Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
C
Chris Reay
Chairman of the Working itizens have a right to be in- Will the first set at Medupi Power Station be com-
Committee: Communications formed on some fundamental missioned on due date in 2012? Eskom says it will.
(SA Institution of Mechanical policies and plans that affect Credibility may throw some doubt on this. Eskom
Engineering) them both as citizens and as has told us to be ready for load shedding in the run-
business persons. Let’s take a look at up to 2012. Industry that saw the supply problem
the Planning Commission that was introduced after arising and made representations to government
the last elections. to interconnect private cogen have been waiting
for 3 years, and still no answer.
Seen or heard anything yet?
Manuel and Co have been heard to be considering It will be interesting to see how Eskom will man-
choosing the members of the commission. Amazing age the demand during the World Cup. If forecasts
progress after nearly a year. are on track, some extra 400 000 to 500 000
first-world type energy users will be adding to the
It’s a mess whatever way you look at it and no-one in winter load. Who is going to sacrifice consumption
government can convince me otherwise over this period?
Shortly, a NIASA initiative to produce a video for
Well, as an Engineer in SA I am very concerned about public consumption on an energy model for SA will
the state of the energy industry and what appears be available to the public. This has been the sterling
to be a complete lack of an energy policy, and if it work of John Walmsley and a NIASA subcommit-
does exist, then the communication of that is ap- tee and it will hopefully take an experienced look
palling. What is going on with the topic of nuclear at the energy position and an approach will make
power? One minute we see the effective demise of sense in the future.
the PBMR project with a shrinkage policy of 75% Slight stirrings
of specialised 800 employees, the option of a PWR Energy policy of course includes hydrocarbons, and
station, which was on and then off and maybe on this area insofar as SA is concerned appears to also
again, a maybe to resurrect uranium enrichment, be a mystery to the observer. In 2005, after years of
no stated policy on cogen and renewables intercon- inactivity due to the licensing and royalty changes
nection and a NERSA sop to the Eskom created by government, the exploration off the west coast
funding mess. Then there is the Act that governs commenced. Business has been hoping for 5 years
the Regional Electricity Distributors or REDS. now that the African west coast oil exploration gear
If a track exists north of us would find expanded maintenance and
Can anyone actually determine what they have servicing in Cape Town and Saldanha Bay. If you
achieved so far, and are they on track if a track look closely and keep still, you may see some very
exists, and if so when will that happen, and whose slight stirrings taking place.
engineering resources will they employ to take over Without a plan the musical chairs of the shuffling
distribution, connections and maintenance, and will elites will continue to wreak havoc with our infra-
they be friends or enemies of the municipalities and structure, ably assisted by a poor level of governance
Eskom whose roles they are going to replace? across the board.
So what does Mr. Citizen/ Businessman make of all
this? It’s a mess whatever way you look at it and
no-one in government can convince me otherwise.
Talk is cheap: where is the action?
Produced by:
Official Publication of
PROMECH PUBLISHING, THE SA INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
P O Box 373, Pinegowrie, 2123 and endorsed by:
Republic of South Africa
Tel: (011) 781-1401, Fax: (011) 781-1403 CORROSION INSTITUTE OF SA
Email: editorial@promech.co.za SA PUMP MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION
Website: www.promech.co.za SA VALVE AND ACTUATORS MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION
Managing Editor Susan Custers THE SA INSTITUTE OF TRIBOLOGY
Editor Kowie Hamman NUCLEAR INSTITUTE
Advertising Pauline Bouwer SA INSTITUTE FOR NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING
Circulation Catherine Macdiva
NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS
DTP Zinobia Docrat/Sanette Lehanie
INSTITUTE FOR CERTIFICATED MECHANICAL AND
Disclaimer ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS
PROMECH Publishing and The South African Institution of Mechanical
SOUTH AFRICAN ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERS
Engineering as well as any other body do not take responsibility for
the opinions expressed by individuals. ASSOCIATION OF SOCIETIES FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
Printed by: Typo Colour Printing, Tel: (011) 402-3468/9 AND HEALTH
Geoff is a Pr Tech (Eng). He changed his employ- rica. His material is widely
ment to that of Airconditioning draughtsman in filed by readers as ‘technical
Durban during 1957 and has remained directly resource material’.
involved with the Airconditioning Industry ever In his earlier retirement
since. He uprooted for a stint with “Carrier” in years, he spent much time
Melbourne and Brisbane, before returning perma- presenting In-house com-
nently to Durban. pany teaching for various
Geoff became a roving nationwide ‘technical companies in Durban and
troubleshooter’ for his company, gaining consid- Cape Town, and latterly for
erable practical experience along the way. He SAIMechE.
