Minerals Beneficiation - Vibration Problems in Ore Processing Plants

The importance of recognizing vibration problems during the plant design stage is emphasized in this paper. Often an experienced designer can recommend what type of support to use and how to tune the structure. However, obtaining sufficient information is a serious problem dealing with vibration. Vibration is a well known phenomena which, simply and generally, can be defined as a periodic motion. It is experienced in nature as caused by eerth- quake, wind, or ocean waves, and must be dealt with in the design of structure or ships. It must be realized that wherever there are moving or rotating elements, it is possible that unbalanced forces may induce vibration in the elements themselves, in adjacent parts, or in the supporting structure. Under certain circumstances, vibration will destroy machines or structures quickly and totally. The most widely known case is the total collapse of the Tacoma bridge when subjected to a wind of only 42 mph. Failures due to vibration of machines and/or their supports may occur in industrial plants where heavy equipment employed in the process must be supported and several machines are combined in close proximity. In the Metallurgical and Chemical Div. of The