, then the costing of the two technologies are about equal up to 300 kW [1].

Efficiency of ASDThe ASD is not very efficient when operating at lower speeds when the coupling slip is high. At high speed the ASD will obtain greater levels of efficiency. Therefore, the ASD reaches the highest efficiency when the air gap is minimised and slip is between 1% to 3%.

Adjustable Speed Drive EvaluationAlthough the ASD can be used to vary the operating speed of the conveyor based on changing the output torque to suit the load, it is not recommended to be used to run a conveyor at various speeds. The strength of the ASD lies in using it as a ramping device in order to take a conveyor up to full op-erating speed in an acceptable time, so as not to induce a high drive start factor, DSF, which will in turn induce unwanted dynamics into the conveyor. The ramp time needs to be programmed into the control system for the ASD.

ConclusionMagnetic drive couplings MUST be correctly se-lected to suit the installed power and the demand power of the conveyor. If undersized they will slip,

bELTCON

www.dunlopbelting.com


overheat and not work as is the case with most. Correctly sized for small to medium conveyors, these couplings are found to be reliable and require very little maintenance.

Magnetic drive couplings when applied to high inertia loads such as conveyors, cannot offer low drive start factors. The couplings operate very comfortably at a DSF of 180% and still offer good ramping at a DSF of 160%. Below 160% other available technologies are more suited.

The coupling drives at a fixed torque value and if this value is exceeded, then the coupling will slip,

bELTCON

Delay CouplingOperating state

Motor Load Slip Repellingforce

Attractiveforce

Flipperposition

Air gap Torque

At rest Stopped Stopped 0 0 Normal Down Minimum 0

Start up Fastacceleration

Slower High High Normal Down Intermediate Lowincreasing

Normal Normalspeed

Normalspeed

Low Low Normal Up Minimum Rated

Loadseizure

Normalspeed

Stopped High High Normal Up Maximum Minimal

Shut off Decelerating Decelerating Low Decreasing Normal Down To minimum Minimal to 0

Table 2. Torque limiting coupling

generating heat. When used with multiple drives, staggered delay starting is the norm.

The air gap needs to be fine-tuned on commission-ing to optimise the ramping. The coupling will not allow for a controlled start and will always ramp more rapidly when empty and slower when loaded. Vertical curves must be considered for the empty condition under a DSF of at least 180%. If at all possible, try to design the beltline without vertical curves and if this is not possible, make sure that the curve radius is large enough to suit the high empty DSF.

www.multotec.com


bELTCON

The most popular couplings used in conveyors are of the delay start type and the ASD type has not been applied widely to conveyors.

These delay type couplings have a niche place in the market for certain con-veyors and operate very successfully within given parameters. They cannot offer a controlled start to a conveyor under adversely loaded conditions and are not suited to long ramping times. These constraints limit their use from small to medium conveyors. For longer ramping times and more controlled starting, the ASD coupling controlled via a PLC would need to be considered amongst other technologies.

The torque limiting type of couplings are seldom used on conveyors for the reason that the coupling disengages due to over loading. Once the motor

Figure 8. Adjustable speed drive cross section

is turned off the coupling will reset in preparation for the next start.

Provided that the conveyor is not too large, and in the case of an emergency, the coupling can easily

www.baldmineng.edx.co.za


bELTCON

be mechanically locked up. This will however, offers no dampening to the start, but will probably get the conveyor underway in the same manner as a DOL start. This could be seen as an advantage over a fluid coupling until such time that the coupling can be changed out.

Figure 9. Adjustable speed drive installation with actuator

Figure 10. Adjustable speed drive

This paper has been condensed due to space constraints. The author is Alan Exton. This paper was first presented at Beltcon 16 held in Johannesburg in 2011 and copyright is vested with the IMHC. Enquiries can be made through the website; www.beltcon.org.za

Promech Publishing has a BEE rating 167.5%

http://www.beltcon.org.za

www.melcoconveyors.co.za

www.afzelia.co.za


This is the type of lifting equipment AJM Engineering, based in Meadowdale near Johannesburg, specialises in. To find out more “Bulk Handling Today” speaks to Tony

Marques, the owner of the company whose equip-ment is better known under the ProStar brand of lifting equipment. “In the thirty years I’ve been in the lifting industry in South Africa we’ve designed custom built cranes and lifting devices for several unique applications,” he says. “From large overhead cranes to lift locomotives, through to special solu-tions for the manipulation of 20 tonne carriages for welding access during fabrication, we’ve built them all.”

