Bedeschi opens branch in Hong Kong

Belt fire safety classifications and standards CONVEYING

CHOOSING THE CORRECT STANDARD OF FIRE RESISTANT CONVEYOR BELT – EN 12882 ADVICE The following guide is intended to clarify classifications and standards relating to conveyor belts that are for general-purpose use.

Unlike conveyors operating below ground, establishing the correct level or standard of fire resistance needed for conveyors operating in the open air is relatively straightforward. EN 12882 is the standard for safety requirements for conveyor belts for general-purpose use. The most basic safety requirement is EN 12882 Category 1, which simply demands that the belt is antistatic and conforms to EN ISO 284 international standards, which is also the primary demand for use in specific ATEX 95 (94/9/EC Directive) classified zones. This is especially important in environments where potentially combustible materials are involved such as coal, grain and biomass for example, it is essential that the conveyor belt cannot create static electricity that could ignite the atmosphere. Belts need to allow static electricity to pass through the metal frame of the conveyor structure down to earth rather than allow the static to build up.

For the vast majority of applications, EN 12882 Class 2A) or Class 2B levels of fire resistance are perfectly adequate. These standards make the distinction between fire resistance with covers, which is Class 2A (‘K’ grade) and fire resistance with or without covers, which is Class 2B (‘S’ grade). The relevance of “with or without covers” is that surface wear gradually reduces the amount of fire-resistant rubber that protects the internal flammable carcass. In both Class 2A and Class 2B grades, the rubber skim that bonds the fabric layers of the carcass together should also be fire resistant. In the case of EN 12882 Class 2B (fire resistant without covers), the rubber skim may be thicker than the skim used for EN 12882 Class 2A grade.

The best way to decide between Class 2A and Class 2B is to consider the material being carried. For moderately abrasive materials, such as grain for example, then Class 2A is usually perfectly adequate. However, if the material is abrasive and tends to wear the top cover quite rapidly then the safest option is be to choose the Class 2B.

Fire resistant Classes 3A and 3B are identical to 2A and 2B but have a drum friction test added. They are appropriate when blocked/seized drums and drive pulleys are a potential hazard and there is no safety system in place to detect belt slippage or identify that rotation has stopped. Class 4A is usually the best choice for conveyors operating above ground in Class 4A is usually the best closed or covered conditions and involves a more severe choice for conveyors operating fire test (EN12881-1 method A, C or D). in closed or covered conditions. Class 4B includes a drum friction test (Method B1) on top of the 4A requirements whereas Class 5A has an intensified drum friction test (Method B2). The demands of the B2 drum friction testing escalate through Classes 5B and 5C. Fortunately, thanks to improved technology, drum rotation detection sensors that are designed to automatically stop the conveyor if a potential problem is identified are now commonplace and easy to fit. These systems are usually referred to as ‘secondary safety devices’. Generally speaking, for above ground use, drum rotation detection sensors effectively eliminate the need for compliance with Class 3A/B, 4B and 5A/B/C drum friction test standards.

Italian bulk handling specialist Bedeschi has proudly announced the opening of its new branch in Hong Kong. Bedeschi Far East Limited’s mission is to assist local customers and to support the Far East market, both in terms of commercial matters and for technical issues.

Bedeschi is also introducing Mr. Michele Gatto, the Managing Director of the new subsidiary in Hong Kong.

During the past few decades Bedeschi Company has consolidated its market position in the Far East in China and Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia & Malaysia, Korea & Japan, Thailand and others.

Bedeschi decided to launch the new subsidiary as part of its strategy to maximize the assistance and the presence in the area and strengthen even further its relationship with existing and new clients.

Goeyvaerts is a family business that focuses on renting equipment to users in the bulk handling market. The company specializes in mobile harbour cranes (MHCs), and it has a fleet of 31 of these — all Gottwald — with capacities ranging from 63t to 150t.

Goeyvaerts also has over 20 hydraulic cranes for port handling, made by Sennebogen and Mantsinen. It rents out MHCs to stevedoring companies in ports between Zeebrugge Belgium and Amsterdam Netherlands — an area that includes a lot of ports. It also provides stevedoring solutions on site for industrial factories, which want to outsource the logistical organization on their terminals, with all the machinery and people that are involved in such operations.

In terms of stevedoring, Goeyvaerts has all kinds of port equipment — reachstackers, payloaders, terminal tractors etc. It has a wide range of customers in the port handling arena, including those that handle dry bulk, breakbulk containers, production sites and so forth. The company has its own technical department to carry out maintenance and repairs for its asset, and this department is available 24/7.

Customers not only rent Goeyvaerts’ cranes, they also benefit from the company’s skills, knowledge, technical support, and operators-drivers if needed.

Goeyvaerts invests a lot in green energy; all of its Gottwald cranes can be plugged in at the customer’s location, if the needed electrical power is available.

It also already has a few fullly electrically driven hydraulic cranes, and it had the first fully electric payloader to work in the hold of the vessel.

Goeyvaerts’ biggest challenge in the future will be to find more technical, operational people to join its skilled team of 65 people, as it continues expanding.

The knowledge and skills offered by the Goeyvaerts family in the crane world date back to 1953 when the previous generation of Goeyvaerts focused on unloading barges in inland waterways, transport and the trade in raw materials and building materials.

Around the year 2000, customers started to request crane work in the port of Antwerp. The need for ever-larger cranes to handle ever-larger ships was urgent and in 2006, when Goeyvaerts-R was founded, the decision was made to expand to port cranes.