Design, Construction and Performance Evaluation of a Horizontal Sand Screening and Heating Machine

Abstract

Quality sand of specific grain sizes and without contagious microorganism is particularly needed for water bio-filters and other
applications. Existing sand screening machines are large, expensive,
and do not have capability to improve the quality of sand. The
purpose of this work is to develop and evaluate the performance of
a portable sand sieving and heating machine. The parts of the
machine were designed based on standard equations in the
literature. The machine was constructed and tested to evaluate its
performance, and then modelled with SOLIDWORKS to determine
the temperature distribution and Von-Mises stresses. The machine
performed satisfactorily when tested showing a strong correlation
between the sieving time and its effectiveness. The maximum VonMises stress (16 MN/m2) is far lower than the yield strength of the used material (250 mN/m2), indicating that it is unlikely to fail during
operation. The maximum simulated temperature in the outer part of
the heating chamber was found to be approximately 52oC which is
low enough for human safety. Conclusively, the developed portable
sand sieving machine has a good strength, operates at a safe
temperature, and effective for producing high grade sand void of
contagious micro-organism as needed particularly for water filters
and other applications.