DS SPEC 255004

Debswana Specification

Apron Feeders

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ISSUE 1 25 March 2008 Page 1 of 10

 DS SPEC 255004

1 SCOPE 3
2 TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS TO BE SPECIFIED BY THE ENGINEER 3
3 DEFINITIONS 3
4 REQUIREMENTS 4
4.1 DESIGN LOADS 4
4.2 SUPPORT STRUCTURE 4
4.3 FRAME STRUCTURE 5
4.4 MATERIAL 5
4.5 HEAD / TAIL SHAFTS 6
4.6 CHAINS, ROLLERS AND SPROCKETS 6
4.7 FLIGHTS 6
4.8 HYDRAULIC DRIVE 6
4.9 FLIGHT – LINK BOLTS 6
4.10 RUNNING SPEED 7
4.11 DRAWINGS 7
4.12 WELDING 7
4.13 CORROSION AND WEAR PROTECTION 8
5 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS 8
6 INSPECTION AND TESTING 8
6.1 INSPECTION 8
6.2 TESTING 8
7 MARKING AND PACKING 9
7.1 MARKING 9
7.2 PACKING 9
APPENDIX A: RELATED DOCUMENTS 10
APPENDIX B: RECORD OF AMENDMENTS 10

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 DS SPEC 255004

1 SCOPE
This specification details the requirements for the design of apron feeders, both horizontal
and inclined.

2 TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS TO BE SPECIFIED BY THE ENGINEER

The following requirements shall be specified on every invitation to tender, contract or
order:

• Title, reference number, date and issue of this specification.

• Handling requirements of the apron feeder.

• Number of chains used to propel the flights.

• Minimum ore level in the bin to protect the apron feeder flights.

• Size and type of ore.

• Operating speed.

• Special environmental conditions in which the apron feeder may be operating, for
example, high temperature, sea water, etc.

• Any limitations in terms of a confined operating environment.

3 DEFINITIONS

ANSI : American National Standards Institute

APPROVED : Approved by the Engineer in writing

APRON FEEDER : The complete apron feeder including the frame structure,
chains, rollers, sprockets, head and tail shafts, flights, gearbox
and hydraulic drive.

AWS : American Welding Society

BS : British Standard

CPS : Corrosion Protection System

MPI : Magnetic Particle Inspection

NDT : Non Destructive Testing

QAP : Quality Assurance Procedure

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 DS SPEC 255004

QUALITY PLAN : A document compiled by the Contractor detailing all major

events in the manufacture of the product including but not
necessarily limited to inspection and test requirements and
acceptance/rejection criteria, and equipment to be used during
manufacture and testing.

SANS : South African National Standard

The following terms are defined in the General Conditions of Contract:

Contractor, Engineer.

4 REQUIREMENTS
4.1 DESIGN LOADS
The design shall take into account all permanent loads and other relevant loads as
specified in SANS 10160.

The Contractor shall calculate all horizontal and vertical, static and dynamic loads arising
from start-up, operation, and stopping of the apron feeder. These loads shall be
calculated for full burden depth, or any other operational condition that might lead to
greater loads.

The design shall also take into account the impact of any rocks falling onto the apron
feeder flights for the case where there is no burden depth on the flights. This impact
height shall be determined by the dimensions of the rock box. The size and type of rock
as specified in section 2 shall also be taken into account. Design calculations of the
feeder and the structure shall also take into account the working elevation angle of the
apron feeder.

4.2 SUPPORT STRUCTURE

The Contractor shall make available for review the calculations showing the expected
horizontal and vertical, static and dynamic loads applied by the apron feeder onto the
support structure. These loads shall be calculated at the maximum operating speed and
maximum material load.

Any specific requirements of the support structure for the apron feeder shall be clearly
specified by the Contractor.

In the case where the apron feeder is to be installed on an existing support structure, the
Contractor shall inspect the existing support structure and satisfy himself that the structure
is compatible with the proposed apron feeder design. Compatibility shall include, but not
be limited to, the actual current condition of the support structure, space and geometric
requirements, magnitude of loads applied by the existing apron feeder and the proposed
new apron feeder, and dynamic behaviour of the support structure. The Contractor shall
notify the Engineer in writing of this inspection. Should any modifications to the structure
be required, these shall be stated clearly in the above-mentioned notice. In the case of
incompatibilities at installation, resulting from inadequate or lack of inspection by the
Contractor, the cost of modifications to the existing support structure or apron feeder shall
be borne by the Contractor.
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 DS SPEC 255004

4.3 FRAME STRUCTURE

4.3.1 Static design: The frame structure shall be designed in accordance with SANS 10160
and SANS 10162. The static load and the load cases specified in paragraph 4.1 shall be
considered in the static design.

