This semester myself and three others have a project with United Taconite. Our objective is to suggest new materials and/or a new design for filter concentrate chutes. These chutes currently build up with filter concentrate and cause costly downtime. We have met with the client a few times to discuss the scope of the project as well as design options. As a result, we have decided on a passive design with few or no moving parts due to the ease of maintenance. The main focus of the design is selecting the best material for the application.
To aid in the selection and to satisfy design grade requirements we designed and conducted an experiment to compare the coefficient of friction of different chute materials. Here, a hinged framework was built to hold the chute materials at an infinite range of angles. A known amount of filter concentrate was placed onto each material sample. The frame was then lifted until the concentrate slid off the sample material. At this point the angle was recorded. Using some basic principles of statics and Newton's second law we were able to solve for the coefficient of static friction. Finally, a chute material was selected.
In order to quantify the rate of build up, we set up a time-lapse camera at United Taconite to take pictures of the chutes at specific intervals over an eight hour time period. Using Photoshop, we overlaid a grid pattern into these pictures to give us a standard method to measure the amount of buildup. Knowing the amount of buildup and the time intervals we are now able to calculate the rate of build up.
We are in the final stages of the project now, which includes: finishing the final design, writing the technical report, and preparing the final design review. There is a lot of work left but I know we will get it done.
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