Claims:1. An apparatus (10) for determining static and dynamic behavior of granular material (G), the apparatus (10) comprising:
a housing (E) adapted to receive granular material (G), the housing (E) comprises:
a base (2) defining a first portion (4a) and a second portion (4b) pivotally displace between an open position and a closed position relative to the first portion (4a); and
a side wall structure (1) projecting upwardly from a periphery of the base and defining a top opening (3) through which the granular material (G) is received in the housing (E), wherein at least one side (A/B/C/D) of the side wall structure (1) is defined with a grid profile (6) such that a detection module associated with the apparatus is transversable along the grid profile (6) to determine co-ordinates and generate a graph to determine angle of repose, wherein the angle of repose is indicative of static and dynamic behavior of granular material (G).

2. The apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grid profile (6) includes a plurality of points equidistantly spaced from each other.

3. The apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein periphery of the base (2) and the side wall structure (1) is defined with a frame member made of mild steel.

4. The apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the side wall structure (1) is made of at least one of polymeric materials and hard plastics including acrylic material.

5. The apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the side wall structure (1) is transparent.

6. The apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing (E) is positioned at a pre-defined height from the ground and the pre-defined height ranges from about 1.5m to about 4m.

7. The apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 1 comprises a plurality of support members (5) provided at the base (2) of the housing (E) and is adapted to position the housing (E) at the pre-defined height.

8. The apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second portion (4b) operatively coupled to an actuation unit, and wherein the actuation unit is configured to displace second portion (4b) between the open position and the closed position relative to first position (4a).

9. A system (100) for determining static and dynamic behavior of granular material (G), the system (100) comprising:
an apparatus (10) having a housing (E) adapted to receive granular material (G), the housing (E) comprises:
a base (2) defining a first portion (4a) and a second portion (4b) pivotally displace between an open position and a closed position relative to the first portion (4a); and
a side wall structure (1) projecting upwardly from a periphery of the base and defining a top opening (3) through which the granular material (G) is received in the housing (E), wherein at least one side (A/B/C/D) of the side wall structure (1) is defined with a grid profile (6);
a detection module (7) positioned on the at least one side (A/B/C/D) defined with the grid profile (6) and is configured to traverse along the grid profile (6) in predetermined path, wherein the detection module (7) is configured to transmit and receive signal corresponding to amount of granular material (G) piled along the pre-defined path on a side (C) opposite to the side (A) on which the detection module (7) is positioned; and
a control module (M) communicatively coupled to the detection module (7), the control module (M) is configured to receive the signal from the detection module (7) corresponding to the amount of granular material (G) piled on the side (C) along the pre-defined path and is configured to generate co-ordinates to generate a graph and determine angle of repose, the angle of repose is indicative of static and dynamic behavior of granular material (G).

10. The system (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the detection module (7) is configured to transmit and receive signal corresponding to the amount of granular material (G) along the pre-defined path at equidistant width.

11. The system (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the pre-defined path along the grid profile (6) is at least one of vertical path from base (2) of the housing to the top opening (3) and substantially horizontal along the grid profile (6).

12. The system (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the detection module (7) is a laser distance meter.

13. The system (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the angle of repose is determined to determine incoming trajectory of the granular material (G).

14. The system (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the housing (E) is positioned at a pre-defined height from the ground, the pre-defined height ranges from about 1.5m to about 4m.

15. The system (100) as claimed in claim 14 comprises a plurality of support members (5) provided at the base (2) of the housing (E) and is adapted to position the housing (E) at the pre-defined height.

16. The system (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the second portion (4b) operatively coupled to an actuation unit, and wherein the actuation unit is configured to displace second portion (4b) between the open position and the closed position relative to first position (4a).

17. A method for determining static behavior of granular material (G), the method comprising:
loading granular material (G) into a housing (E) of an apparatus (10) of claim 1;
displacing a second portion (4b) of the housing (E) to an open position to partially drain out the loaded granular material (G) to define a heap;
traversing, a detection module (7), positioned on the at least one side wall (A/B/C/D) defined with the grid profile (6) along a predetermined path, wherein the detection module (7) is configured to transmit and receive signal corresponding to amount of granular material (G) piled along the pre-defined path on a side (C) opposite to the side (A) on which the detection module (7) is positioned; and
determining, by a control module (M), co-ordinates along the predefined path based on the signal received from the detection module (7) to generate a graph and determine angle of repose, the angle of repose is indicative of static and dynamic behavior of granular material (G).