The specified impact load as per paragraph 4.1 shall be treated as an additional static
load for purposes of static design of the frame structure.

4.3.2 Fatigue design: The apron feeder shall be designed in accordance with BS 7608 to resist
impact loads, and other dynamic or transient loads, as per paragraph 4.1.

The apron feeder shall be designed for a minimum endurance life or a specified number of
operating hours at the maximum rotational speed, using the mean minus two standard
deviation S-N curves. The operating environment shall be taken into account when the
expected life of the apron feeder is calculated.

If the Engineer specifies a duty cycle, a fatigue analysis shall be performed in compliance
with BS 7608 to prove that the apron feeder will achieve the specified number of operating
hours. Failing this, the required fatigue life shall be based on 107 cycles, using stress
ranges as specified in Table 1. The fatigue detail classes to be used for the design of the
frame structure are defined in Table 1.

Table 1: Fatigue Detail Classes

Detail Class Stress Range at 107 cycles

Material sections C 78 MPa

Bolted connections C 78 MPa

Butt welds (longitudinal) D 53 MPa

Butt welds (transverse) E 47 MPa

Fillet welds (not within 10 mm of any edge) F2 35 MPa

Fillet welds (within 10 mm of any edge) G 29 MPa

4.3.3 Information to be provided: The Contractor shall make available for review the
calculations for the stress distributions in the frame structure, the head shaft and the tail
shaft, for both the static and the fatigue designs.

4.4 MATERIAL
The following materials shall be used:

− Frame structure BS 4360 grade 43A

SANS 1431 grade 350 WA

− Flights Austenitic Manganese steel alloy, according to SANS 407:2000

Type 1

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 DS SPEC 255004

− Head / tail shafts BS 970: 709M40

− Chain links as per supplier

− Sprockets as per supplier

4.5 HEAD / TAIL SHAFTS

The head and tail shafts shall be designed for a minimum operating life of 30 000 hours at
the maximum operating speed with a minimum fatigue reserve factor of 1,3. The design
shall take into account all stress concentration details, such as the changes in section on
the shaft, the stress concentrations at the keyways, etc.

4.6 CHAINS, ROLLERS AND SPROCKETS

No more than two chains shall be used to propel the flights, unless the apron feeder is
exceptionally wide, and prior approval has been obtained from the Engineer. The chains
shall be standard chains as used by earthmoving equipment manufactures for crawler
mounted equipment. It must however be proven that the selected chain design is
adequate for the particular application by providing all the necessary information and
calculations. A finite element analysis of the chain link subjected to the design loads
followed by a fatigue assessment according to BS7608 must be part of this assessment.
Contact must be modelled in between the pins and the link for accurate FEA stress
prediction in the surrounding areas. The Contractor shall indicate which manufacturer’s
chain shall be used, the chain model number, and the design tension rating of the chain.
The chain tension shall be correctly set, to avoid premature failure of the chain links. If
standard rollers and sprockets are to be used, the same information, as for the chains,
shall be submitted by the Contractor. If non-standard rollers and sprockets are to be used,
the Contractor shall make available for review all the design calculations for the rollers
and sprockets. The sprockets shall be correctly aligned to ensure equal load sharing in
the chains.

4.7 FLIGHTS
The flights shall be propelled by no more than two chains, to prevent unequal load
sharing. They shall be designed to withstand any impact loads, as per paragraph 4.1. The
flights shall be designed so that no rubbing between the flights and the rock box occurs,
as this increases the operating load and decreases the life of the chains and flights.

4.8 HYDRAULIC DRIVE

The hydraulic drive shall be able to operate the apron feeder at the maximum design
speed. It shall have a ramp start to provide easy start-up under load, and to reduce any
shock loading to the system during start-up. The pressure release valve shall be set to
avoid any damage to the drive unit under difficult starting applications. The Contractor
shall supply the name of the manufacturer and provide full specifications of the drive unit
and power pack.

4.9 FLIGHT – LINK BOLTS

The flight – link bolts shall have a design shear stress not exceeding 50 % of the proof
stress, and shall be torqued to ensure a tension equal to 80% of the proof load.
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Bolts of the following property class and diameter shall be used in all bolted connections
in accordance with SANS 1700:

Hexagonal head bolt with washer face M20 x 90 - Class 10.9 according to SANS1700-7-
:2003 (ISO 4014:1999) with square nut M20 – Class 10 to SANS 1700-5-2:1996 (ISO
898-2:1992)

4.10 RUNNING SPEED

The apron feeder running speed shall be optimised to minimise the number of start-ups,
but to maintain the maximum average crusher throughput (which shall include the truck
waiting and tipping times). The number of cycles in normal operation is independent of
speed, but dependent on total throughput, ie. if the apron feeder runs too fast, it will stop
for long periods, and will include many start-ups and shutdowns. If the feeder is run at a
slower speed, fewer starts and stops will be needed.

