Conveyor belt trajectories - comparing predicted to experimental results

A conveyor transfer research facility has been commissioned at the University of Wollongong to investigate particle flow mechanisms through conveyor transfers. As part of this research investigations into conveyor trajectories have been undertaken at varying belt speeds and using two granular free-flowing materials. Numerous numerical methods exist to predict the material trajectory from the head of a belt conveyor. Each method uses varying combinations of particle and bulk properties as well as the conveyor geometry. Thesehave been used to predict the experimentally measured trajectories. The discrete element method (DEM) has also been utilized to produce further trajectory predictions. A 30 CAO model of the experimental test facility has been generated and combined with the particle and bulk properties of the test materials. OEM simulations have been produced to compare to the other two methods. The results of experimental testing are compared directly with numerical methods and OEM simulations to ascertain whether any of these models can be relied on to accurately predict conveyor trajectories.