18. A method for determining dynamic behavior of granular material (G), the method comprising:
displacing a second portion (4b) of a housing (E) of an apparatus (10) of claim 1 to an open position;
dynamically loading granular material (G) into the housing (E) until the granular material (G) is piled-up on a side (C) of at least one side (A/B/C/D) to define a heap;
traversing, a detection module (7), positioned on the at least one side wall (A/B/C/D) defined with the grid profile (6) along a predetermined path, wherein the detection module (7) is configured to transmit and receive signal corresponding to amount of granular material (G) piled along the pre-defined path on a side (C) opposite to the side (A) on which the detection module (7) is positioned; and
determining, by a control module (M), co-ordinates along the predefined path based on the signal received from the detection module (7) to generate a graph and determine angle of repose, the angle of repose is indicative of static and dynamic behavior of granular material (G).
, Description:TECHNICAL FIELD

Present disclosure, in general, relates to a field of transfer systems. Particularly, but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates a transfer chute for use in bulk material handling operations. Further, embodiments of the present disclosure relates to an apparatus, system, and method for determine dynamic and static behavior of the granular material for designing transfer chute.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Conveyor belts are widely used in industry to transport solid bulk materials. To transfer material from one belt to the other, transfer chutes are employed. Inside the transfer chute, there are often many points of direction change of material flow. A liner surface is not advised at that point as during direction change, there is a change in momentum of the flow material, due to which impact energy is generated and absorbed by the liner surface, which will accelerate degradation and wear of the same. At these points, a structure generally referred to as a rock box is employed, which holds up a certain amount of flow material and the incoming material impacts the already present material, brushes it off and flows down, thus protecting the chute wall surface. The amount of material hold-up in the box varies according to the material properties, mainly particle size distribution and moisture content. If sufficient space is not provided around the rock box for the material to flow, it may lead to jamming inside the chute. There is no current standard to determine the build-up characteristics of material in a rock box. Valuable information regarding the same can be used to safely design rock box in transfer chutes which can help prevent blockages and operational downtimes.

Present disclosure is directed to overcome one or more limitations stated above or any other limitations associated with the known arts.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

One or more shortcomings of the prior art are overcome by a device and system as claimed and additional advantages are provided through the device and system as claimed in the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, an apparatus for determining static and dynamic behavior of granular material. The apparatus includes a housing which is adapted to receive granular material. The housing includes a base defining a first portion and a second portion. The second portion is configured to pivotally displace between an open position and a closed position relative to the first portion. The apparatus includes a side wall structure projecting upwardly from a periphery of the base and defining a top opening through which the granular material is received in the housing. At least one side of the side wall structure is defined with a grid profile such that a detection module associated with the apparatus is transversable along the grid profile to determine co-ordinates and generate a graph to determine angle of repose. The angle of repose is indicative of static and dynamic behavior of granular material.

In an embodiment, the grid profile includes a plurality of points equidistantly spaced from each other.

In an embodiment, periphery of the base and the side wall structure is defined with a frame member made of mild steel. The side wall structure is made of at least one of polymeric materials and hard plastics including acrylic material. The side wall structure is transparent.

In an embodiment, the housing is positioned at a pre-defined height from the ground and the pre-defined height ranges from about 1.5m to about 4m. A plurality of support members is provided at the bottom portion of the housing and is adapted to position the housing at the pre-defined height.

In an embodiment, the second portion operatively coupled to an actuation unit, and wherein the actuation unit is configured to displace second portion between the open position and the closed position relative to the first position.

