The VIBRA-FLOW™ Bin Activator / Feeder was engineered to regulate the flow of rocks and minerals in even the most demanding mining applications. This three-in-one system combines two vibratory feeders and a pile activator into one compact, low-headroom unit, powered by a singular low-horsepower vibratory drive. The unique center dome design works as a pile activator or vibratory hopper bottom to help move difficult mined materials and eliminate bridging.
Significantly reducing tunnel width and height requirements, the VIBRA-FLOW™ provides considerable cost savings during construction, while maintaining easy access for inspection and maintenance. Engineered for your application, we can customize the VIBRA-FLOW™ to fit your footprint.
Controlled, Centered Material Discharge
Because the VIBRA-FLOW™ discharges material vertically to the conveyor below, material loading is always centered and symmetrical, eliminating belt tracking problems common with side feeding. As a three-in-one unit, it also combines the proven performance of vibratory feeding with the benefits of integrated flow control. Precise flow control can be adjusted through a VFD or pneumatically using GK’s Variable Force (VF) wheels. Depending on the material you’re handling, material reclaim rates can go up to 3,000 tons per hour.
Applications
Limestone
Industrial minerals
Aggregates
And more
Benefits
Unique center dome design works as a pile activator or vibratory hopper bottom to help move difficult materials and eliminate bridging.
Compact, low equipment profile reduces civil work, foundation costs, fits in tight spaces, and simplifies installation.
Versatile design adapts to reclaim in windows, storage barns, silos, trucks, or rail hoppers.
Two-Mass drive design operates under full load conditions with ease.
Drive is located outside of material flow for easier maintenance.
No gates required.
Symmetrical and centered loading.
Below are a few typical applications of General Kinematics VIBRA-FLOW™.
SILO
Where the 100% reclaim advantages of silo storage are employed, the VIBRA-FLOW™ provides a cost-efficient and high-tonnage activating / feeder function. For example, a 70-foot diameter silo can be reclaimed with only four VIBRA-FLOW™ units installed in line directly over the belt, providing rates up to 8000 TPH.
Mass flow design, coupled with high reliability and low installed cost, makes the VIBRA-FLOW™ uniquely suitable for silo storage systems. In addition to measurable performance advantages, the VIBRA-FLOW™ also reduces operators’ operating and maintenance expenses.
BARN
This 100% live reclaim facility maximizes the cost and operating advantages of VIBRA-FLOW™ design. An entirely enclosed structure, the barn-type storage unit has sloping sides running the length of the building. A series of VIBRA-FLOW™ units are located in the reclaim tunnel at the base, sized with up to 12 by 12-foot openings and spaced along the tunnel to produce the desired reclaim volume. Any percentage of material can be reclaimed simultaneously from any part of the pile.
In this and other tunnel applications with multiple units, the operator may include fixed and variable feed rates on the VIBRA-FLOW™ to properly control blending and feed rate. Particularly in barn storage situations, the VIBRA-FLOW™ units’ low headroom and total access from the tunnel facilitate structural and service efficiency. And for extremely long conveyor runs, the perfectly centered loading pattern virtually eliminates belt tracking problems associated with multiple discharge feeder systems.
Because the VIBRA-FLOW™ is supported from the floor, structural considerations and suspended equipment costs are eliminated.
OPEN
The convenience and cost savings of open storage systems, either conical pile or windrow, are enhanced further by the unique installation advantages of the VIBRA-FLOW™. Lower headroom design and entirely free-standing floor mounting significantly reduce construction costs, concrete work, and tunnel depth. VIBRA-FLOW™’s straight line effective dust sealing, plus the option of explosion-proof motors and controls, minimizes dust hazards.
The windrow schematic illustrates the live reclaim efficiency of VIBRA-FLOW™ installations. Eliminating rat-holing, bridging, and intersecting reclaim patterns assures maximum drawdown and reclaim rates with less equipment expense.
CRUSHER
Mounted directly above a crusher, the VIBRA-FLOW™ units ‘low profile and straight-line design greatly simplify hopper and dust seal installation. With 100% linear feed rate adjustment, the VIBRA-FLOW™ provides a constantly uniform discharge into the crusher, assuring maximum efficiency and extended wear life on the crusher elements.
A long, narrow discharge slot is ideal for even material distribution across the crusher inlet, again without expensive transition pieces or added height requirements. The gravity flow in-line concept reduces the crusher house size.
MOBILE
As an alternative to more costly bucket reclaimers, the mobile rail-mounted VIBRA-FLOW™ produces high volume results with less equipment investment. Here, a wheeled or track-mounted loader scoops material into tandem VIBRA-FLOW™ units mounted on a rail vehicle. The loader and VIBRA-FLOW™ move along the full windrow length, working as a high-volume reclaim system. A fixed conveyor is located between the rails where direct vertical discharge from the VIBRA-FLOW™ produces even feed rates and belt loading.
The economy and reliability of this system, which permits material handling at less cost per ton, is made possible only by the unique structural and operating advantages of the VIBRA-FLOW™ unit.
HOPPER
As unit trains or dump trucks deposit enormous quantities of material into large hoppers, the VIBRA-FLOW™ provides the capacity and feed rate control necessary to distribute it efficiently. The large rectangular opening of the VIBRA-FLOW™ mounted directly over the conveyor assures maximum drawdown.
The VIBRA-FLOW™ is equipped with infinitely variable drive systems, permitting direct response to computer load cell or belt scale signals, affording automatic and exact proportioning or blending.
SILO
BARN
OPEN
CRUSHER
MOBILE
HOPPER
