Canning expertise for two quarry projects

Canning Conveyor have recently designed, manufactured and supplied four conveyor sections, covering a total of 60m, at Brett Aggregates’ Milton Quarry, in Kent.

The system supplied includes a 750mm wide x 60m long troughed-belt conveyor of lattice-frame construction, with channel stringer sections at the head and tail. This is designed to accept up to 200 tonnes/h of –150mm aggregate from an existing hopper.

Material is loaded at ground level into the hopper/feeder and conveyed across a section elevating up over the river Stour before discharging into an existing field conveyor on the opposite bank.

The design and installation of the conveyor bridge crossing the river Stour had to be carried out to the highest standard, due to the sensitivity of the area.

Each 25m section spanning the river is fitted with a full-length, 750mm wide-open-mesh walkway. Access to these walkways is via a short stairway from ground level at the tail end and a hooped ladder on the opposite bank.

The conveyor is also supplied with a feed boot, discharge chute, primary and secondary scrapers, full-length deck plates and under-tray spill plates over the river. A public footpath has also been included and, most importantly, an emergency stop pull wire system has been installed. 

Meanwhile, further developments at Hanson’s Needingworth Quarry, in Cambridgeshire, have seen Canning Conveyor install a mobile SuperDrive jib head unit on a new conveyor spur.

Powered by two 55kW motors, the SuperDrive’s drums have been specifically designed to power field conveyors in the aggregates industry. At Needingworth Quarry, the SuperDrive unit is being used to drive a 900m long x 1,000m wide field conveyor transporting sand and gravel at 650 tonnes/h.

The system is said to be a more efficient alternative to the old conventional field conveyor design with advantages, such as low noise, improved safety and greater compactness.

Noise pollution is currently high on the agenda in modern plant and outdoor environments. With the SuperDrive’s motor, gearbox and bearings totally enclosed and hermetically sealed within a steel shell, operational noise is greatly reduced.

The enclosed shell also protects the vital mechanical components of the SuperDrive unit from harmful substances, including dust, grit, water, chemicals and oil. In addition, conveyed materials remain free from contamination.

‘The mobility of the unit and its simplicity has allowed us to save precious time when moving the conveyor,’ said Alex Smiles, the quarry manager. ‘The SuperDrive replaced a 10-year-old unit that was lifted around the site but weighed twice as much as the current system. This obviously presented safety issues which have now been eliminated, thanks to Canning Conveyor.’

Canning Conveyor Co. Ltd, Sandy Lane Industrial Estate, Sandy Lane, Worksop, Notts S80 1TN; tel: (01909) 486166; fax: (01909) 500638.