PEER REVIEWED
Reducing wear of a coal reclaimer belt
feeder through DEM analysis
T.J. Donohue, B. Chen, A.W. Roberts
TUNRA Bulk Solids, University of Newcastle, Newcastle 2308, Australia
Abstract
Wear is a critical issue for bulk solids han-
dling equipment. Typically, wear in bulk
handling equipment results from a combi-
nation of both impact and abrasion. It is
essential to ensure that the wear of bulk
solids handling equipment is minimized
so that a long service life with minimal
maintenance can be achieved.
In this paper, an application of the Dis-
crete Element Method (DEM) combined
with a wear model is applied for the analy-
sis and reduction of the wear of a feeder
belt in a coal reclaimer. The throughput
of the reclaimer is 9300 t/h, with a veloc-
ity of the feeder belt of 1.3 m/s and feeder
width of 3000 mm. In this study, the DEM
model not only provides a qualitative de-
scription of the bulk solid flow through
the reclaimer but also gives detailed in-
formation concerning the interactions of
particles in contact with the feeder belt. In
addition, site validation of the DEM mod-
elling was achieved in defining the flow
profile. Results of the flow review for the
reclaimer and the redesign option to re-
duce belt wear are presented. An option to
retrofit the reclaimer to reduce both belt
feeder wear and improve flow through the
trouser leg was investigated. The compari-
son was performed by analysing a range of
parameters in DEM including the normal
force on the feeder belt and the frictional
energy loss due to the particles in contact
with the feeder belt. DEM results showed
that the feeder belt wear could be sig-
nificantly reduced after the modification
of the reclaimer, and these results were
confirmed by site data once the design
modification was installed on site. These
techniques and findings are intrinsic in
establishing methodologies for improve-
ment in the design of bulk solids handling
equipment.
1 Introduction
The entire spectrum of bulk materials han-
dling and storage applications include the
receiving, unloading, stocking, handling
and supply of the raw materials. In this
materials handling chain, wear is a critical
issue for bulk solids handling equipment.
It is essential to ensure that wear in bulk
solids handling equipment is minimized
so that a long service life with minimal
maintenance can be achieved. Belt feed-
ers have become one of the preferred
20 Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2013
methods of feeding for bulk solids since
they were first introduced. Belts are ex-
posed to various types of damage during
their operation, with wear being one of
the key reasons for belt failure. A number
of studies on belts subjected to sliding and
abrasive wear has indicated that the wear
resistance depends on the detailed proper-
ties of the material as well as the external
wear conditions, such as applied pressure.
A particular area of interest for this study
is the analysis of the wear of feeder belts
in a reclaimer.
In the past, classical analysis methods
based on the analysis of material flow in
bins and hoppers has been the sole de-
sign tool available. While this method
has proven extremely useful in the past
and has been shown to deliver excellent
results [1], it is not without its limita-
tions. In recent times, DEM is becoming
more prevalent in its application to solve
industrial problems. DEM is described as
a numerical method that can be used to
simulate the flow of granular bulk solids,
with the basic principle being to model
each individual particle as a separate en-
tity that can undergo a range of forces as
observed in reality. These forces typically
include gravity and contact forces with
other particles and walls, as well as cohe-
sive and adhesive forces if the bulk solid
is cohesive in nature. Calculations for the
forces, and resulting displacements, are
made for every particle at very small time
steps throughout the simulation. As a re-
sult, DEM simulations are often computa-
tionally intensive. The reader is directed
to Katterfeld and Groger [2] for more fun-
damental information about DEM and its
application in bulk solids handling.
The focus of this paper is an indus-
trial case study focussed on the reduction
of wear of feeder belts in a coal handling
reclaimer. In the current reclaimer, the
life expectancy of the feeder belts, due
to the belts wearing out, is approximate-
ly 12 months. The aim of this study is to
modify the reclaimer design in order to
minimize feeder belt wear and to ensure
maximum life expectancy. In this paper,
only two designs will be presented; the
original design and the final modified de-
sign. Through the course of the project a
number of redesign options were investi-
gated, however the final design presented
in this paper is a compromise between the
optimal solution and what was possible to
retrofit on site. A number of DEM analysis
techniques are presented in this study to
compare the two designs, and to conclude
the paper wear readings from site for the
feeder belt before and after the modifica-
tion are presented.
2 Continuum Wear Model
Wear in materials handling equipment may
result from impact wear, abrasive wear, or
most commonly a combination of the two.
The factors that may influence wear are the
properties of the material being handled,
the properties of the material being worn,
and the loading conditions. The topic of
wear is certainly a complex one, with the
work of Cenna [3] giving a brief insight into
the discussion. In this study, we have fo-
cused on the loading conditions and make
use of a simple wear model in order to seek
an improvement in the reclaimer design.
The simple wear model used is based on a
traditional continuum method as presented
in Roberts [4]. The relative wear parameter,
Wa, is reproduced in this paper and pre-
sented below:
(1)
In equation (1), b is the coefficient be-
tween the bulk solid and the feeder belt,
is the bulk density of the bulk solid, Vx is
the component of velocity of the bulk solid
parallel to the feeder belt, Vb is the velocity
of the feeder belt and Vy is the component
of velocity of the bulk solid perpendicular
to the feeder belt. In this equation, the
Vx2 term represents the impact pressure of
the bulk solid on the feeder belt while the
(Vb -Vy) term is the relative rubbing veloc-
ity. As this equation shows, the wear of the
feeder belt can be reduced by either reduc-
ing the normal pressure on the belt, or by
reducing the differential velocity between
the feeder belt and the bulk solid. This will
be the focus of the DEM modelling.
3 DEM Model
The DEM software used for the modelling
presented in this paper is Rocky, devel-
oped by Granular Dynamics Internation-
al. This software uses a hysteresis linear
spring model for the normal force interac-
tions and an elastic-frictional force model
in the tangential direction. Rolling resist-
ance is implemented according to the type
 PEER REVIEWED