A whole solutionTypically we not only supply the lifting equipment as such, but rather a complete solution which in-cludes special features such as welding platforms and jib cranes which may be required in the process of manufacturing. “In total we have supplied well over a hundred custom-built cranes over the years to Transnet facilities throughout South Africa,” says Tony. “For the latest project we supplied four 20-tonne cranes and 14 jib cranes including the welding platforms and welding manipulator systems for the new locomotive manufacturing facility in Pretoria.”

The Load Turning Device is a load turning system which lifts the locomotive engine up in belts attached to a drive system suspended from an overhead crane. The drive winds the belts, attached to pul-leys on either side of the drive, back and forth to allow the engine to be turned over evenly to any desired position during the assembly of components so that welders can access all areas safely from all angles with ease.

Models“Our standard models are suitable for load capacities of 1000 to 100 000 kg,” says Tony. “However, we have special models with automatic load balancing or where you can adjust the distance between the two belts electrically or mechanically. The load can be handled with FES belts up to 20 000 kg. For higher lifting capacities, we use steel woven belts, chains or a combination of both. For loads with sharp edges, for example, we even have magnetic edge protectors as an accessory.

“A huge advantage of this load turning system lies in its mobile application within the factory,” adds Tony. “The device can be taken directly to where it is needed on the factory floor and, attached to a suitable overhead crane, can turn the load until all work is done before moving it to the next location in the factory. Every system we design is custom made after we’ve simulated the operating process of each particular load on our CAD design software.”

Walk-thruAJM recently delivered two 55/15-tonne cranes to

Lifting the BIG Stuff

The sort of crane

which can lift a 50 tonne locomotive

or a rail carriage under construction and flip it over

so that personnel can work on the underside, cannot exactly be

bought off the shelf.

The Load Turning Device is a load turning system which lifts the locomotive engine up in belts attached to a drive system suspended from an overhead crane

LIFTING EQUIpMENT

The girder for an overhead crane nearing completion in the AJM workshop


Regardless of the size and level of sophistication of a lifting requirement, however, quality, and especially safety, is our foremost priority

LIFTING EQUIpMENT

Al components import carry the Prostar brand name

Nelspruit’s railway depot. The size of such a crane, and the logistics around moving such a big crane to site dawned on us when we saw work in progress at the factory in Mead-owdale where three 50-tonne overhead cranes were reach-ing the final stages of manufacturing. “These are going to Transnet rail in Durban,” clarifies Tony as he takes us through the different stages of manufacturing where huge 40

metre I-beams systematically take on the familiar shape of an overhead crane. “Apart from making some smaller 15-tonnes cranes as part of this order, we also designed and made two traversing systems for the client. This is a system, similar to a crane, which lifts the carriage to take it from

www.anchors.co.za


Crane components under construction

A large stock holding of crane components ensures quick delivery

All cranes are rated for specific duties, it’s no use buying a medium duty crane and then expecting it to perform like a heavy duty crane 24 hours a day

one workshop to the next on tracks linking the workshops throughout the manufacturing sequence.”

All industriesAlthough its speciality, AJM, doesn’t only make cranes for the rail industry, but rather covers all industries and applications. “We’re building cranes for the new power stations being erected in South Africa and are in the process of manufacturing five overhead cranes for a new waterworks development in Mozambique,” adds Tony. “We also supply small companies with small cranes, but here we compete with operators who sell cranes from the back of their bakkies, a rife practice in South Africa.

“Regardless of the size and level of sophistication of a lifting requirement, however, quality, and especially safety, is our foremost priority and something we simply won’t compromise on,” says Tony. “We are registered as an LME (lifting inspection entity) and have several registered LMIs (lifting machinery inspectors) among our 25 technical services teams who are on the road every day.

Warning“Potential crane buyers should be careful who they buy from and check the credentials of those offering cheap lifting products. Whether it’s a simple hoist or a big overhead crane, you simply don’t take chances with safety,” warns Tony in conclusion. “It’s also very important to consult with the experts when buy-ing a crane, regardless of the size. So often you get people who buy the wrong crane for an application and then they blame the crane. All cranes are rated for specific duties, it’s no use buying a medium duty crane and then expecting it to perform like a heavy duty crane 24 hours a day.

Tony Marques, Tel: (011) 453-0728., Email: [email protected]

LIFTING EQUIpMENT


www.weirminerals.com


Today this is a thing of the past as legislation now requires all cranes to have a Safe Load Indicator (SLI) system installed to warn and even cut out when a lift is over the crane’s

lifting capacity. “Bulk Handling Today” speaks to Gordon Harvey, director of Custom Crane Safety in Alrode. “Safe load indicators come in various levels of sophistication in order to cover the wide range of crane duties for which mobile cranes are utilised,” he says. “In the 17 years we’ve been in this business, we’ve developed custom solutions for all the variables out there.”

