One key objective for any handler of bulk material is to minimize or eliminate material degradation. Degradation occurs when there is a breakdown in the integrity or quality of bulk materials. The problem is expensive to fix and can generate unwanted and unpopular dust and debris.

After consulting with a couple engineers at Superior this week, we came up with a list of the top three triggers (or causes) of material degradation at port terminals:

1. Multiple Handling of Material
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2. Handling Material Multiple Times
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3. Too Much Material Handling

Alright, so I kind of tricked you…but it’s to make my point this week: Multiple handling of bulk materials is the chief cause of material degradation.

At marine terminals, truck traffic traditionally dumps their material load onto the dock. The material is then transferred to a feed hopper via loader. In this common scenario, the chances of significantly contaminating material are very high. The goal should be to get the material from truck to ship hold within a single handling.

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In 2005, Superior engineers developed the RazerTail^® Truck Unloader, a portable machine to help ship loading firms and other bulk material handlers move product from truck to vessel or stockpile via a single feed point. If applied to the same application above, belly or end dump trucks simply position themselves over the portable truck unloader’s hopper and release their loads. From there, the material is transferred to a portable ship loader or stockpiling conveyor.

Historically, portable truck unloaders transfer small amounts of material at low rates, but the RazerTail truck unloader is designed to handle considerably higher production rates. We have manufactured units to move material up to 1,650 tons per hour.

Our engineers designed a very practical, low profile machine that allows for liberal truck movement on docks, uses limited real estate and helps defeat dreaded degradation.