5 ¼ -Mile Single-Flight Conveyor

This paper deals with the selection and design of a belt conveyor handling steam coal between a mine and a barge loading terminal, and extending for some 5 ¼ miles over some of the most rugged terrain in the state of West Virginia, U.S.A. After a thorough analysis by consulting engineers and the owner's engineers, a single-flight cablebelt conveyor was chosen as representing the alternative of greatest reliability and lowest over-all cost. The value analysis and design features of the system are covered in this paper along with an updated report on the performance of the system since its start-up in the spring of 1969.