headed a commissioning department for a number Through his career, Geoff
of years. has presented numerous
In the early 1970s, he was given a brief to con- technical papers to meet-
duct regular technical training sessions within ings of the South African
his company. He took it upon himself to always Institute of Refrigeration and Geoff Alder - Consultant, author, publisher and
SAIMechE’s Refrigeration course developer
self-generate the material for use in the sessions, Air Conditioning, including
a principal from which he has never deviated. His two at international confer-
employer sent Geoff on a 3-month overseas study ences. He has published a book and much other
period with companies in the US and France. technical material, and holds the Gold Medal of
Since 1979, Geoff has been contributing regular the South African Institute of Refrigeration and Air
technical articles to the various trade magazines Conditioning (SAIRAC).
covering the airconditioning industry in South Af- www.alder.co.za
When to pull out of a situation that will endanger their service delivery at all levels witin the SAPS.”
life In conclusion, George warns boaters who go out on
if you exceed all three, then you’re likely to end the water while under the influence, not to do it.
up paying with your life. This is what we hammer “The percentage of unnecessary drownings due to
home in our training and probably the reason we alcohol misuse is too high,” he says. “One way or
have such a good track record in terms of safety.” another we’re going to meet and it’s sad that too
“Our values service orientated team work, integrity, often it is to haul your body from the water.”
committment and quality also resonate from the George Archer, SAPS Dive School, Tel: (012) 353-9338,
dedication of our trainers to raise the bar of efficient Email: diveschool@saps.co.za
For almost 50 years Steinmüller Engineering to the long-term relationships such as the main-
Services has been raising the bar in boiler tenance contract with Eskom now in its eighth
pressure parts for power generation – but year and a ten year Mill and Feeder contract with
there is so much more to the firm petrochemical giant, Sasol.
S
Recent ventures
teinmüller in South Africa is a well-known The most recent ventures by Steinmüller include
company specialising in, among others, a new factory that opened in July 2009 and has
the design, manufacture, construction and already expanded from the original 27 000 square
maintenance and spare part offerings in metres to the present 55 000 square metres.
pressure parts for boilers. Since its establish- The new facility is manufacturing boilers for the
ment in 1962, the Group has been providing a national power utility’s two new power stations,
comprehensive range of technical, engineering, Medupi and Kusile.
maintenance and project management services, “Manpower is up to over 800 already and we are
as well as plant and equipment hire and various bringing in an exciting new piece of kit, an induction
innovative technologies bender system which will be used for bending HP
Steinmüller’s vision is to eventually conquer the 120 piping,” adds Bob. Additionally, the group acquired
KOG fabricators, a company specialising in low to
tonne pressure vessel market medium pressure piping systems and the manufac-
ture of the “Lisega” range of pipe supports as well
Permanent presence
as various stainless steel expansion bellows.
“We have a permanent presence at around 11
power stations, where we maintain and optimise Conquer the market
plant operations, extend plant life cycle or bring The current focus on pressure parts is a precursor
mothballed stations back into service. We have to the next stage - the capability of working in the
played a leading role in the highly successful de- realm of high pressure feedwater heaters, which in
mothballing Camden, Komati and Grootvlei power turn will be followed by looking at pressure vessels.
stations” says Business Development Consultant, Steinmüller’s vision is to eventually conquer the
Bob Stevens. 120 tonne pressure vessel market.
He attributes the growth in the company’s stature The company is clearly not short on ambition and
vision. Bob explains how this is expected to play Engineers equipped with core competencies such
out. “The key to the future is good management as the commissioning of new plants, re-commis-
and skilled artisans. We run our own internal sioning of plants after outages or maintenance
training programs at the EBS Academy as well as interventions and boiler and boiler auxiliary plant
Eduardo Construction where we hone our artisan optimisation.
and technician skills. These facilities located in
Many activities
Bethal, Witbank and Pretoria are going full-bore to
The section’s other activities include providing process
equip our artisans and graduates with the necessary
specialists to industry for due diligence, fault finding
skills and knowledge.”
and root cause analysis of incidents or occurrences;
the generating of technical documentation with focus
Spares no effort in looking after and keeping the best on technical-, operating- and maintenance manuals;
personnel client interface for the development of new projects
during technical assessments and feasibility studies;
assistance with technical and financial analysis of
Short supply projects or modifications on plant; maintenance
Skilled staff is in short supply the world over, and
engineering for plant shut down; management for
according to Bob, Steinmüller spares no effort in
maintenance and repair activities.
looking after and keeping the best personnel. “We
make a conscious effort to discuss the future of Tel: (011) 806-3000, Fax: (011) 806-3330, Email: info@
the company, where we intend going and where steinmuller.co.za
people would fit in. This is an ongoing process
aimed at showing our people that the company is
making progress and instilling in them the desire
to move with it.”
But what are the individual departments of the
firm and what do they do? Well, firstly, the Techni-
cal Services Department, with a team of over 80
Chain Reaction
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Each link con-
sists of several parts that have to be cast or forged and then
machined to precise quality-controlled tolerances.