In another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a system for determining static and dynamic behavior of granular material. The system includes an apparatus having a housing adapted to receive granular material. The housing includes a base defining a first portion and a second portion. The second portion can pivotally displace between an open position and a closed position relative to the first portion. The apparatus includes a side wall structure projecting upwardly from a periphery of the base and defining a top opening through which the granular material is received in the housing. At least one side of the side wall structure is defined with a grid profile such that a detection module associated with the apparatus is transversable along the grid profile to determine co-ordinates and generate a graph to determine angle of repose. The angle of repose is indicative of static and dynamic behavior of granular material. The system further includes a detection module positioned on the at least one side wall defined with the grid profile and is configured to traverse along the grid profile in predetermined path. The detection module is configured to transmit and receive signal corresponding to amount of granular material piled along the pre-defined path on a side opposite to side on which the detection module is positioned. The system also includes a control module is communicatively coupled to the detection module. The control module is configured to receive the signal from the detection module corresponding to the amount of granular material piled on the side along the pre-defined path. The control module is configured to generate co-ordinates to generate a graph and determine angle of repose. The angle of repose is indicative of static and dynamic behavior of granular material.

In an embodiment, the detection module is configured to transmit and receive signal corresponding to the amount of granular material along the pre-defined path at equidistant width. The pre-defined path along the grid profile is at least one of vertical path from bottom portion of the housing to the top opening and substantially horizontally along the grid profile.

In an embodiment, the detection module is a laser distance meter.

In an embodiment, the angle of repose is determined to determine incoming trajectory of the granular material.

In yet another non-limiting embodiment, a method for determining static behavior of granular material is disclosed. The method includes loading granular material into a housing of an apparatus. The method includes steps of displacing a second portion of the housing to an open position to partially drain out the loaded granular material to define a heap. A detection module is positioned on the at least one side wall and is traversed in a pre-determined path. The detection module is configured to transmit and receive signal corresponding to amount of granular material piled along the pre-defined path on a side opposite to the side on which the detection module is positioned. A control module is configured to determine co-ordinates along the pre-defined path based on the signal received from the detection module to generate a graph and determine angle of repose. The angle of repose is indicative of static and dynamic behavior of granular material.

In still another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for determining dynamic behavior of granular material is disclosed. The method includes steps of displacing a second portion of a housing of an apparatus. The housing is dynamically loaded with granular material into the housing until granular material is piled-up on a side of at least one side to define a heap. A detection module positioned on the at least one side wall and is traversed along a pre-determined path on the at least one side wall. The detection module is configured to transmit and receive signal corresponding to amount of granular material piled along the pre-defined path on a side opposite to the side on which the detection module is positioned. A control module communicatively coupled to the detection module and configured to determine co-ordinates along the pre-defined path based on the signal received from the detection module to generate a graph and determine angle of repose. The angle of repose is indicative of static and dynamic behavior of granular material.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The novel features and characteristics of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives, and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:

FIG.A illustrates a simulation view of material flow in an existing transfer chute.

FIG.B illustrates a simulation view of material flow in the existing transfer chutes were incoming material impacts liner.

FIG.1a illustrates a perspective view of an apparatus for determining static and dynamic behavior of granular material, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG.1b illustrates a side view of the apparatus for determining static and dynamic behavior of granular material, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG.2a illustrates a side view of the apparatus of FIG.1a and 1b filled with granular material, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure

