Know Your Material Before You Design the System

When planning a bulk material handling system, knowing how much material needs to move from Point A to Point B is only part of the equation.
You also need to understand exactly what you’re moving.


Two operations may require similar capacities and distances, but that doesn’t mean they need the same equipment. The characteristics of the material can influence everything from conveyor type and belt selection to chute design, horsepower requirements, wear protection, dust control, and maintenance access.


That’s why one of the first conversations in any material handling project should be about the material itself.


What Are You Actually Moving?
It sounds like a simple question, but there’s a lot behind the answer.


Material density is important because it directly affects the loads the equipment will be expected to handle. Particle or lump size matters as well, particularly when considering loading, transfers, and potential impact on equipment.


Moisture content can also significantly change how a material behaves. A product that flows freely when dry may become sticky or difficult to handle when wet. In some applications, seasonal conditions can mean the material you’re designing for in January behaves very differently in July.
Other characteristics worth considering include abrasiveness, temperature, consistency, and whether the material creates significant dust.


Understanding these factors early allows the system to be designed for the actual operating conditions rather than an ideal set of circumstances.


Don’t Design Around the Average
Another important consideration is variation.


It’s easy to design around an average production rate or typical material condition, but operations don’t always run at the average.


What happens during peak production? Can there be sudden surges of material? Does the density or moisture content vary? What happens upstream if a piece of equipment stops?


A system needs to account for the conditions it will realistically encounter, including the less-than-ideal ones.


That doesn’t necessarily mean designing everything for the most extreme scenario imaginable. It means understanding where variation exists and making informed decisions about how the system should respond.


Look at Where the Material Changes Direction
Transfer points deserve particular attention because this is where many material handling challenges become apparent.


Whenever material leaves one piece of equipment and enters another, its speed, direction, and trajectory need to be considered.


Poorly planned transfers can contribute to spillage, dust, accelerated wear, belt mistracking, plugging, and unnecessary maintenance. A conveyor may be well designed, but if the material isn’t introduced to it properly, the entire system can suffer.


This is one reason material characteristics need to be understood before equipment and layouts are finalized.


Think Beyond Day One
The material you’re handling today may not be exactly what you’re handling five or ten years from now.


Production requirements can increase. Feed sources can change. Different products may be introduced. An operation may eventually need to accommodate a wider range of material sizes or conditions.


No one can predict every future requirement, but discussing what could reasonably change helps determine where flexibility should be built into the design.


In some cases, planning for those possibilities early can be much easier and less expensive than modifying a system after it has been installed.


The More You Know Up Front, the Better
There are a lot of decisions involved in a significant material handling project, and many of them are interconnected.


Taking the time to understand the material before making those decisions gives engineers, equipment suppliers, and operators a much better foundation to work from. Capacity matters, distance and equipment selection matters. But before any of those decisions are finalized, make sure you know what you’re asking the system to handle.

About Derek Lawrence
Derek Lawrence has more than 25 years of experience in bulk material handling, with experience in belt conveyors, screw conveyors, and drag chain conveyors. Throughout his career, he has helped customers plan and develop material handling systems for a variety of applications.
Derek lives in Woodstock, New Brunswick, with his wife, Darlene. Outside of work, he enjoys Star Trek, road trips, and cheering on his nieces and nephews at their sporting events.