Elements of

Mechanical
Engineering
Chapter 11
Material Handling Devices

Topics
• Introduction
• Need for material handling
• Types of material handling equipment
• Criteria for selection and factors affecting
selection of Material Handling Equipment
• Selection of Suitable Material Handling
Equipment for the given situation
Prepare by: Mr. K. H. Siju (LME)
 Introduction
• The activity of transporting any material from one place to another is
known as Material Handling.
 Introduction
• Material handling is the backbone of any type of industry.
• It is the basic requirement at every industry.
• Lots of materials are transported in the industries ranging from nuts,
bolts, raw materials, semi finished components and final products.
 Introduction
• Materials, such as Nuts, Bolts, Washer and other light weight
components can be transported manually.
• For heavy, fragile and hazardous materials or materials in bulk or huge
quantity, machines are used which can be operated manually or
automatic.
 Introduction
• In mass production industries, continuous supply of all size and
weight of materials is necessary. Here, mechanized material handling
system can ensure this.
• For any civil engineering construction project, timely availability of
raw materials, semi finished components etc. are very essential.
 Introduction
• Research and development is continuously going on to design more
efficient material handling equipment for varieties of applications.
• Speed and ease of handling along with overall economy are the main
factors based on which newer material handling equipment are being
designed and developed.
 Need for Material Handling
• For transportation of raw materials, semi finished components,
subassemblies and finished products from factory store to shop floor,
from one machine to another, from one shop to another and from shop
floor to stores.
 Need for Material Handling
• For transportation of waste materials such as chips and wastage metal
pieces coming out from machining operations.
• For transportation of building materials such as sand, stones, pebbles
etc. from rivers, quarry to the site.
 Need for Material Handling
• For handling materials from ground floor to required levels at
construction sites.
• For handling and transporting minerals such as coal, iron ore etc.
within the mines from mines to required sites.
 Need for Material Handling
• For handling varieties of industrial wastes as well as domestic
wastages.
• For locating different materials at their required spaces in the
industrial stores.
 Need for Material Handling
• For collecting different materials from their locations in the stores and
then delivering the same at required locations in the shop floor.
• For loading finished goods in trucks or other vehicles for dispatching
them to respective customers.
 Types of Material Handling Equipment
• There are three main types of material handling equipment
1. Hoisting equipment,
2. Conveying equipment and
3. Surface and overhead equipment.
 Classification of Material Handling
Equipment
Material Handling Equipment

Equipment for handling in Horizontal direction Equipment for handling in vertical direction

1) Hand Lorry
1) Crane
2) Power truck
2) Hoist
3) Motor Trolly
3) Lift/Elevator
4) Belt conveyer
4) Screw Jack
5) Chain conveyer
5) Simple chain pulley
6) Screw conveyer
6) Differential pulley
7) Appron conveyer
8) Winch
9)Tractor
10) Motor Lorry
 Hoisting Equipment
• Following is the list of hoisting equipment generally in use:
1. Jack
2. Hand operated portable hoist
3. Pulleys
4. Power operated portable hoist
5. Winches
6. Power operated travelling trolley
7. Crane trolly
8. Motorised rail tractors
 Jack Hand Operated Pulleys Power operated
Portable Hoist Portable Hoist

Winches Crane Trolly Motorised Rail Tractors

 Types of Cranes
1. Stationary crane
2. Rotary crane
3. Locomotive crane
4. Jib crane
5. Gantry crane
6. Bridge/overhead crane
7. Truck mounted crane
8. Crawler mounted crane
Stationary Crane Rotary Crane Locomotive Crane Jib Crane

Gantry Crane Bridge / Overhead Crane Truck Mounted Crane Crawler Mounted
Crane
 Elevators
• Elevators are used to transport materials as well as live stock and
humans from one floor to another.
• In multi-storeyed industrial buildings, elevators are used to transfer
materials from one floor to another.