FIG.2b illustrates a side view of the apparatus of FIG.1a and 1b having a portion to discharge granular material to define a heap, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG.3 illustrates a side view of the apparatus of FIG.1a and 1b depicting dynamic loading of the granular material, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figs. 4a illustrates grid profile defined on a side wall structure of the apparatus of FIG.1a and 1b, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG.4b illustrates a schematic view of system having apparatus and a detection module, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG.4c illustrates a graphical representation depicting distance between one side of the at least one side of the sidewall structure to the heap defined in the apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG.5a and 5b illustrates a schematic view of material flow in a transfer chute, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the system and method illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter which forms the subject of the claims of the disclosure. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that, the conception and specific embodiments disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying other devices, systems, assemblies, and mechanisms for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that, such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristics of the disclosure, to its system, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, a system for determining static and dynamic behavior of granular material is disclosed. The system may include an apparatus having a housing adapted to receive granular material. The housing includes a base defining a first portion and a second portion. The second portion may be pivotally connected to the first portion and may be adapted to pivotally displace between an open position and a closed position relative to the first portion. In an embodiment, the second portion may be operatively coupled to an actuation unit. The actuation unit is configured to displace second portion between the open position and the closed position relative to the first position. Further, a side wall structure may project upwardly from a periphery of the base and defining a top opening through which the granular material is received in the housing. In an embodiment, periphery of the base and the side wall structure may be defined with a frame made of metallic material such as steel. At least one side of the side wall structure is defined with a grid profile. The grid profile includes a plurality of equidistantly spaced from each other. In another embodiment, the side wall structure is made of at least one of polymeric materials and hard plastics including acrylic material. The side wall structure is transparent. In another embodiment, a detection module may be positioned on at least one side wall defined with a grid profile and is configured to traverse along the grid profile in a pre-determined path. The detection module is configured to transmit and receive signal corresponding to amount of granular material piled along the pre-defined path on a side opposite to the side on which the detection module is positioned. Further, the system includes a control module communicatively coupled to the detection module. The control module is configured to receive the signal from the detection module corresponding to the amount of granular material piled on the side along the pre-defined path and is configured to generate co-ordinates to generate a graph and determine angle of repose, the angle of repose is indicative of static and dynamic behavior of the granular material. The detection module may be configured to transmit and receive signal corresponding to the amount of granular material along the pre-defined path at equidistant width. The pre-defined path along the grid profile is at least one of vertical path from bottom portion of the housing to the top opening and substantially horizontal along the grid profile. Determining the angle of repose enables determining incoming trajectory of the granular material. Further, the housing of the apparatus positioned at a predetermined height from the ground to enable testing of the apparatus. In the forthcoming embodiments, system and method will be elucidated in detail in conjunction with FIG(s) 1a to 5b.

The terms “comprises…. a”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof used in the specification, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusions, such that a system and method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such system or method. In other words, one or more elements in an assembly proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system.

Henceforth, the present disclosure is explained with the help of one or more figures of exemplary embodiments. However, such exemplary embodiments should not be construed as limitation of the present disclosure.

The following paragraphs describe the present disclosure with reference to FIG(s) 1a to 5b. In the figures, the same element or elements which have similar functions are indicated by the same reference signs. For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated methods, and such further applications of the principles of the disclosure as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains.

The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit application and uses. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background or summary or the following detailed description. It is to be understood that the disclosure may assume various alternative orientations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific system or components illustrated in the attached drawings and described in the following specification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions or other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments that may be disclosed are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described referring to the accompanying drawings. While some specific terms of “adjacent,” “next to,”, “top”, “below”, “above”, “right,” “along” and other terms containing these specific terms and directed to a specific direction will be used, the purpose of usage of these terms or words is merely to facilitate understanding of the present invention referring to the drawings. Accordingly, it should be noted that the meanings of these terms or words should not improperly limit the technical scope of the present disclosure.

FIGs.1a and 1b illustrates an apparatus for determining static and dynamic behavior of granular material. The apparatus of the present disclosure is depicted by reference numeral 10 and the granular material is depicted by referral numeral G. The apparatus (10) may be equipped to predict and quantify the material build-up in a one or more portions of a transfer chute [not shown] portions of a transfer chute [not shown]. The one or more portions in the transfer chute may be critical zones such as inlets, transfer zones etc. The apparatus (10) of the present disclosure includes a housing (E). The housing (E) may include a base (2) defining a first portion (4a) and a second portion (4b). In an embodiment, the second portion (4b) may be pivotally connectable to the first portion (4a). The first portion (4a) may be a fixed portion and the second portion (4b) of the base (2) may define a door. In an embodiment, the second portion (4b) may be configured to pivotally displace between an open position and a closed position relative to the first portion (4a).