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ugar mills use such a chain in diffusers and
it is an area where no chances should be
taken with inferior components manufactured
by fabricators who do not have experience
in the highly-specialised field of chain and compo-
nent manufacturing. A sugar mill in Mozambique
recently had this experience when the links supplied
power transmission
director of Bearings
International. “The
speed with which
branch manager
Robin Blake and
his team responded
ensured that the
wheels at the mill
kept on turning,” he
says. “They found
that the cast inner
and outer links on
the 500 mm pitch
chain were break-
ing and needed to
be replaced, and
quickly, in time for
crushing the sea-
sonal crop.”
Chain of this type,
however, is not
an off-the-shelf
item purchased in
haste from the shop
The old chain that had to be replaced
around the corner.
to them from an ‘unknown’ source arrived on site “Usually chain of
with cracks which promptly started breaking after this type is manufactured with forged links, but
installation. we couldn’t find a local company who could do
the forgings within the time constraints,” explains
Saving the day Adrian.
Roller Chain-Opti, a Durban-based Bearings Inter- “It was then decided to manufacture the inners and
national (BI) company, which specialises in sugar outers out of VRN 400 material locally. This involved
chain products throughout Africa, was called to profile cutting and then machining and boring the
the rescue. To learn how they saved the day, “SA parts to specified tolerances. The two engineering
Mechanical Engineer” speaks to Adrian Vorster, companies who did this job for us deserve praise
Endurance Calculations
for Bearings
Practical experience has shown that seemingly identical rolling bearings operating under identical conditions
will not necessarily exhibit the same endurance life. Standardised life calculation methods help make educat-
ed choices about a bearing size’s suitability for a particular application.
T
he industry turns to standardised life cal- Predict more accurately
culations for good reason: It is realistically The evolution of standards has been to refine the
impractical from a time and cost perspective life calculation methods to predict more accurately
to test the number of bearings for a specific the actual life in a specific application, given cer-
application and its operating conditions for required tain operating parameters: In other words, a closer
acceptable confidence. match of the calculated life with the experienced
A growing list of factors relevant for bearing life service life. Recent scientific advances in bearing
calculations have been integrated over the years manufacturing, tribology, materials, end-user con-
in keeping with an increasing understanding about dition monitoring, and computation abilities have
operating conditions and the related “system” influ- led to more sophisticated and accurate bearing life
calculation possibilities.
Grounded in a manufacturer’s
experience with similar applications
life. Therefore, selection of initial bearing size for hypothetical load (constant in magnitude and direc-
an application normally starts by comparing its load tion and acting radially on radial bearings or axially
ratings to the applied loads that generate fatigue, on thrust bearings), which, if applied, would exert
causing stresses with regard to the requirements the same influence on bearing life as the actual
for service life and reliability. Both dynamic and loads to which the bearing is subjected.
static bearing load conditions must be indepen-
dently verified.
Radial bearings often are subjected to simul-
The basic dynamic load rating will be used for life taneously acting radial and axial loads. If the
calculations involving dynamically stressed bearings, resulting load is constant both in magnitude
such as those bearings that will rotate under load. and direction, the equivalent dynamic bearing
This rating defined in ISO 281 expresses the bearing load can be obtained from the equation:
load that will provide a basic rating life (L10) of 1
P = XFr + YFa
million revolutions. Dynamic loads should be checked
using a representative duty cycle or spectrum of where
load conditions on the bearing, including any peak P = equivalent dynamic bearing load
(heavy) loads that may possibly occur.
Fr = actual radial bearing load
In practice, of course, the basic rating life may deviate Fa = actual axial bearing load
significantly from the actual service life X = radial load factor for the bearing
Static load Y = axial load factor for the bearing
The basic static load rating applies to calculations An additional axial load only influences the
when the bearings will rotate at speeds less than equivalent dynamic load P for a single row ra-
10 rpm, become subjected to very slow oscillating dial bearing if the ratio Fa/Fr exceeds a certain
movements, or will remain stationary under load limiting value. With double row radial bearings
during certain periods. Static loads are not only even light axial loads are significant.
those applied with the bearing at rest or at very low
rotational speeds, but should factor in the static The same general equation is also applied for
safety of heavy shock loads (very short duration spherical thrust bearings and other thrust types
loads). Excessive static loads can compromise the that can take both axial and radial loads. For
integrity of a bearing by causing plastic deforma- thrust ball bearings and other types that can
tions on the contact surfaces. carry only purely axial loads, the equation
can be simplified (P = Fa), provided the load
The loads acting on a bearing can be calculated ac- acts centrically. For thrust bearings that sup-
cording to classical mechanics if the external forces port both axial and radial loads, designs vary
are known or can be calculated. As examples, these such that manufacturers’ catalogues need to
external forces may include resultant forces from be consulted.
power transmission, shaft or housing supports, or
inertia effects.