C model described in Ai et al. [5], while adhesive forces between

particles and walls and cohesive forces between particles and par-
ticles are included through a simple constant force model.
Calibration of DEM parameters is a widely published area, with
the work of Coetzee and Lombard [6] and Wensrich and Katterfeld
[7] being recent examples. The correct calibration and selection of
DEM parameters is one of the most important steps in discrete ele-
ment modelling, and in the field of bulk solids handling there are a
number of commonly used tests. While bench top testing is wide-
ly used, the alternative is to use full scale validation of the DEM
model. This is typically achieved by comparing the DEM model to
data taken from site in the form of photos, videos and throughput
analysis. For this particular study, the reclaimer was handling a
wide variety of coals and so a detailed calibration procedure was
not possible. As this was the case, the DEM parameters were se-
lected based on past experience of TUNRA Bulk Solids which has
been gained over a wide variety of projects using DEM in which
the bulk solid being handled was coal.
As discussed previously, two designs were included in this study,
with the first design being the existing configuration as-is on site,
and the second design being the final option selected for retrofit-
ting on site. It was necessary in this project to investigate a solution
that could be fitted to the existing configuration to minimise capital
costs. For the simulations, the transfer chute trouser legs were pre-
filled to the same level for both simulations, with this operating level
being determined from site data. The belt feeder was then switched
on to a speed of 1.3m/s until steady state operation was reached, at
which point an analysis was undertaken. Steady state operation was
defined by the throughput being constant and the forces acting on
the feeder belt also remaining constant.
Simulations for the two configurations were undertaken using
spherical particles with a diameter of 50 mm using the parame-
ters as described previously. For these simulations, computational
limitations restricted the use of the full particle size distribution
(PSD), as using the full PSD would have meant a simulation time
of months. This approach is typical for industrial problems and is
accounted for by a correct calibration and selection of DEM param-
eters, as discussed previously. During the steady state period of
the simulation there were approximately 1 million particles in the
simulation at any one point.

3 Problem Set-up and Redesign Concept

The existing configuration of the reclaimer is shown in Figure 1,
with a single incoming conveyor belt being used to fill the two
trouser legs of the transfer chute. The velocity bar shown in the
figure represents the colour scale used to colour the particle in the
simulation according to their absolute velocity, with the dark blue
indicating zero to low velocity and red indicating velocities of 8.0
m/s and higher. The operating parameters of the reclaimer used in
the DEM simulations can be seen in Table 1.

Throughput 9,300 tph

Incoming belt velocity 4.8 m/s
Inclination + transition angle 9.3
Head pulley diameter 1.2 m
Incoming belt width 2.5 m
Outgoing belt velocity 5 m/s
Outgoing belt inclination 0
Outgoing belt width 2.5 m
Feeder velocity 1.3m/s
Feeder width 3m
Slewing angle 65

Table 1: Operating Parameters.