Further, a sidewall structure (1) may extend from the periphery of the base (2). The side wall structure (1) may project upwardly from the base (2) up to a pre-defined height and may terminate defining a top opening for the housing (E). The top opening may be adapted to receive granular material (G). In an embodiment, the side wall structure (1) may include at least one side depicted by A, B, C and D. In an embodiment, the side wall structure (1) may be made of at least one of polymeric materials and hard plastics including but not limiting to acrylic material. The side wall structure (1) may be transparent such that an operator can view an inner portion of the housing (E). In another embodiment, periphery of the base (2) and the side wall structure (1) may be defined with a frame member made of a metallic material such as steel. The frame member may be provided on the periphery of the housing (E) to improve rigidity of the housing (E). In an embodiment, the at least one side (A/B/C/D) of the side wall structure (1) may be defined with a grid profile (6) [refer FIG.4a]. According to the present disclosure, the grid profile (6) may be defined on a side A of the housing (E). As shown in FIG.4a, the grid profile (6) may include a plurality of points each equidistantly spaced from one another. In another embodiment, the side A may be defined with a liner. The liner (8) may be offset from remaining portion of the side A of the side wall structure (1). The offset of the liner (8) ensures that the granular material (G) does not come in contact with the liner which ensures that the wear is subdued during loading. In an another embodiment, the housing (E) may be positioned at a pre-defined height from the ground. The pre-defined height may range from 1.5 meter to about 4 meter. The housing (E) may be positioned over a plurality of support members (5). The plurality of support members (5) may act as a legs for the housing (E). The plurality of support members (5) may be provided at the bottom portion (2) of the housing (E). The plurality of support members (5) may be adapted to position the housing (E) at the pre-defined height. Further, the plurality of support members (5) may be provided with castor wheels on the end opposite to the end connected to the base (2) of the housing (E). Providing castor wheels on the end of the plurality of support members (5) makes the entire apparatus (10) mobile/movable. In an embodiment, the housing (E) provided on the plurality of support members (5) may resemble a box structure. In an exemplary embodiment, the operating dimensions of the apparatus (10) may be 0.9 m X 0.9 m X 0.9 m. However, the operating dimensions disclosed above should not be construed as a limitation of the present disclosure and is provided only as example.

Further, a detection module (7) [refer FIG.4b] may be positioned on the at least one side (A/B/C/D) of the side wall structure (1) defined with the grid profile (6). According to the present disclosure, the detection module (7) may be positionable on the side A on which the grid profile (6) may be defined. The detection module (7) may be configured to traverse along the grid profile (6) in a pre-determined path. The pre-defined path traversed by the detection module (7) along the grid profile (6) may be at least one of vertical path from base (2) of the housing (E) to the top opening (3) and substantially horizontal along the grid profile (6). The detection module (7) may be but not limiting to a laser distance meter. In an embodiment, the detection module (7) may be configured to traverse along the pre-defined path at equidistant width. For instance, the detection module (7) may be traversed in a vertical path along the grid profile (6) continuously i.e., from base (2) to the top opening (3) at every point on the grid profile (6). In some instances, the detection module (7) may be traversed in the vertical path along the grid profile (6) from base (2) to the top opening (3) at alternate point on the grid profile (6). The detection module (7) may be configured to transmit signal from the side A to the side C on which the heap of granular material (G) is formed. Further, the detection module (7) may be adapted to receive signal reflected from the heap of granular material (G). In short, the detection module (7) may be configured to transmit and receive signal corresponding to amount of granular material (G) piled along the pre-defined path on the side C opposite to the side A on which the detection module is positioned. The detection module (7) may be configured to transmit and receive signal corresponding to the amount of granular material (G) along the pre-defined path at the equidistant width as described in previous embodiments.

A control module (M) [refer.4b] may be communicatively coupled to the detection module (7). The control module (M) along with the detection module (7) and the apparatus (10) may form a system (100) [refer FIG.4b]. The control module (M) may be configured to receive the signal from the detection module (7) corresponding to the amount of granular material (G) pile on the side C along the pre-defined path. The control module (M) is configured to generate co-ordinates corresponding to the granular material (G) piled on the side C opposite to the side A on which the detection module (7) is traversed. In an alternative embodiment, the co-ordinates may be generated manually. Using the co-ordinates generated by the control module (M) or in some cases manually, a graph [refer FIG.4c] may be plotted. The graph plotted/generated corresponds to profile of the heap [i.e., the amount of material piled-up on side C of the housing (E)] depicting the amount of granular material (G) along the pre-defined path at said equidistant width. Further, fitting a line through the profile of the heap [i.e., the plotted graph] provides a slope and the inverse tangent of which provides the angle of repose of the granular material (G). The angle of repose of the granular material (G) may be taken across one or more widths and an average angle of repose may be calculated for the granular material (G). The angle of repose may be indicative of static and dynamic behavior of granular material (G). The apparatus (10) may be configured to test granular materials (G) of varying particle sizes. According to the present disclosure, the recommended particle size that may be used in the test may be about 45mm. However, the size of particles that is discussed above should not be construed as a limitation of the present disclosure. The apparatus (10) may be configured to hold material up to 500 Kg but not limiting to the same. The apparatus (10) of the present disclosure may be adapted to test granular materials (G) at different moisture contents, as change in the same is known to affect the angle of repose, due to which profile of the apparatus (10) and flow of the granular material (G) will be affected. Determining the profile of the apparatus (10) and the flow of the granular material (G) enables designing of transfer chutes where the apparatus (10) may be employed. Further, the angle of repose may also help in determining an appropriate landing point [i.e., incoming trajectory] from the incoming material so that direct contact on the liner of the housing (E) may be eliminated and subsequently liner wear is also subdued. Forthcoming embodiments, a method of determining static and dynamic behavior of granular materials (G) is elucidated.

