Development of New Lifting Equipment for VPA Plates

Abstract: This thesis explores how to develop new lifting equipment for the membrane and filter plates of the VPA (Metso) machine satisfying all the safety requirements. The VPA is a heavy duty machine with a number of plates, developed for filtration of minerals. The plates must be replaced or removed immediately once the wear has reached a given value or an error has been detected. The new lifting system differs to a great extent from conventional system in which a fiber strap was used; the designed lifting equipment comprises of a variety of parts resulting in a higher capacity to be used ín different situations safer and satisfies the vital requirements such as being a secure and cost-effective method, issued by the customers. Several solution proposals have been developed to offer better proposals before the final candidate has been selected and theoretically motivated with FEM analysis as well as analytical calculations. Keywords - VPA, membrane and filter plate, lifting equipment, pivot supporter hinge, safety, cost effective