PEER REVIEWED
Figure 1: Isometric view of the flow through the reclaimer using DEM modelling.
Figure 2: Image showing the placement of the inserts into each of the trouser legs.
The final design solution that was se-
lected was to install flow inserts into the
bottom of each of the trouser legs, as seen
in Figure 2. This modification consisted of
4 inserts being placed in each trouser leg
of the chute. Two inserts were placed per-
pendicular to the direction of the feeder
in each trouser leg, with the other two in-
serts being placed parallel to the direction
of the feeder. The concept behind this de-
sign was that it would reduce the vertical
pressure in the bulk solid. In both the case
of the initial design as well as the design
with inserts, the stress field in the bulk
solid would be active. However, with no
inserts the vertical pressure is distributed
over a much larger area, the pressure be-
ing higher in the central region than at the
chute boundaries, although there would
be some asymmetry due to the trouser
legs. The higher pressure regions would
lead to higher localised wear. The theory
behind this concept is that the use of the
inserts allows the vertical pressures to
have a reduced magnitude due to the fact
that the average pressure is roughly pro-
portional to the widths of the apertures
between the insert plates rather than be-
ing proportional to the width of the trou-
ser leg opening when there are no inserts.
22 Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2013
Figure 3: Impact and Shear intensity contours for each feeder belt under the trouser legs of the transfer chute for the original
The more uniform and somewhat lower
magnitude pressure distribution provided
by the inserts would lead to more uniform
wear of reduced magnitude.
4 DEM Results and Discussion
From the DEM simulations, it is possible
to extract a wide variety of results post
simulation. For this particular work, the
main points of comparison between the
two designs analysed are the normal force
acting on the belt, the frictional energy
loss due to the interaction of the particles
and the feeder belt, and lastly the average
relative velocity of particles in contact
with the feeder belt. These set of results
have been selected as they are similar to
the wear model presented previously in
equation (1), and a reduction in these val-
ues will lead to a reduction in the wear of
the feeder belt. In addition to the above
numerical outputs from the simulations, it
is also possible to visually compare results
by way of surface contours. Surface con-
tours have been compared below in Figure
3 for the original design and the redesign,
with these surface contours representing
shear intensity and impact intensity. These
contours are calculated discretely for each
element in the surface boundary via the
dot product of force multiplied by veloc-
ity in the normal and tangential directions,
with the results shown in the figure an
average in the steady state flow period.
The surface contours shown for each of
the designs have used the same scale, with
this colour showing red for the high inten-
sity regions and blue for the low intensity
regions. The results show the reduction
in the shear and impact intensity for the
redesign which occurs through the inclu-
sion of the flow inserts. Also visible is the
asymmetric wear of the feeder belts in the
existing design most likely being caused
by the non-central loading of the feeder
belt from the trouser legs. The inclusion of
the flow inserts assists in alleviating this
design and the redesign.
non-central loading profile.
In addition to the above surface con-
tours, data can be plotted to compare the
two designs in a more numerical manner.
This data can be seen in Figure 4, where
the normal force on the feeder belt and the
frictional energy loss between the particles
and the feeder belt have been plotted over
time (the results shown in the figure are
per feeder belt). The simulation was set-up
 PEER REVIEWED

between the particle and the feeder belt,

Figure 4: DEM simulation data for normal force on feeder belt (left) and frictional energy loss between particles and feeder belt (right).
in such a way that for the first 22.5 seconds
the feeder belts were stationary while the
material fills the trouser legs of the chute
to the nominated level, after which time
the belts were switched on and flow
through the transfer commenced. This is
reflected in the data shown in Figure 4. Ex-
tracting quantitative data from the simula-
tions such as this should be done with cau-
tion, as without a detailed understanding
of the range of DEM parameters and their
effect on the flow mode being modelled
it is possible that they are not comparable
to reality. However, for the purposes of
this design study only relative compari-
sons were made. If an average is taken for
the two outputs shown in Figure 4 in the
steady state period of 30 40 seconds, the
results show a 25% reduction in the nor-
mal force on the feeder belt and a reduc-
tion of 40% for the frictional energy loss
between the particles and feeder belt.
In addition to the previous analysis,
data was also compared for the relative
velocities of the particles and feeder belt
(only those particles in contact with the
feeder belt). The relative velocity of each
of the particles in contact with the feeder
belt (Vrel) was calculated using the follow-
ing equation;
(2) all the way across the opening of the trou-
Where VP is the velocity vector of the
particle, P is the rotational velocity vector
of the particle, rc is the coordinate vector
and VB is the velocity vector of the feeder
belt. This calculation was made for all par-
ticles in contact with the feeder belt in the
steady state time period of 30 40 seconds,
and the results were averaged along the
length of the feeder belt. The results for the
existing reclaimer design and the redesign
with the inserts can be seen in Figure 5
where only the relative velocity in the di-
rection of the feeder belt has been plotted.
As can be seen, there is a reduction in the
relative particle velocities along the length
of the belt for the redesign with the inserts.
The combined effect of a lower normal
force coupled with lower relative velocities
of particles in contact with the belt will cer-
tainly act to reduce abrasive wear.
5 Site Results
The recommended flow inserts have been
installed into the trouser legs of the re-
claimer and wear data of the feeder belts
has been collected. At this stage it is also
worth mentioning that the two inserts
perpendicular to the flow did not extend
ser leg, and the reason for this is so the
inserts could be preassembled off site and
installed in one piece. Photos of the in-
serts in their preassembled state as well as