Local productOne of these is the OPD 100 system which under-went four years of development to provide CCS with its own, completely South African made product. “We started out as a company purely repairing and servicing safe load indicators on all types of mo-bile cranes including lattice crawler and hydraulic cranes,” says Gordon.

“The development of the OPD 100, derived from a 100% overload protection device, came about naturally when we recognised a need in the mar-ket. The system was completely designed by us, including how the electronics should function, although we outsourced the design of the electronic boards as such.

Simple and sophisticated“Since installing the first one about eight years ago, we’ve sold over 800 of these units into a very limited market locally, but have exported to several countries around the world,” adds Gordon. “This system is specifically for small to medium cranes. Apart from rugged reliability, we set out to build a display unit with a large easy-to-read LCD display and easy-to-understand warning lamps and user input keys.

“Yet, inside the unit we’ve utilised the most ad-vanced technology available in the load-indicator industry including features such as surface-mounted components for compact construction as well as self-testing of the full system and sensors. It has built-in software for easy but comprehensive field fault finding tests. Using a laptop, all crane data such as a table of events and errors can be captured.”

Gordon Harvey, director of Custom Crane Safety

Safely within the Law

Overloading a crane by lifting more than it is specified to do, not only damages the crane but increases the chance of hurting, or even killing people. For many years cranes, particularly mobile cranes, in South Africa have operated

‘blindly’ in that there was no legislation to enforce the use of overload protection devices on cranes.

Mobile crane over-load protection device

Safe load indicators come in various levels of sophistication in order to cover the wide range of crane duties for which mobile cranes are utilised

LIFTING EQUIpMENT


LIFTING EQUIpMENT

MK4E/2 System

MK4K System

Bigger cranesFor bigger cranes and more complex applications, where more features are required, CCS imports a series of load indicator systems made by Hirschmann in Germany. “Last year we added this series of overload protection products to our offering after sending sales and technical staff to Germany for proper training on the product features, functions and installation,” says Gordon. “This solution is for large complex mobile cranes where you need multiple inputs into the SLI. We carry the full range of spares and our five field service teams are now fully trained up to install and service these too.

“In addition to SLIs we provide and fit all other specific safety equipment such as ‘robot’ warning lights and alarms to warn people around the crane that it is operating,” adds Gordon. “In addition, we regularly fit cameras and wind speed sensors to the crane for safety reasons. A camera feed typically goes to a monitor in the operator’s cab to provide alternative view angles around the crane.”

ServiceOne of the main reasons South Africa has a poor reputation in terms of service can be ascribed to companies taking on too much work with too few people to carry it through properly and on time. “It’s a general South African thing, especially in smaller companies where there’s always a problem with manpower,” says Gordon.

“If the expert in the company is called out on a job, there’s no one else to help other staff who may need his expertise. For this very reason we’ve invested in field service teams to provide consistent service wherever the client is and as quickly as

www.verlinde.com


Cable drum

A favourite sales trick is to inspect the crane and declare that the SLI in it has long since been outdated and should be replaced, just so the salesman can sell a new one

Rope rider

possible. This has certainly given us an edge in a very competitive market where crane owners need their cranes to be operative at all times.”

Beware!Gordon has some horror stories about crane owners who have forked out big bucks for safety equipment which doesn’t need to be replaced. A favourite sales trick is to inspect the crane and declare that the SLI in it has long since been outdated and should be replaced, just so the salesman can sell a new

LIFTING EQUIpMENT

Anti-2-block limit switch and counter weights

one. Or, the technician finds a faulty PC board in the computer of the SLI and says that the whole board needs replacement while all it needs is a component replace-ment costing a couple of rand as opposed to several thousand for a new board.

How not to fall into this trap? The first question crane owners should ask is this my only option? Gordon

suggests that crane owners go to the trouble of getting a second and even a third opinion from repu-table companies with a sound track record before they replace a whole SLI system at a huge cost.

Gordon Harvey, Custom Crane Safety, Tel: (011) 900-3390, Email: [email protected]


www.mhs.co.za


There has been an exceptional sales performance in the extra heavy commercial vehicle segment, with even more growth expected before year-end

TRUCKING

This is according to the latest combined results released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa), Associ-ated Motor Holdings (AMH) and Amalgamated

Automobile Distributors (AAD).