4.11 DRAWINGS
The following information shall be clearly shown on the detail drawings of the apron feeder
components:

• Weld details - weld preparation, size and finish

• Details of all fastening arrangements

• Material specification

• Machining requirements

• Corrosion protection

• Component masses

• Magnitude, location and direction of loads applied to the support structure

4.12 WELDING
4.12.1 General

The following points concerning the welding of the apron feeder frame structure shall be
noted:

• The welds shall be in accordance with ANSI/AWS D14.3, “Specification for Welding
Earthmoving and Construction Equipment”.

• The welder and the weld procedure shall be approved to ANSI/AWS D1.1,
“Structural Welding Code”, prior to the commencement of fabrication.

• General workmanship shall be in accordance with chapter 7 of ANSI/AWS D14.3.

• Welding shall be continuous. No stitch welding shall be allowed.

• All the components shall be stress relieved.

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 DS SPEC 255004

4.12.2 Weld defects

The maximum allowable defects shall be as described in chapter 6 of ANSI/AWS D1.1.

4.13 CORROSION AND WEAR PROTECTION

The corrosion protection shall be in accordance with Debswana Spec 164050 and
Debswana CPS 132. For applications in a more corrosive environment, for example a
marine environment, Debswana CPS 433 is recommended.

5 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS

Debswana QAP 100 shall apply.

6 INSPECTION AND TESTING

6.1 INSPECTION
6.1.1 Non-destructive testing: shall take place with the material in the unpainted condition. No
shot blasting prior to inspection shall be permitted. Any scale shall be removed by hand
wire brush or chemical cleaning.

6.1.2 Welds: shall be subjected to MPI in accordance with the requirements of ANSI/AWS
D1.1. The inspection shall take place at least 72 hours after completion of all welding and
post weld heat treatment. Dye penetrant inspection shall not be accepted as an alternative
to MPI. The Engineer reserves the right to request additional NDT inspections, for
example, ultrasonic, to verify the structural integrity of the welded components.

6.1.3 Should any weld repairs be necessary: they shall be conducted in accordance with an
Approved repair procedure and such welds shall be subjected to another MPI test at least
72 hours after repairs.

6.2 TESTING
6.2.1 The Engineer reserves the right to perform the following tests:

• strain gauge measurements

• any additional tests deemed necessary to verify the integrity of the apron feeder
design and operation

6.2.2 The Contractors’ standard commissioning tests: shall be performed on site after
installation, and copies of the test results shall be supplied to the Engineer. The tests shall
be witnessed by the Engineer.

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 DS SPEC 255004

7 MARKING AND PACKING

7.1 MARKING
The following information shall be clearly stamped on an identification tag and
permanently attached to the apron feeder where it is clearly visible after installation:

• name of the Contractor

• apron feeder serial number

• manufacturing date

• commissioning date

7.2 PACKING
The apron feeder shall be protected against damage and adverse climatic conditions
during transportation and storage.

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 DS SPEC 255004

APPENDIX A: RELATED DOCUMENTS

The latest issue of the following documents are deemed to form part of this specification:

Debswana 164050 : Corrosion protection of steel with coatings

Debswana CPS 132 : Mio epoxy and polyurethane

Debswana CPS 433 : Coastal resistant epoxy and high build polyurethane system

Debswana QAP 100 : Quality requirements for critical and major products

ANSI/AWS D1.1 : Structural Welding Code

ANSI/AWS D14.3 : Specification for welding construction and earthmoving equipment

BS 970: Part 1 : Wrought steels for mechanical and allied engineering purposes

BS 4360 : Weldable structural steels

BS 7608 : Fatigue design and assessment of steel structures

SANS 407:2000 : Austenitic manganese steel castings

SANS 1700-7-1:2003 : Fasteners Part 7: External drive hexagon bolts and screws
(ISO 4014:1999) Section 1: Hexagon head bolts - Product grades A and B

SANS 1700-5-2:1996 : Part 5: General requirements and mechanical properties

(ISO 898-2:1992) Section 2: Nuts with specified proof load values — Coarse thread

SANS 1431 : Weldable structural steels

SANS 10160 : The General Procedures and Loads to be adopted in the Design of
Buildings

SANS 10162-1 : The Structural Use of Steel – Part 1: Limit-States Design of Hot-
Rolled Steelwork

APPENDIX B: RECORD OF AMENDMENTS

Issue 0 : New document

Issue 1 : Clauses 4.1; 4.2; 4.3.1; 4.3.2; 4.3.3 updated

SANS references added to 4.9 and Appendix A (March 2008)

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