• Following are the different types of elevators in use:

1. Cage elevator
2. Portable air operated elevator
3. Manually operated stacker
 Conveying Equipment
1. Belt conveyor
2. Screw conveyor
3. Roller conveyor
4. Apron conveyor
5. Trolley conveyor
6. Wheel conveyor
7. Bucket conveyor
8. Power and Free conveyor
9. Vibrating conveyor
10. Inclined conveyor
 Belt Conveyor
• Belt conveyor is the most popular and widely used conveyor in many
industrial applications.
• It is an endless belt mounted on drive roller and take up roller.
• Belt is made out of rubber, plastic or leather.
• Take up device keep the belt in tension on rollers.
 Belt Conveyor
Advantages Disadvantages
• Can handle materials in horizontal as well • Costly equipment set up
as inclined directions. • Limited inclination is possible
• Suitable for long distances • Limit on belt width
• Simple maintenance • Must be kept straight between two end rollers
• Limit on linear speed of the belt
• Less power consumption
• Route of belt once fixed can not be alter frequently
• High load carrying capacity
• It required guide rollers
• Can handle chemical and hot components • Impact rollers are necessary
• Suitable for applications requiring • Structure, bearings and roller need continuous
continuous transfer of materials. maintenance.
• Take up device is must.
 Belt Conveyor
• Application of Belt conveyor
• Used to transfer materials in assembly line in industries
• For transfer of coal in power plants
• Used to transport minerals in the mines
• For transfer of iron ores, minerals, sand etc. in cement
industries
• For movement of packages and bags of materials up to
loading platform in cement and fertilizer industries
 Surface and Overhead equipment
• Following are the commonly used equipment in this category:
1. Industrial truck
2. Hand lift truck
3. Fork lift truck
4. Platform truck
 Selection of Material Handling
Equipment
• Type and magnitude of load
• Type of materials to be handled
• Quantity of material to be transported in unit time
• Distance of travel
• Facilities for loading and unloading the materials
• Type of industry and production system
• General environmental condition
 Selection of Material Handling
Equipment
• Technical Factors
1. Factory buildings and plant layout
2. Production system and machinery in the shops
3. Type of material, its characteristics, size, weight and batch sizes
to be handled
4. Existing material handling system and its limitations
 Selection of Material Handling
Equipment
• Economical Factors:
1. Preliminary expenses of the equipment
2. Repair and maintenance cost
3. Frequency of use of the equipment
4. Capital cost and salvage value
5. Depreciation cost
6. Reliability and services provided by the equipment
manufacturers.
 Factors affecting selection of conveyor
• Types of materials to be handled
• Distance travel
• Path of movement
• Type of the industry
• Capacity of conveyor
• Layout of the factory
• Power consumption of conveyor
• Type of process
• Operating and maintenance requirements of the conveyor
 Factors affecting selection of Cranes
• Structure of the building
• Area of movement
• Atmosphere where crane is to be used
• Height of movement
• Weight of movement
• Indoor/outdoor usage
• Direction of movement
• Operating and maintenance requirements of the cranes
 Factors affecting selection of Industrial
Trucks
• Distance of travel
• Frequency of travel
• Type of load to transport
• Width of gang way in the shop for easy access to the trucks
• Truck design
• Need for arrangements of the load
• Facility for loading and unloading of load
 Selection of suitable material handling
equipment for given situation
• Hoisting Equipment: Generally selected for unit loads, such as,
containers, machine, components, structural parts like girders, hopper,
building blocks etc.
 Selection of suitable material handling
equipment for given situation
• Conveying Equipment: Selected for unit and bulk load like coal,
coke, mineral, cement clinkers, sand, stone etc.
 Selection of suitable material handling
equipment for given situation
• Surface and Overhead equipment: Selected for unit as well as bulk
materials for indoor and outdoor transportations.
 Selection of suitable material handling
equipment for given situation
Sr. No. Application Equipment used
1 Transferring material to upper floors Bucket elevator
2 Preparing concrete mixture Mixing machine
3 Digging and excavating Bull dozer and excavators
4 Carting of materials Truck, tippler, truck scrapper
5 Lifting sand from river Dragline
6 Material compaction Roller and bulldozer
7 Loading material (bulk) in truck Loader and shovel
8 Spreading and surfacing of road with tar Paver
mixed grit
9 Lifting and transferring heavy articles Crane, chain pulley block
 Questions
1. Define material handling.
2. Explain need of material handling.
3. Give types of material handling equipment.
4. Give the types of conveying equipment.
5. Explain belt conveyor.
6. Give advantages and disadvantages of belt conveyor.
7. Give the name of surface and overhead equipment.
8. Explain factors affecting for selection of material handling
equipment.