To determine the angle of repose using the system (100), the behavior of the granular material (G) may be tested in static condition and/or dynamic condition. Determining static behavior of the granular material (G) includes steps of loading granular material (G) into the housing (E) of the apparatus (10) [refer FIG.2a]. The granular material (G) may be initially filled into the housing (E) of the apparatus (10). During the loading of the granular material (G) into the housing (E), the second portion (4b) may be retained in closed position. Once the granular material (G) is loaded completely into the housing (E), any granular material (G) appearing over the top surface may be scraped, thus maintaining a lever top layer. Further, the second portion (4b) may be displaced to the open position to drain out the loaded granular material (G). After the second portion (4b) is displaced to open position some granular material may be drained out from the housing (E), while remaining material forms a heap inside the housing (E) on the side A [refer FIG.2b]. The detection module (7) may be traversed on the side wall A along the pre-determined path. In the course of traversing, the detection module (7) may be configured to transmit and receive signal corresponding to amount of granular material (G) piled on the side C opposite to side A along the pre-defined path. The control module (M) may receive the signal from the detection module (7) corresponding to the amount of granular material (G) piled on the side C of the housing (E). Based on the signal received from the detection module (7), the control module (M) may determine co-ordinates along the pre-defined path to generate a graph and determine angle of repose. As described in earlier embodiments, the angle of repose may be indicative of static and dynamic behavior of the granular material (G).

Similarly, the apparatus (10) may be used to determine dynamic behavior of the granular material (G). The method of determining dynamic behavior of the granular material (G) initially includes displacing the second portion (4b) of the housing (E) to the open position. Before loading the granular material (G), a small amount of granular material (G) may be disposed inside the housing (E) so that incoming granular material (I) [refer FIG.3] slides on the already disposed granular material (G), thus protecting the base (2) and the side wall structure (1). Once the small amount of the granular material (G) is disposed in the housing (E), the granular material (G) is dynamically loaded [i.e., through a conveyor system] into the housing (E) until the granular material (G) is piled up on side C to define a heap. The detection module (7) may be traversed on the side wall A along the pre-determined path. In the course of traversing, the detection module (7) may be configured to transmit and receive signal corresponding to amount of granular material (G) piled on the side C opposite to side A along the pre-defined path. The control module (M) may receive the signal from the detection module (7) corresponding to the amount of granular material (G) piled on the side C of the housing (E). Based on the signal received from the detection module (7), the control module (M) may determine co-ordinates along the pre-defined path to generate a graph and determine angle of repose. As described in earlier embodiments, the angle of repose may be indicative of static and dynamic behavior of the granular material (G). In some embodiments, the dynamic behavior of the granular material (G) may be determined successively once the static test is completed. That is once the static behavior is determined, the granular material (G) may be loaded dynamically into the housing (E) which already contains the granular material (G) on the side A. Once the dynamic loading is completed, the angle of repose may be determined by the methods described above.