This exceptional performance by the extra heavy com-mercial vehicle segment can mainly be attributed to intense buying by fleet owners, with even more growth expected as companies will continue to fleet up before year-end.

“Prospects for the remainder of the year remain posi-tive, with total truck sales of around 25 000 expected at the end of 2011, compared with the 22 022 units achieved last year,” he says. “Trends over the past couple of years have shown irregular buying cycles due to the global recession, but we are expecting the market to continue its upward trend, especially over the short term.”

UD Trucks, Tel: 012 564 9500, www.udtrucks.co.za

Intense buying by fleet owners, with even more growth expected

Extra Heavies on the Up“At the moment all the market segments are growing at the anticipated rate, with the exception of the extra heavy segment, which has seen its volumes increase ex-ponentially and far above industry expectations,” says UD Trucks Southern Africa CEO, Johan Richards. “Proof in point is that on a year-to-date basis, the segment

has increased by 50% or 2 211 units, when compared with the first half of 2010.”

UD Trucks Southern Africa CEO, Johan Richards

http://www.udtrucks.co.za


www.sandvik.com


Just Another Tax?At a recent meeting and panel discussion hosted by the Transport Forum Special Interest Group at the

University of Johannesburg, Rose Luke of UJ set the scene in her introduction by quoting Deloitte’s analysis that the proposed new carbon tax would bring in an extra R82 billion to SARS. While Eskom

and Sasol together would account for well over half of this, the effect would nevertheless be significant for the freight transport industry. One caveat- all sorts of forecast ranges and prices adjusted for

inflation got thrown around in this whole debate, so this article will deal only with indicative figures, in what is an economists’ playground.

As Trevor Manuel said, “In the future, the energy-intensive coal-based nature of our economy is likely to be penalised as the world seeks to mitigate climate change by

reducing emissions of carbon dioxide.” But what to do?

It is straightforward to argue that environmental problems cannot just be resolved by the market, and that government intervention is necessary –for instance by regulations, standards and taxes.

The “polluter pays principle” started by covering public costs incurred in administration and control measures, and was then extended to pollution prevention programmes. In general, the value of environmental damage is very hard to quantify, but few would argue with the concept.

Entice or punishWhat we are probably most familiar with is

command-and-control measures. This means the use of legislative or administrative regulations that prescribe certain outcomes. These are usually target outputs or quantity, eg, minimum ambient air quality standards, within which business must operate.

An alternative is market-based instruments, in-cluding environmentally-based taxes and tradable pollution permits. This means punishment, rather than adherence incentives, said one member of the audience.

Carbon taxes are extremely controversial around the world. The largest opposition comes from countries which rely on coal as a major generator of low cost power, and which are among the biggest emitters of CO2, such as the US, China and Russia. In Australia, Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Greens Senator Bob Brown plan to legislate a carbon tax during the next few months. But polls show strong public opposition to the minority government’s policy of increasing the price of energy to combat climate change. Recently, the Energy Commission of the Swiss lower parliament has rejected plans for a CO2 tax on fuel.

The total South African transport bill would increase by some 4% if diesel were to go up by a mooted 70c per litre. An average interlink generates approximately 6 million ton/km per year which would mean CO2 tax per truck of some R180 000 per year

Mike Schussler

Rose Luke

TRANSpORT AND LOGISTICS


TRANSpORT AND LOGISTICS

Competitive oddsBack in Johannesburg, when it comes to the transport sector, the total South African transport bill would increase by some 4% if diesel were to go up by a mooted 70c per litre. An average interlink generates approximately 6 million ton/km per year which would mean CO2 tax per truck of some R180 000 per year.

The tax would also tilt the competitive odds towards rail rather than road as CO2 emissions per ton/km are three times higher by road. The tax would thus encourage intermodal freight. It is generally assumed that the increase in transport cost will be passed down to the consumer by the LSP’s.

In terms of potential actions in response, familiar solutions were recited, such as more efficient vehicles, better quality fuel, R24 billion ‘waste’ currently included in logistics costs, but of course these operational improvements can be addressed anyway without the pressure of additional taxes.

Back in March, the Energy Minister announced that Government hopes to have cleaner fuels made avail-able from 2013, in terms of the Clean Fuels Two (CF2) draft specifications and standards, which is the equivalent of the current European Emissions Standard Five (Euro V).