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PEER REVIEWED
Figure 5: Comparison of relative velocities of particles in contact with the feeder belt over the
length of the belt (averaged over the steady state time period of 30 40 seconds).
installed into the trouser legs of the chute can be seen in Figure 6.
Data collected from site, for the original design, indicated that
for one feeder belt the top cover of the feeder belt wore a total of
5.3 mm for a total of 3.2 million tonnes of handled coal. In compar-
ison to this, once the flow inserts were installed into the reclaimer,
the new wear data showed only a 1.0 mm wear of the top cover
for 3.0 million tonnes of coal. The details of the feeder belt (rubber
compound, strength rating) remained exactly the same before and
after the installation of the inserts. A comparison of the wear rate
shows that the wear rate was approximately 1.65 x 10 -6 mm per
million tonnes for the original design, and after the installation of
the inserts it is 0.33 x 10 -6 mm per million tonnes. These figures
indicate a wear reduction of approximately 80%. In comparison
with the DEM results, the actual wear experienced on site is argu-
ably greater than that predicted from the modelling. However, it
is realized that there is no direct quantitative measure of the wear
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24 Australian Bulk Handling Review: July/August 2013
Figure 6: Flow Insert preassembled before installation (left) and installed into the trouser legs
of the transfer chute (right).
from the DEM modelling. The main reason for this is that while
the modelling can predict the interactions of the particles with
the feeder belt, it cannot predict the response of the feeder belt to
the interactions of the particles and belt. Added to this is the non-
linear behaviour of the wear mechanism. More research needs to
be conducted to further improve DEM wear models so that they
can predict the response of a conveyor belt (or chute liner) from
the interactions between the particles and surfaces.
5 Conclusions
An application of the Discrete Element Method (DEM) combined
with a wear model has been applied for the analysis of a feeder belt
in a coal reclaimer. Using the DEM analysis technique a range of pos-
sible solutions were considered for this project, with the redesign
option presented in this paper being the preferred option. A num-
ber of flow inserts were used in each trouser leg directly above the
feeder belts, with the idea behind these inserts being to reduce the
vertical pressure in the bulk solid as well as creating a more uniform
wear profile. Data from the DEM simulations showed that for the re-
design option the normal force on the feeder belt was reduced, the
frictional energy loss due to interactions between the particles and
belt was reduced, and the relative translational velocity of the parti-
cles in contact with the belt was also reduced. The combination of
all these results leads to a total effect of wear reduction on the feeder
belt. The redesign option from the modelling was carried through
to installation on site, and the wear readings from site agreed with
the wear reduction predicted from the DEM modelling. In terms of
magnitude of the wear, the site data for the wear readings registered
a larger reduction in wear than compared to the modelling, with
this result indicating more research should be conducted in an ef-
fort to include the response of the wear surface to the interactions
predicted in the modelling.
5 References
[1] Roberts A W. An Overview of Feeder Design Focusing on Belt
and Apron Feeders, Bulk Solids Handling, 2001, 21, pp13-25.
[2] Katterfeld A, Grger T, and Minkin A. Discrete Element Simula-
tion of Transfer Stations and their Verification, Bulk Solids &
Powder Science Technology, 2007, 2.
[3] Cenna, A A, Allen, S, Page, N W, Dastoor, P, 2001. A polyeth-
ylene-reinforced polymer composite abraded by bulk solids,
Wear, 249, pp 663-671.
[4] Roberts, A W. Chute Performance and Design for Rapid Flow
Conditions, Chemical Engineering Technology, 2003, 26(2),
pp 163-170.
[5] Ai J, Chen J, Rotter M, and Ooi J Y., Assessment of rolling resist-
ance models in discrete element simulations, Powder Technol-
ogy, 2011, 206, pp 269-282.
[6] Coetzee C J, and Lombard S G. Discrete Element method mod-
elling of a centrifugal fertiliser spreader, Biosystems Engineer-
ing, 2011, 109, pp 308-325.
[7] Wensrich, C.M., Katterfeld, A., Rolling friction as a technique
for modelling particle shape in DEM, Powder Technology,
2012, 217, pp 409-417.