Determining angle of repose may be related to the stability of the granular material (G) on any surface. The angle of repose is the minimum angle with respect to horizontal above which it cannot hold itself on its own. This property may be useful while designing transfer chutes as they are a medium to transfer solid material from one place to another. If the base surface of the transfer chute is aligned at an angle lower than the angle of repose of flow of granular material, the flow material will tend to accumulate on the surface, leading to material jamming and operational loss. Hence, a general thumb rule while designing chutes is to align the flow surface at an angle higher than the flow material angle of repose. According to the present disclosure, determining the angle of repose gives an idea of amount of material which will be contained within the housing (E) of the apparatus (10). Based on the contained granular material profile [i.e., heap], the incoming trajectory may be configured (either by adjusting belt pulley position or belt velocity) in such a way that the impact point of the incoming material is always on the heap contained in the housing (E).

Forthcoming paragraphs illustrate an exemplary embodiment illustrating utility of the apparatus (10) with the system (100). In the first case, as seen in FIG.A [prior art], granular material falling directly on the belt (RCK2) with a velocity of ~5.2 m/s as seen from the graph in FIG.6. FIG.6 depicts the velocity distribution of the material just before coming on the material before and after putting the apparatus (10) in the transfer chute. Due to this high momentum of the incoming material and high relative velocity difference between the material and the belt (1.31 m/s), belt wear of RCL2 is very fast and it needs replacement in short periods. To protect this belt, the apparatus (10) for receiving granular material shown in FIG.5a may be placed just above the belt, so that the incoming material can first deposit on the apparatus (10) forming a heap on which the material flows and goes on to the blet. The difference in the belt velocity and material velocity before approaching the belt is substantially reduced which leads to lesser wear of the belt, thus bringing down the downtime of the same and ensuring interruption-free prolonged operations. In a second case, the apparatus (10) may be present in the transfer chute, however, due to the high velocity of discharging belt, the incoming material approaches the liner disposed on walls of the sidewall directly above the heap inside the apparatus (10) [refer FIG.B]. To prevent the same, the direct impact portion had been further offset such that some material can deposit there forming a heap, and then the incoming material may come and slide upon the heap, thus protecting the liner (refer FIG.5b).

In an embodiment, the apparatus (10) along with the system (100) of the present disclosure is simple to manufacture and is cost effective. The configuration of the system (100) enables designing of transfer chutes. Also, the apparatus (10) ensures that wear on various components can be substantially minimized and life of such components is substantially increased. This enables the transfer chutes to function for a longer time thus bringing down the downtime of the same and ensuring interruption-free prolonged operations.

It should be imperative that the construction and configuration of the apparatus (10), the system (100) and any other elements or components described in the above detailed description should not be considered as a limitation with respect to the figures. Rather, variation to such structural configuration of the elements or components should be considered within the scope of the detailed description.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the control unit (M) may be a centralized control unit, or a dedicated control unit associated with the system (100). The control unit may be comprised of a processing unit. The processing unit may comprise at least one data processor for executing program components for executing user- or system-generated requests. The processing unit may be a specialized processing unit such as integrated system (bus) controllers, memory management control units, floating point units, graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc. The processing unit may include a microprocessor, such as AMD Athlon, Duron or Opteron, ARM’s application, embedded or secure processors, IBM PowerPC, Intel’s Core, Itanium, Xeon, Celeron or other line of processors, etc. The processing unit may be implemented using a mainframe, distributed processor, multi-core, parallel, grid, or other architectures. Some embodiments may utilize embedded technologies like application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), etc.

In some embodiments, the processing unit may be disposed in communication with one or more memory devices (e.g., RAM, ROM etc.) via a storage interface. The storage interface may connect to memory devices including, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc drives, etc., employing connection protocols such as serial advanced technology attachment (SATA), integrated drive electronics (IDE), IEEE-1394, universal serial bus (USB), fiber channel, small computing system interface (SCSI), etc. The memory drives may further include a drum, magnetic disc drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive, redundant array of independent discs (RAID), solid-state memory devices, solid-state drives, etc.

It is to be understood that a person of ordinary skill in the art may develop an apparatus, system and a method of similar configuration without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. Such modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure covers such modifications and variations provided they come within the ambit of the appended claims and their equivalents

Equivalents:
With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
In addition, where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.
While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Referral Numerals:

Refence number Description
10 Apparatus
1 Sidewall structure
2 Base
4a First portion
3 Top opening
4b Second portion
5 Supporting members
6 Grid profile
7 Detection module
8 Liner
A, B, C and D Sidewalls
G Granular material
E Housing