Depressed marginsA PwC report was quoted, which emphasised the already increasing competition in the road haul-age and warehousing sector. The largest operators have grown through a process of acquiring their competitors. The barriers to entry in the container road haulage business are quite low leading to depressed margins, in a spot market where the lowest-cost provider typically secures the business.

Consolidation has not only been fuelled by the providers of logistics services. The users of such services have also integrated vertically into the transport sector by taking control of distribution centres.

Mike Schussler of “The Economists.co.za” view was that this was likely to be just another tax generation initiative calculated to bring in R6 billion extra from road freight on top of the current R12 billion they already pay. Not good news especially at a time when infrastructure capital investment is declining compared with public sector expenditure.

For the full presentations from this forum, go to www.transportsig.comThe PwC report can be found at http://www.logisticsinwal-lonia.be/files/gallery/okpwctl2030_vol31297671142.pdf

http://www.transportsig.com

http://www.transportsig.com

http://www.logisticsinwal-lonia.be/files/gallery/okpwctl2030_vol31297671142.pdf



www.riocarb.co.za


Market ForumCoal conveyors for BrazilBateman Engineered Technolo-gies has designed a Japanese Pipe Conveyor system of more than 7100 m for a well-known, privately owned Brazilian energy provider.

The system, sold and manufac-tured by Bateman Engineered Technologies’ Brazilian repre-sentative and solution partner for the Mercosur countries, TMSA Tecnologia em Movimen-tação S/A, is part of a 14 000 m conveyor system, which takes coal from the Port of Pecém, Brazil, to the power station.

Assisted by Bateman engineers, TMSA has successfully installed and commissioned the system, which comprises four conveyors in series, the longest just over 2 500 m in length. Belting for the conveyor handles 2 400 t/h in 600 mm diameter pipes. “Japanese Pipe conveyors are particularly suitable for coal. Being totally enclosed, spill-age and dust are eliminated - a significant environmental advantage,” says Bateman Engineered Technologies,’ Richard Späth.

Bateman Engineered Technologies, Richard Späth, Tel: 011 201 2300, Email: [email protected], www.bet.bateman.com

The Japanese Pipe Conveyor winding its way from Pecém Port to a local power station

Mine maintenance and repair contract awardedThe Tognum Group company MTU South Africa, supplier of engines, complete propulsion and power systems in southern Africa has been awarded the Maintenance and Repair Con-tract (Marc) by Russo-Balt Belaz – a distributor of Belarus manufacturer of trucks. The company is operating in South Africa, for their five 220 tonnes trucks currently in use by TAU Mining Consultants at Sishen Iron Ore Mine, Northern Cape.

MTU SA will be responsible for the full maintenance and repair of all the company’s equipment at the mine. This encompasses the delivery of five Belaz’s haul trucks of 220 tonnes capacity, powered by MTU 16V 4000 engines to TAU Mining, to be used in a contract at Sishen Iron Ore Mine.

“We have advanced maintenance programs performed under Marc contracts. We work closely together with our customers to continuously enhance the performance of critical engine components and to improve on our service,” says MTU SA senior manager mining Willem du Preez.

MTU South Africa, Hilton Foster, [email protected], Tel: 021 529 5792, www.mtu-online.co.za


http://www.bet.bateman.com


http://www.mtu-online.co.za


Market ForumNew winch unveiled Columbus McKinnon Corporation (manufacturers and suppliers of the well known Yale brand) recently launched the Yale MTRAC Endless Winch in Southern Africa.

Designed specifically for material transport ranging from 500 to 980 kg capacities and passenger eleva-tion ranging from 500 to 1000 kg capacities, it can be used in the vertical or horizontal plane. There is no limit on the length of the steel wire rope that can be accommodated. Fully-synthetic special oil ensures high-est possible efficiency for quiet running characteristics, in a temperature range of -40°C to 70°C and it offers flexibility in the selection of supply and control voltages.

It has robust, rigid and low weight die cast alu-minium hous-ing while the drive sheave and pres-sure rollers of special nitride steel lengthens the service life of the winch. Easily accessible wearing parts make servicing simple.

In an emergency, such as a power failure, upward movement with released brake is possible by means of the hand wheel included in the supply (standard delivery scope only for winches for passenger elevation application).

In the man riding application, nu-merous safety features come into play. These include an emergency safety lowering mechanism, an over speed device and an inclined position safety device. Contactor control cabinets for man riding and equipment applications differ due to built in safety features in the man riding application.

Columbus McKinnon Corporation, Tel: 031 700 4388, [email protected], www.yale.co.za

Truck market continues steady climbDuring August 2011, sales of medium to extra heavy com-mercial vehicles increased by 16.8% when compared with the same month last year, to a total of 2 306 units.

