FOREWORD - A TRIBUTE TO BELTCON

Alan W. Roberts
Emeritus Professor, Centre for Bulk Solids and Particulate Technologies,
The University of Newcastle, N.S.W., Australia

In 1981 I received an invitation to come to South Africa to participate in a group of conferences which were held during mid September in what was then the Milner Park showground adjacent to the University of the Witwatersrand. The conferences covered the principal areas of Freight Pipelines, Pneumatic Conveying, Solids Handling and Belt Conveying. It was my first of several trips to South Africa and it was both exciting and a privilege to be part of this important professional event.

I remember being quite taken with the rather novel and exciting title "BELTCON 1" which was used to identify the special 2 day symposium on the subject of belt conveying and held during 16-17 September, 1981. This symposium was organised by Johan Rail and Roelof Vogel on
behalf of the University of the Witwatersrand, South African Institute of Materials Handling and the South African Institution of Mechanical Engineers. For historical interest, the program for BELTCON 1 is reproduced below

And so the excellent series of biennial international BELTCON conferences was launched. With the expansion of Wits University into the Milner Park area, subsequent BELTCON conferences were held in other venues such as hotels in Rivonia and Johannesburg, the latter being the Landdrost Hotel where BELTCON 3 was run. In those earlier events, the link with Wits University was quite strong particularly with the Materials Handling Research Centre at Frankenwold. In more recent times the conference has moved to other locations such as its current venue at Mintek.

As far as I am aware, there are no other international conference series focusing on the technology and practice of belt conveying similar to BELTCON. The BELTCON series has become the hallmark of belt conveying.

The BELTCON conferences have certainly been at the forefront of the technological developments in belt conveying. The early BELCONs provided a forum for the great debate on Cable Belt versus conventional troughed belt conveyors. This was at the time of the installation of the parallel troughed belt and Cable Belt conveyors at the Selby mine in the  UK. The conferences have reflected the expanding knowledge base in such areas as conveyor dynamics, conveyor belt monitoring, drive drum design and stress analysis, belt cleaning,  belt construction including the application of Aramid fibre reinforcing, splice analysis, feeding and transfer, and special conveyors such as the pipe belt system.

Like South Africa, Australia relies heavily on the mining and processing of mineral ores in large tonnages, the export of these ores being a major component of each country's export earnings. The ports of Richards Bay in South Africa and Newcastle in Australia are friendly rivals when it comes to identifying the world's largest coal exporting port in terms of tonnage. Diplomatically, may I suggest that on average, they are probably equal!

As far as Australia is concerned, the research and industrial consulting in bulk solids handling commenced in the 1960's at the University of Wollongong and in the 1970's at the University of Newcastle. The professional focus for bulk materials handling commenced in the early
eighties with the formation of the National Committee for Bulk Materials Handling of the Institution of Engineers, Australia. The first international conference was held in 1983 at the University of Newcastle. Since then there have been a number of annual conferences, with a major international conference every three years. The success of these activities has culminated in the formation, in 1998, of the Australian Bulk Solids Handling Society of the Institution of Engineers. So, the developments in Australia have really paralleled the developments in South Africa

The establishment in 1995 of the Key Centre for Bulk Solids and Particulate Technologies, a joint activity of the Universities of Newcastle and Wollongong, is further testimony of the growing recognition and importance of bulk solids handling in Australia. The Centre is established and supported under the Australian Research Council's Research Centres Program. Through the long established international links, the formation of the Centre is continuing to play an important role in research and professional development on a world wide basis.

The professional discipline of bulk solids handling and conveying has come of age. This is due to the growth in research leading to improved technology that has occurred in various countries of the world. The ongoing contribution of the BELTCON series is invaluable in this regard. The organisers of this conference are to be congratulated for their contribution.

With the 21st century now in its second year, it is perhaps timely to review, briefly, the history of bulk solids handling. This will allow us to take stock of where we have come from and indicate the way forward. It is with this in mind that I have prepared the attached review paper entitled, "Bulk Solids Handling - A Historical Review and Current Developments".

Alan Roberts,

March 2003.