Sake of simplification Basic rating life equation
When calculating the load components for a single The calculation of bearing life has its roots back
bearing, the shaft is assumed to be a beam resting almost 60 years ago, when Gustaf Lundberg from
on rigid, moment-free supports. Chalmers Institute of Technology and Arvid Palmgren
from bearing company AB SKF applied the Weibull
In basic catalog or simplified calculations, elastic probability theory of fatigue to the calculation of
deformations in the bearing, the housing, or the rolling bearing life. Their fundamental assumptions
machine frame usually are not considered, nor are and derivations in 1947 and 1952 regarding inter-
the moments produced in the bearing as a result of nal load distribution, equivalent loads, and Weibull
shaft deflection. Historically, standardised methods statistical distribution of bearing life form the basis
for calculating basic load ratings and equivalent for ANSI/ABMA and ISO life rating standards and
bearing loads are grounded in similar assumptions most bearing manufacturers’ catalogues.
for the sake of simplification.
First adopted by ISO in 1962, the simplest
Same influence
method for bearing life calculation is represented
If the calculated bearing load fulfills the require-
by the ISO 281 or ABMA Standards 9 and 11
ments for the basic dynamic load rating (meaning
equation for basic non-adjusted rating life:
the load is constant in magnitude and direction
and acts radially on a radial bearing or axially and L10 = (C/P)p or C/P = L10 1/p
Printed by:
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Tel: (011) 402-3468/9
To Our Shores
Westinghouse
Electric Company has signed One every five days
a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with DCD-Dorbyl Across the world, nuclear power generation
in Vereeniging to help build six AP1000 modular nuclear is growing steadily. Last year, 15% of the
power stations for the US and four for China. In order to world’s electricity came from nuclear power.
fulfil its obligations on such a huge project, Westinghouse According to the World Nuclear Association,
during the 1980s, one new nuclear reactor
went in search of capable fabricators around the world for
started up every 17 days on average. By the
the highly specialised components.
year 2015, this rate could increase to one
every five days.
America produces the most nuclear energy,
at 19% of its total electricity supplied, while
T
hey soon came across DCD-Dorbyl in in France, this figure stands at 80%. In the
Vereeniging and after carefully assessing European Union as a whole, nuclear energy
each other, the two companies have just provides 30% of the electricity with only a
signed a (MOU) whereby DCD-Dorbyl has handful of countries such as Austria, Estonia,
the opportunity to become part of Westinghouse’s and Ireland having no active nuclear power
international supply chain for large fabricated stations at all.
components for the power stations being built. Fourteen altogether
“This MOU will allow the collaboration on work Westinghouse has a unique approach and a
associated with bringing the AP1000 nuclear demonstrated track record in localising the
power plant to the global marketplace, potentially supply chain for a new nuclear build. This
including the Republic of South Africa,” says Bob approach is currently being implemented
in China, where work is already underway
on the first two of a series of four AP1000
plants being constructed there.
In addition to the four AP1000 plants that are
under construction in China, Westinghouse
and the AP1000 have been identified as
the supplier and the technology of choice
for no fewer than 14 plants that have been
announced for construction in the United
States, including six for which engineering,
procurement and construction contracts have
been signed.
Additionally, Westinghouse and China are
currently discussing plans for additional
AP1000 plants to be sited inland of China’s
coastal areas.
No-threshold Debate
In 1983, Yorkshire Television caused a sensation by revealing medical care they receive, particularly pre-employ-
the existence of a leukaemia cluster associated with the village ment medical examinations intended to weed out
of Seascale, a few miles south of the then Windscale Works cancer suspects and other undesirables. But even
on the then Cumberland coast. There had been seven cases I am not entirely happy with the logic. Medical
of leukaemia in people under 25 over a period of thirty years examinations surely do not prevent cancer.
since the plant started up. Now, suddenly, we have two reports, or rather one
report and one book, that will gladden the hearts of
S
tatistically there should have been one – if even the most cockeyed of optimists. EPRI Technical
that. Successive investigations have shown Report 1019227, as summarised in this January’s
that the maximum radiation exposure that ‘Nuclear News’, reviews over two hundred recent
the Seascale villagers could conceivably reports on aspects of low-level radiation. It appears
have received is at least two orders of magnitude to conclude that low doses have disproportionally
too small to have done the damage. small effects and that there is no evidence at all
of adverse health effects due to acute radiation
Similar clusters have since been found around exposures below 100 millisieverts.
other nuclear and non-nuclear rural industrial sites.
Conventional wisdom is that the effect is viral due For comparison, radiation workers are allowed to
to the invasion of peaceful rural communities by receive up to 100 mSv averaged over five years and,
thousands of urban roughies. at both Pelindaba and Koeberg, actually average
less than 1 mSv per year. The surrounding public
Radworkers have a twelve to fifteen percent lower is limited by law to the same one millisievert per
incidence of cancer year and actually receive a few microsieverts at
most over and above natural background radiation
Others disagree. In particular, Dr Chris at around 2,4 mSv per year.