This is according to the latest combined results released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa, Associated Motor Holdings and Amalgamated Automobile Distributors.

UD Trucks Southern Africa chief executive Johan Richards says truck sales continue to increase. “Despite the fact that business confidence is at its lowest level this year at 99 index points, coupled to severe fiscal instability in developed countries and dreary investment figures, the local truck market is continuing its slow and steady climb from a very low base in 2010. Although we expect lower growth rates during the second half of 2011, many transport operators are starting to stock their fleets again.”

Sales in the medium commercial vehicle segment increased year-on-year by 24.6% to 730 units. The heavy commercial vehicle segment was however down by 23% to 419 units. The extra heavies are continuing to shine with a 40.7% increase in sales recorded during August, totalling 1 075 units, while bus sales remain basically unchanged at 82 units.

Prospects for the remainder of the year also remain positive, with total truck sales of around 25 000 expected at the end of 2011, compared with the 22 022 units achieved last year.

UD Trucks Southern Africa, Tel: 012 564 9500, Fax: 012 564 9532, www.udtrucks.co.za

http://www.yale.co.za

http://www.udtrucks.co.za

www.horne-group.com


Market ForumCranes for the Onitsha River PortA programme of dredging and port refurbishment on the Ni-ger River in Nigeria, has led to the Onitsha River Port being refurbished and upgraded during the last year.

Warehousing, port accommodation, storage space and cranes in the shape of two Liebherr Harbour Mobile Cranes type LHM 180 have been added - these machines have a maximum lifting capacity of 64 t and a maximum outreach of 35 m.

The cranes will be used to handle a wide variety of break bulk cargoes, including iron billets for the steel mills, building and construction materials, spare parts, wine and spirits, tyres, cements, cars and the occasional container, an area where growth is expected. The cranes can also be adapted for bulk handling if needed.

The project was coordinated and carried out by Nigerian construction company Inter-Bau Construction. Local offices and workshops provided readily available manpower and equipment.

National Inland Waterways Authority resident engineer Em-manuel Aguda says, “The cranes give us great flexibility, allow-ing project cargo up to 64 t, a variety of break bulk cargoes and even use of a motor grab for bulks later. They can also transit to all areas of the port.”

Joachim Dobler Tel: +43 50809 41-574 Email: [email protected], www.Lieb-herr.com

Can't keep a good machine downAccording to Osborn marketing director Martin Botha, the ro-tary breaker is coming back into the coal industry’s favour, be-cause customers are once again recognis-ing its value and its simplicity.

Bulk materials han-dling and minerals processing specialist Osborn has seen rotary breaker orders increas-ing in the last year,

with a number of machines sold in the past 12 months, he states. The rotary breaker has proved to be the most efficient machine for use in 'dirty' (where there is a lot of rock in the run-of-mine material) coal mining environments.

"The rotary breaker has the dual function of reducing the feed size, while, at the same time, removing some of the rock from the coal stream," he states. "This is very important, as the rock reduces the calorific value of the coal."

The company supplies two types of rotary breakers: the Osborn unit with chain drive and the Hadfields unit driven by conventional girth gear and pinion, as used on grinding mills. "The breakers are supported on four steel rollers with alloy steel tyres, which ensure maximum life and trouble-free operation. Screen plates can be cast with circular holes or the 'Hadfields' patented fabricated type, manufactured from a variety of abrasion resistant materials. These fabricated plates give maximum open area, high impact and coal break-ing efficiency," adds Martin.

The Osborn Rotary Breaker's drive unit is manufactured in




http://www.Lieb-herr.com




www.ajmengineering.co.za


Plug and play cranesAfrican Materials Handling Solutions has developed preas-sembled crane elements supplied in kit form that are conve-niently packed for the customer with readymade connections as a ‘plug and play’ system, making it easy for the crane

Unique solution for African minerals sectorThe 2011 acquisition of Essa Australia, an international automated mineral sampling and sample preparation systems provider, makes global engineering company FLSmidth the only company in the African market to provide a full industrial sampling solution to the minerals sector— from sampling to sample preparation and analysis, including particle sizing, laboratory applications and metallurgical testing equipment.

“We now have a much stronger knowledge base to support our mining customers, particularly those in the iron ore, manganese and coal industries,” says FLSmidth automation technology specialist Ernest Bophela, “With immediate ac-cess to Essa’s offering here in South Africa, we can provide a total, dedicated sampling solution that embraces local equipment supply, technical support and servicing.”

