ABSTRACT
Bulk materials are stored and handled in volumes often in unpackaged form. Bulk materials handling is characterized by continuous-flow operations, involving materials in an aggregate form. In many cases, the bulk materials assume flow characteristics similar to those of fluids. Elements of a typical bulk materials handling system are as follows: The following are the most important properties of the bulk materials that affect the design of any materials handling systems. In an industrial situation, bulk materials comprise large number of particles of non-uniform sizes. The flowability of the material, as measured by its angle of repose and angle of surcharge, determines the cross section of the material load which can be safely carried on a belt. Agitation also tends to flatten the surface slope of the material, and thus the angle of surcharge is less than the angle of repose.