Busby, scientific secretary of the UK
Green Party’s self-proclamed European Lesser exposure
Committee on Radiation Risks, consid- Prof. Wade Allison is described as a nuclear and
ers that there are biological mechanisms medical physicist at the University of Oxford. In
that render the cells in the human body ‘Radiation and Reason’ he makes the same point,
hundreds of times more vulnerable to io- namely that adverse radiation effects such as can-
nising radiation, particularly if the source cer cannot be detected against the natural cancer
of the radiation is itself within the body, background for population exposures less than
than most of us believe. 100 mSv. He discusses the body’s natural defence
mechanisms which evidently cope with damage
Indeed, Chris Busby and friends believe that
due to lesser exposure. He concludes that current
not only is radiation linearly dangerous right
John Walmsley allowed exposure levels are vastly too restrictive and
down to the minutest doses, but that very
proposes limits for single exposures of 100 mSv, a
small doses are actually disproportionally
monthly allowance of 100 mSv and a lifetime limit
dangerous. Damage done by such doses somehow
of 5000 mSv – without distinguishing between
creeps in under the body’s defensive radar.
radiation workers and the general public.
A little radiation does you good One wonders, after decades of what Professor
These are the introvert pessimists. At the far end Allison considers gross over-regulation, how the
of the scale stand the optimists who believe in ra- public would react to being told that radioactive
diation hormesis, a little radiation does you good. effluent discharges could actually be increased a
Their champion is, or was then, Dr Bernard Cohen thousand fold.
who was responsible for a massive study in the
USA which appears to show beyond doubt that The book deals with Japanese data (around ninety
the incidence of lung cancer decreases in homes in additional leukaemia deaths and some four hundred
areas with relatively high concentrations of naturally other cancer deaths among 87 000 monitored
occurring radioactive radon gas. bomb survivors between 1950 and 2000) and, in
particular, with Chernobyl. If Allison is right, and
Nowadays, the optimists can also point to epide- I see little reason to doubt him, that the threshold
miological studies of literally hundreds of thousands for biological radiation damage is indeed around
of past and present radiation workers which show 100 mSv, then the ‘official’ estimates of several
unequivocally that up to age 85 radworkers have a thousand eventual ‘statistical’ (ie, unobservable)
twelve to fifteen percent lower incidence of cancer deaths in Belarus and the Ukraine reduce to the
than peers in other industries. Fence-sitters like sixty or so deaths already documented.
myself tend to say that that’s probably due to the John Walmsley
Know What
Festo has implemented globally, is revolutionising
the manner in which orders are processed and
service is delivered to industry.
Client comes first
You Sell
“Our primary focus with the SID is efficient Customer
Relationship Management (CRM) to ensure that the
needs of our clients come first while good service is
paramount,” Nico says. “For the SID, we’ve recruited
twelve employees who are not only qualified in
engineering, but also come from diverse engineer-
ing backgrounds. In this way, clients will be able
There is nothing more frustrating than talking to a to speak to specialists relevant to their industries
in order to expedite the service process.”
salesperson who does not fully understand a product, its
application, its associated problems, nor the industry it’s The new recruits have undergone extensive hands-
intended for. on training in all departments. “In addition, SID
specialists and agents have attended a plethora
of training courses through our Didactic and other
T
well-established training facilities,” says Nico. “At
his message was driven home to Festo the heart of the SID is the SAP system, coupled
who conducted a customer survey which to an advanced PABX, as well as a data/telephony
indicated that while the company provided operating system called Genesys.”
a high level of service, there was room for Data
improved efficiency and increased response times This system delivers customer specific data to the
to customer enquiries. To address the issue, the agents with every call. It records the phone number
company has established a Sales Inter@ction of origin for every call that reaches the SID and,
Department (SID). once the number has been put into the database,
“SA Mechanical Engineer” speaks to Nico Landman, agents then add on the appropriate company de-
SID Manager: Festo South Africa about the concept. tails and all other relevant data, including account
“The SID includes an automatic fax handling (E-Fax) information, the nature of the query and transac-
system, E-Procurement Solutions (E-Business) and tion histories.
an Online Shop,” he explains. “This concept, which The system is capable of drilling down to extension
Clients will never have the typical call centre experience numbers from internal company switchboards,
enabling agents to store data on specific personnel
where they have to ‘talk to’ an automated answering
from various companies.
machine
Wallboards have
been strategically
placed around
the SID to allow
sales agents and
specialists to ac-
tively monitor their
progress and the
overall operational
status of the SID.