FLSmidth CEO Jørgen Huno Rasmussen says Essa’s capabilities

Market Forumthree different diameters, with approximate throughputs ranging from 500 to 1 600 tph. Dust housings are supplied with all units.

Osborn Engineered Products, Tel: 011 820 7600, www.osborn.co.za, www.astecindustries.com

fit perfectly into FLSmidth’s existing product portfolio. In turn, FLSmidth will be able to provide Essa with the technological and project management expertise, underpinned by financial security, to expand further into the project automation market for minerals sampling and analysis systems.

Essa Australia CEO Darryl Stevens says, “Mining companies are increasingly operating in remote locations, where labour is either expensive or unskilled. They are looking to automa-tion to reduce that labour reliance and increase the quality of their operations.”

“Automation’s greatest benefit can be in operator safety and in the repeatability of your operations, which can lead to optimisation of throughput, energy savings and operational and maintenance costs,” concludes FLSmidth GM global business development, automation, Peter Sandager.

Flsmidth, Marinda Kerr, Tel: 010 210-4820, Email: [email protected], www.flsmidth.com

http://www.osborn.co.za

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Market Forumand environmentally-friendly screening media solutions, and in line with their own sustainability programme, they suc-cessfully replaced the traditional steel reinforcement on the Metso Trellex LS rubber modular screening media systems with an environmentally-friendly composite material, making recycling possible.

The Metso Trellex LS-Eco offers a wide range of health, safety and environmental benefits. Each screening media panel is up to 40% lighter than standard steel reinforced Trellex LS panels. This makes handling easier and the working environment safer. Lighter panels also help to reduce the overall stress on the entire screening installation.

Compared with steel-reinforced panels, the composite-reinforced panels of the Metso Trellex LS-Eco are more flexible and will reduce the effects of pegging and blinding during screening operations. The Metso Trellex LS-Eco promises reduced downtime and increased productivity.

In addition, Metso will implement a unique programme to provide its customers with a suitable range

builder or end user to turn steel girders into high performance high-tech cranes.

The company partners with ex-perts Stahl CraneSystems based in Künzelsau, Germany, and is the sole importer/distributor of the complete range of STAHL hoists and crane components to Southern Africa, specialising in explosion-protected hoisting equipment.

The STAHL N series and AS series hoists have been used for many years in the harsh South African industry. Although these hoist designs span over a period of 50 years, the company still offers offer original spare parts for these hoists and cranes, which are manufactured in their ultra modern Künzelsau manufactur-ing plant with STAHL’s traditional German craftsmanship.

The same applies for the STAHL ST series electric chain hoists. Complementing this robust range of chain hoists is specialised chain hoists such as the extra short headroom units with a hook approach ranging from 136mm to 210mm, for capacities from 500kg to 5 000kg and dual chain hoists for synchronised lifting applications including the big bag design chain hoists for applications where the lifting hook needs to be some distance from the motor and main body.

STAHL CraneSystems products are now also available with double certification from IECEx and ATEX.

African Materials Handling Solutions, Tel: (+27) 0860078245E-mail: [email protected], www.amhs.co.za

First recyclable screening media Metso has developed fully recyclable modular screening media - Metso Trellex LS-Eco.

In response to customer requests for sustainable


http://www.amhs.co.za

www.horne-group.com


Water bags for load testing to clientsAnchor Testing & Rigging Services (ATRS) is now fully opera-tional, since acquiring their water bags for proof load testing.

The organisation specialising in testing and rigging services for the engineering, marine and offshore lifting and rigging industries, has made a R2 million investment in water bags, enabling them to facilitate projects for local and global clients. As opposed to using traditional solid test weights, clients have the option to coordinate tests using water bags. Its in-novative design allows for a simplified testing method with the significant advantage of additional safety and economy.

The ATRS water bags, used to perform load tests on clients’

Market Forumstructure of the vehicle. We can service and maintain our fleet of FAW’s ourselves and, because they don’t complicate things with too much computer technology you don’t need to have a technology degree to do it,” says Lizette.

The FAW 28.280 FD is one of FAW’s best-sellers worldwide. Powered by a Steyr, 7,146m³diesel, water-cooled, six-in-line, turbo-charged and intercooled engine, it develops 206 Hp at 2300 revs per minute and 1050 kN torque at 1400 revs per minute. FAW South Africa national sales manager, Eugene van der Berg says that the vehicle has the ideal specifications for economical and efficient operation. “Over the years we have tweaked this vehicle to perfectly fit local conditions and we are getting excellent performance out of them.” he concludes.

