Dynamic analysis of a dashpots equipped vibrating screen using finite element method

Even though vibrating screens have been used in mining industries for over a century, their use has often been cited as challenging in terms of understanding its dynamic responses to different operating factors, particularly those that affect the structural aspects. Among the various aspects of screen design, the control of vibrational energies imposed on various parts of the screen is of particular importance because these vibrations directly affect the separation efficiency and useful life of the screen. This study proposes the use of vibration absorbers to control the adverse effects of severe screen vibrations. The dynamic behavior of a medium-sized vibrating screen utilized in the aggregate industry was investigated using the finite element method for both spring/dashpots and conventional solely spring systems. The modeling process was performed in loaded and unloaded conditions and in three frequencies of 15, 23, and 27 rad/s. Numerical simulation results showed that the use of dashpots can significantly reduce the maximum stress in the screen, such that the maximum stress in the center of gravity of the screen at the optimal frequency of 23 decreased from 237 to about 97 MPa. Also, sieve modal analysis showed that the stress in the sieve equipped with the spring/dashpots system had a more uniform distribution. The results revealed that the use of vibration absorbers can be a promising solution to prevent damage caused by high vibrational energies in screens