This allows them to
prioritise their work
load in accordance
with client require-
ments
“We can now deliver support and services which ing a reference library, or, if need be, the technical
are not only relevant to the company, but also to department on the floor above. “Similarly, each SID
the individual calling,” adds Nico. “The technology work station is equipped with the latest PC hard-
and interfaces offered by Genesys have been in ware, including two monitors to enable agents to
operation for a number of years, but this is the first view all relevant client information in conjunction
time that they have been applied to the automation with digital technical references,” says Nico.
industry in South Africa.” “In addition, a comprehensive metrics system
monitors the performance of each agent. Without a
We have enough agents to handle calls during peak quantifiable means of measuring performance, you
periods cannot identify areas which can be improved.”
Prompt service Digital Information Wallboards have been placed
Using optimal resource planning and configuration, in full view around the SID to allow staff to gauge
Festo has adopted the 80/20 performance metric. their own performance, as well as the performance
“In essence, 80 percent of all calls that reach the of the SID as a whole. “Genesys supervisor tools
SID must be answered in less than 20 seconds,” allow us to accurately monitor the performance of
says Nico. “This means that clients will never have each SID member, identify areas of improvement,
the typical call centre experience where they have and implement the appropriate training measures
to ‘talk to’ an automated answering machine.” to ensure premium service delivery across the
board,” Nico explains.
The SID will also act as a telecommunications
hub. “Each call made to any of our eight branch Track trends
offices will be routed through the SID first,” adds “We can also track SID traffic trends, so we can
Nico. “The SID is tasked with handling and resolv- ensure we have enough agents to handle calls during
ing most incoming calls to guarantee faster, more peak periods. Follow-up calls, targeted campaigns
accurate service. If a call is routed to a branch or and value-added service offerings further enhance
department, we carry all routing costs which means customer relations.”
clients are only charged for a local call.” Joanne Dexter, Festo, Tel: (011) 971-5560, Fax: (011)
Mobile agents 974-4203, Email: joanne_dexter@festo.com
Each SID agent and specialist is equipped with a
wireless headset which is capable of operating one Engineer Placements
hundred metres from its work station. This allows
operators to freely consult relevant resources, includ- www.engineerplacements.com
Jointing
Valves Automation
Technologies
Bigger
is Better
T
A big rock breaker
built for an iron his is the challenge that faced hydraulic the base, something no other rock breaker on the
ore mine rock breaker designer and manufacturer, market can do.”
Gunter Wodak of HME Sales. “SA Mechani-
Getting the feel
cal Engineer” speaks to him at his office
Hydraulically, the reach of 13 metres presents it
in Randburg. “The problem with hydraulics is that
own challenges. “Once the distance between boom
you can’t just fit bigger cylinders and power packs
and operator controls exceeds a certain distance,
to get more power out of machine, as the costs
operation becomes difficult, as a standard pilot
simply go sky-high,” he explains. “To increase the
control system has a time lag reaction on the move-
capacity, you have to design a more sophisticated
ments,” explains Gunter.
system with high precision in order to get the
optimum performance out of a rock breaker with “Therefore we have to make use of proportional
a longer reach and a heavier hammer fitted at the electro-hydraulics to get the signal from the joy-
end of the boom.” stick to valve block instantly. These are ‘sensitised
electronics’ so that the operator still has the ‘feel’
The boom reaches vertically down right at the base of a hydraulic system in order to manipulate the
boom accurately.”
Biggest in the world
This led to Gunter designing, building and com- No more over-designing
missioning the largest rock breaker in the world for On site, a special concrete foundation had to be
an iron ore mine in South Africa. “Considering my built to withstand the forces generated from this
track record of designing and building rock breakers unusually large rock breaker. The specifications
and hydraulic grabs for over thirty years, the mine were supplied by Gunter according to the software
engineer showed confidence in my work and asked simulation he performed in the design package.
me to build the 13-metre reach rock breaker,” he “In the old days, when we designed our first grabs
says, showing us the 3D CAD model of the breaker and rock breakers on old-fashioned drawing board,
he created in SolidWorks. you simply could not take chances, especially for
equipment working in Africa, so we simply over-
“Mechanically, I diverted from the traditional design designed everything,” he says.
to fit an extra hydraulic manipulation on the back
of the boom so that the boom can extend much “Today, sophisticated software allows stress tests
more, both vertically and horizontally, on a fixed and analysis to support a much more economical
base. The boom reaches vertically down right at design before you even start building.
Hydraulics
“Previously, I used to design the mechanical sys-
tem as well as all the hydraulics, but today, there
are reputable companies that do the hydraulic
side for you,” says Gunter. “I just give them my
specifications and they design and manufacture all
the hydraulic components I need for an advanced
system such as this rock breaker.
“The client also wanted computer control of the
system, but I still believe a machine for African
conditions should be kept as simple as possible.
It just means there is less that can go wrong over
time.”
