LOUDING SPOUTS
Three ways to avoid wear on your loading spout Purchasing a loading spout can be a big investment, which is why replacing it in three to five years due to wear and tear can be painful. Loading spout specialist Vortex Global provides three suggestions to avoid unnecessary wear. SELECTING A QUALITY LOADING
A spout positioner can align the spout directly above container inlets.
spout with the correct parameters for the application can prolong the life of the spout for decades. One of the key factors behinds a long-lasting loading spout is the angle of the head chute and trajectory of the product. The product stream should be entering the loading spout at the point it becomes vertical. This will ensure the product passes through the spout in a straight and steady stream. The only point the material should have any internal contact with the spout is at the bottom of the inner cone. If the loading trajectory is misaligned, the material will hit the upper sides of the cones and bounce down the spout creating premature wear and future maintenance issues. Further, it may be advisable to correct the trajectory of the material using sacrificial impact surfaces, rather than geometry, to attain vertical flow. Using the free-flow trajectory of the material not only results in a very large headchute, the vertical velocity of the material at the Upgraded spout sleeve materials are available for more abrasive conditions.
24 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: March/April 2022
entrance to the spout can be very high, resulting in accelerated abrasive wear at the first cone. Impact plates placed near the head pulley can gain control of the flow stream immediately after leaving the conveyor and can be made of highly abrasion resistant materials like chromium carbide, wear plates, or elastomers that stand up to impact by particles, such as urethane, neoprene, or natural rubber. If the spout must be moved spout numerous times to match the inlet of a truck or other container, the best way to do this is to accessorise the spout with a positioner. The spout positioner consists of a support pan and a traversing hopper that aligns the spout on a single or a double axis so the spout or
container don’t need to be moved. Using a positioner eliminates the chance of an angled chute or misaligned outer sleeve rings, which can result in the outer sleeve contacting the inner cones, tearing the fabric or catching the support rings and bending them. A spout that does not hang vertically will also result in abrasion to the sides of the cones as the material flows through them. Chances of damage due to handling are greatly reduced as well since there is no reason for the operator to manipulate the spout into the desired position. Another option is to upgrade the construction material of the loading spout. For coarse, abrasive, heavy material (like mineral ore) using abrasion resistant steels such as AR400,
