Stress analysis in a screw conveyor axis under a specific fault condition

Abstract

This work presents an analytical and numerical methodology that allows determining stress distribution during the functioning of a screw conveyor utilized for conveying granular material. Different operating conditions were studied analytically and numerically. Initially, the reactions generated when the mechanism was fully braced with four supports along the longitudinal axis of the shaft were estimated. In addition, the system was analyzed with a typical fault in one of the central supports. The faults studied occur primarily due to the empirical modifications that companies make to these kinds of mechanisms and to the continuous operation of the conveyor system. Finally, a comparative analysis is presented between the analytical and the numerical results in order to validate the proposed methodology.