One of Gunter’s special grabs, similar to theone that works under water
Bring bigger ones
Being the first of its kind, the commissioning of
the rocker breaker had everyone out on site keen the crusher, so I set out to make one with three
to witness the breaker’s performance. “The client jaws so that the operator can clearly see and eas-
had trucks ready with the biggest lumps of rock ily manipulate the jaws around the rock before
they could find which were dumped into the pit grabbing it and lifting it out,” explains Gunter.
while many engineers watched anxiously,” recalls “We have built many of these, from small to large
Gunter. grabs that can lift three cubic-metre rocks out of
“It took five minutes to break a huge rock, some- the crusher pit.”
thing that would usually take a couple of hours
The onlookers still had doubts and called for more large
or even days. The onlookers still had doubts and
called for more large rock, but the breaker handled rock
everything they threw at it with ease. Since then I
have built three similar large ones for other mining
Under water
Another first from a copper mine in Zambia was
companies.”
for a hydraulic grab that could work under water.
Three jaws “There is a huge 20-metre deep pit filled with water
HME’s bread and butter comes from the familiar into which the slag flows to cool down. This has to
octopus hydraulic grab with six arms that is used in be cleaned out regularly,” explains Gunter.
the steel industry, but Gunter has also designed one
“I used one of my standard “Electro Hydraulic”
that only has three jaws for a mining operation.
eight cubic metre grabs that goes all the way down
“With an octopus grab, the operator can’t position under water to pick up the slag. So the whole
the grab properly to take an oversized rock out of power pack, built into the grab, was modified to
That Gunter is a
practical hands-on
engineer is clear. “I
evolved as design
evolved over the
years, from a draw-
ing board to fancy
3D software that
makes life much
easier today,” he
says in conclu-
sion. “However,
there is nothing
that beats practi-
cal experience in
the field. The 3D
design concept has
helped me to think
in 3D, as you would
The standrad rock breaker HME has been manufacturing for years when you’re actu-
ally building some-
You still need to get your hands dirty to learn how things thing, but you still need to get your hands dirty to
work learn how things work. Young engineers should get
work under water with just a cable going up to out there and learn how things work in the field,
the surface for electricity and control. This meant otherwise they’ll believe the first person who tells
special seals for the hydraulics, and electrics. After them it can’t be done.”
sorting out minor glitches in the beginning, it has Gunter Wodak, HME Sales, Tel: (011) 478-1715, Email:
been working for years now.” gunter@hme-sales.co.za
Cost-effective Milling
Many OEMs have revised the way they build Polysius. “Just the fact that the mill end-walls
machines so that they fulfil an order quickly and girth gears on our mills are fabricated as op-
without having to keep stock to meet demand. posed to the conventional practice of casting, has
This is particularly applicable to capital reduced production time significantly because we
equipment like large mills that are not fabricated don’t have to wait for the foundries. We also have
on a continuous production line and stocked much better control on the overall manufacturing
until a buyer walks in to purchase the item off quality,” he says.
the showroom floor. Mill end walls
R
“The fabricated end walls of the shell-supported mill
educing the lead time by simplifying the also allow for more flexibility in terms of selecting
manufacturing process was just one of the the correct size of the in- and outlet for different
considerations when mill manufacturer applications. It is also possible to modify the outlet
Polysius, a division of ThyssenKrupp, came size in the end wall at a later stage.
up with a mill design that has several unique “Over the past decade, mines have gone for larger
features. equipment to move higher tonnages which has
“SA Mechanical Engineer” speaks to Gerhard naturally led to a demand for larger processing
Sauermann, marketing manager of minerals at equipment. By following the market demand for
larger-sized mills with more powerful drive trains,
Reduced production time significantly because we don’t our latest generation shell-supported mills have
have to wait for the foundries many technical advantages,” says Gerhard. “The
resulting from distortion of the trunnions, machining onto shafts so that torque is transmitted from the
allowances or deflections of the sleeve bearing. shafts to the pinions through toothed couplings.
“These factors have forced manufacturers to reduce The toothed couplings and spherical bearings make
the circumferential shoe angle thereby reducing the the tilting of the pinion possible which provides an
inactive bearing area which, in turn, increases the optimal load pattern on the torque transmitting
friction losses caused by oil turbulence. In contrast, tooth flanks.”
multi-shoe bearings provide predictability and high
bearing performance as each shoe is mounted on a We’re currently manufacturing an eleven-metre mill -
pivot support so that deflections caused by ovality one of the biggest we’ve ever made
and bending of the mill shell under load can be
accommodated.”
