Railside Railcar Shaker Improves Unloading in Aggregate Yard
Unloading railcars at an aggregate yard is a crucial first step in the process for preparing material for loadout. How quickly and efficiently each railcar is unloaded has a significant impact on the productivity of the yard. When aggregates are brought in by rail, they often arrive in quantities of around 100 railcars at a time. When processing this number of railcars, every minute of time saved on each individual railcar adds up to a significant reduction in total unloading time. This decrease in unloading time yields reduced labor costs and works towards eliminating any costs associated with demurrage.
An aggregate yard reached out to NAVCO to see if there were any options to help improve the unloading times of their railcars. They were having flow issues and resorting to the manual use of sledge hammers to hit railcars to get material flowing again. This created safety risks for operators and still resulted in unsatisfactory unloading times. After speaking with the aggregate yard, NAVCO determined that the Railside Railcar Shaker would be the ideal solution for their requirements.
The Railside Railcar Shaker is a heavy-duty piece of equipment designed for unloading bulk material from railcars in harsh environments like those found at aggregate yards. Once the railcar gates are open, the Railside Railcar Shaker uses air cylinders to extend and push a UHMW lined contact surface against the side of the railcar. Once contact is made, the Railside Railcar Shaker’s vibratory drive is energized, and it begins to vibrate the railcar. This vibration promotes the flow of material from the railcar, ensuring the railcar empties quickly and completely.
NAVCO presented the solution to the aggregate yard and they agreed that this would be an easily implemented solution to optimize their unloading process. The Railside Railcar Shaker was put into service at the facility and the yard was able track a significant reduction in unloading times. On average, the total time to unload 100 railcars was almost half the time achieved using the manual methods they previously turned to. This reduction in unloading times quickly covered the cost of the equipment and its installation. Today the Railside Railcar Shaker continues to pay dividends by contributing to the plant’s efforts to optimize their processes, ensuring quick, complete unloading of aggregates from their railcars.
NAVCO is the leading manufacturer of industrial vibrators and vibratory equipment and have been solving bulk material flow problems for over 60 years. By incorporating the most advanced manufacturing techniques, quality control, and bulk solids flow technology, NAVCO provides effective solutions for unloading bulk materials from railcars. Contact NAVCO today for help improving your railcar unloading process.