FAW Vehicle Manufacturers SA, Eugene van der Berg,

Tel: (011) 392.1530, Email: [email protected]

Lizette Els with some of the most recently acquired FAW 28.280 FD 10m³ tippers

of recycling services. Metso Trellex LS-Eco, 305x610, is scheduled to be available in selected markets in Q4, 2011. Other dimensions will be available in 2012.

Metso's Mining and Construction Technology, Eero Hamalainen, Cell: +358 40 565 2401, Email: [email protected]

Plant hire company invests with Chinese giantPlant hire company, CE Plant Hire (CE) has taken delivery of its tenth FAW tipper this year. CE director Lizette Els, who works closely with her husband Fred, says that their busi-ness has grown substantially over the last few years and that the FAW trucks in her fleet are by far their best investment.

CE Plant Hire now has more than thirty 6 m³ and 10 m³ FAW tippers with the most recent purchase being five FAW 28.280 FD 10m³ tippers. “I especially like the simple mechanical



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www.scawmetals.com


Market Forum

lifting machines, adhere to the international DNV and ISO 9001:2000 standards. Complete with all the neces-sary fittings and valves, they are made from heavy duty UV resistance PVC coated fabric and webbing harness terminates.

Benefits to ATRS clients include increased work efficiency, a 6:1 factor of safety, versatility, cost savings in transport, storage and labour, and with resources and skills support from Anchor Industries, ATRS is able to coordinate compli-cated projects within shorter periods and without incident.

They can be used in marine, shipbuilding and industrial applications.

Anchor Industries, Tel: 021 531 0525, [email protected], www.anchors.co.za

Are you looking for engineering resources?Consider the following:• A specialist service • Operated by Professional Engineers • That speak engineering language • Has a large, live local skills database• A network with access to scarce skills• Advanced searching for future needs

Contact us for a win-win deal

[email protected]

Engineer Placements


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Index to Advertisers

African Materials Handling Solutions 31Afzelia 24AJM Engineering Services 40Akhanani 30Anchor Industries 26AST Pyroscan Inside Front CoverBaldmin Engineering Works 23Bateman 12, 20Bearings International 16Bridge Shipping Outside Back CoverContract Engineering Services 33Condra Inside Back CoverDunlop 21ECI 43Engineer Placements 45Horne 38, 42ILS 45Joy Global 11Melco 24Multotec 22Knosi’s Haven 32Rema Tip Top Outside Front Cover, 19Rio-Carb 36Sandvik 34Scaw Metals 44ThyssenKrupp 10Wearcon 8Weir Minerals 28

Market ForumFlagship truck tractors improve efficiencyIndependent timber transport company LT Plant is the first fleet in Mpumalanga to own the new Man TGS WW.

A division of LT Group, the business deploys 45 Man trucks including three new Man TGS 33.480 6x4 BBS truck tractors. The three new TGS WWs were configured specifically for LT Plant’s forestry applications, including carrying woodchip in tri-axle ‘moving-floor’ bulk freight trailers in the Umtata (Eastern Cape) and Piggs Peak (Swaziland) areas.

“The TGS 33.480 6 x 4 BBS is the ideal extra-heavy prime-mover for our operation. With 480hp powering the truck, the automated Man TipMatic transmission and intarder save

on driveline and brake wear, plus there’s no over-revving, which improves fuel consumption,” says LT Group GM Ry-nardt Pietersen.

As Msn’s new flagship, the TGS WW is a pure Trucknology 6 x 4 truck- tractor that stems from the Man TGA. Equipped with a single sleeper cab, it offers enhanced driver safety and comfort features.

The ‘Africa-tough’ TGS WW is fitted with steel front bumpers and is powered by the award-winning Man D26 Common Rail engine which displaces 2300Nm of torque at 1 320 – 1 455 rpm, operating in a frugal Green Band between 1 200 and 1 500 rpm – an ideal combination of tractive power and fuel efficiency for hilly terrain. With steel suspension on hub reduction rear axles, it also boasts high ground clearance for on/off-road applications and can be built to handle abnormal loads, sporting a GCM of 130 t.

“Our old TGA rigs were getting 1.4 to 1.5 km per litre; the TGS WW is achieving up to 14% improvement per litre, despite the harsh operating conditions,” adds Rynardt.

MAN Truck & Bus South Africa, Tel: 011 928 6800, [email protected], www.mantruckandbus.co.za

Contact Surita Marx on Tel: (011) 781-1401or Email: [email protected]

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