The motor
Drive train The high-speed motor is directly connected to the
Another unique feature in Polysius mills is the drive reducer through a flexible coupling to absorb shock
train. “The Combiflex reducer is a twin pinion gear loads and vibration. One common lubrication system
reducer, made up of standard stock components,” is used to provide oil to the bearings, the reducer
says Gerhard. “The Combiflex can be installed for and to the girth gear. “As fewer components need
drive trains transmitting from 1.5 MW to 14 MW to be aligned, the mill drive installation is consider-
as either single or dual drives. The design has sev- ably simplified and the installation time shortened,”
eral advantages over conventional girth gear/pinion adds Gerhard. “The reduced number of components
drives in that the number of components used in also means there are fewer parts to be monitored,
the complete drive train have been minimised. The again simplifying maintenance.
twin pinion arrangement spreads the load across
girth gear teeth allowing us to incorporate a nar-
References
“The more than 1 500 installations we have
rower girth gear.
worldwide, is an indication that this technology
“This was achieved by incorporating the girth gear has proven itself ,” says Gerhard in conclusion.
and the reducer into one common housing together “We’re currently manufacturing an eleven-metre
with the slide shoe bearings, eliminating parts like mill - one of the biggest we’ve ever made - in
high torque couplings, transmission shafts and Vereeniging for an American company. This large
separate pinion bearings. mill follows on the two 10.4-metre, 12MW mills
“Spur-geared pinions mesh with the girth gear in recently commissioned in Australasia.”
a self-aligning arrangement,” says Gerhard. “They Gerhard Sauermann, Polysius, Tel: (011) 236-1176, Email:
are mounted on spherical bearings and assembled gerhard.sauermann@thyssenkrupp.com
Supply
people, projects and products
that have gone above and
beyond the call of duty to
enhance the environment in which
Chain
they operate.
Awards
enjoyed a wonderful response
from the supply chain community
and everything is on track to make
this year’s event one of the indus-
try’s most prestigious accolades.
30
44 Supply Chain Today
THE SOUTH Jan
AFRICAN 2010
MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010
Market Forum
a fully equipped service centre with a comprehensive parts operating and maintenance costs, while delivering better,
stockholding. “Service exchange units are generally the more sustained yield consistency.
complete pump unit and we can supply and install Warman The high density alumina ceramic used for these impellers is
1/1.5 AH pumps right up to the Warman 16/14 AH pumps second only to a diamond’s hardness. It is the most versatile
from this branch,” Smit says. and effective wear-resistant material for use in process plants.
“With this coordinated approach,” Smit explains, “the mine Few materials can compete on a cost to life basis.
makes its maintenance schedule available to our branch The ceramic impeller comprises a steel frame that takes
and we are able to forecast the parts necessary to build up up the mechanical forces and a ceramic outer lining, for
the service exchange units. These are prepared in advance optimum wear resistance. The ceramics are bonded to the
to ensure that on the day of maintenance the pumps will steel by means of Multotec’s proprietary adhesive. This re-
be immediately available. This system is effected in such a silient bonding absorbs impacts from foreign objects passing
manner that specific sections of the plant are addressed at through the pump, when used in arduous pumping applica-
each maintenance interval. tions. Alumina-ceramic impellers are particularly resistant
Rene Calitz, Weir Warman Africa (Pty) Ltd, Tel: (011) 929-2622, to the tearing damage caused by sharp objects often found
www.weirminerals.com in slurries. Ceramic impellers are chemically inert and suit-
able for use in hazardous and hostile environments. The
impeller, however, has to be adapted when pumping acidic
materials.
Multotec impellers combine the same performance char-
Ceramic pump impellers acteristics as the original equipment manufacturer (OEM)
Multotec Wear Linings offers a range of ceramic impellers for specifications. The extreme hardness and high density of
slurry pumps. These ceramic impellers significantly reduce ceramic impellers lead to superior erosion and corrosion
resistance at both high and low im-
pingement angles.
The increased life of ceramic impellers,
in some cases between four and six
times more than conventional rubber or
steel impellers, results in substantially
reduced downtime.
In addition, the performance of the
ceramic impeller results in increased
pump volute life and greatly reduced
maintenance costs. The mass of the
ceramic impeller is about half that
of a steel impeller, again resulting in
substantially reduced bearing main-
tenance.
Bernadette Wilson, Multotec Group, Tel:
(011) 923-6193, Email: marketing@mul-
totec.co.za, www.multotec.com
Multotec Wear Linings offers a range of ceramic impellers for slurry pumps
Move
gineer” at R400,00 (incl postage and VAT) per year; R945,00
per year for Africa/Overseas. We will post you an invoice on
receipt of your fax.
From:......................................................................................
Title: ......................................................................................
Company: ..............................................................................
Neil Wilson Francois Otto Anton Bothma
Index to
Advertisers
Afzelia 46
AST Inside Front Cover
Axiom Hydraulics 20
Bearings International 4
BMG 10
Chorus Call 42
DCD-Dorbyl 22
Donaldson 19
Engineer Placements 30
EPNS 34
Festo 40
GEA Grasso 18
Hansen Transmissions 12
KSB Pumps Inside Back Cover
Maizey 31
Multi Alloys 26
Munters 38
SAID 43
SEW Outside Back Cover
Steinmüller Outside Front Cover
WCNDT 24
Yellow Tec 27, 45
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