Heavy-duty coal auger conveyor design.
Case study: ASTCAD reverse-engineered and re-designed a heavy-duty screw auger conveyor for a Queensland coal handling plant — replacing a failing 1990s-vintage unit with a modular, wear-resistant design built from current rolled-steel sections.
Project overview
A Queensland coal handling plant operator engaged ASTCAD to replace a failing 1990s screw auger conveyor at the dewatering bin discharge. The legacy unit had non-replaceable wear surfaces and the drawings were lost in a fire. ASTCAD reverse-engineered the existing geometry, then redesigned with modular wear liners, current rolled-steel sections and serviceable bearing assemblies.
The challenge
The replacement had to drop directly into the existing concrete plinth, accept the existing motor and gearbox, and discharge into the same downstream chute — but with significantly higher wear life and faster on-site bearing service. Existing OEM had ceased trading, and no manufacturing drawings were available.
Our approach
- Reverse engineering via structured-light 3D scan of the existing unit
- Auger flight design with bolt-on hardfaced wear segments
- Bearing housing redesign with twin-row spherical roller bearings accessible without disassembly
- Trough liner system with replaceable 16 mm Hardox wear plates
- FEA validation of shaft stress under jam-load condition
Deliverables
- Full mechanical assembly and component drawings
- Manufacturing dossier with material specs and welding procedures
- Wear-liner replacement schedule and procedure
- Installation and commissioning plan
- Spare parts list with critical-path replacement items
Outcome
The new auger has been operating for 27 months without unplanned downtime. Wear liner change-outs (previously requiring 36 hours of plant shutdown) now take 4 hours. The client has commissioned a second unit for the load-out conveyor application using the same modular design.