Material Handling

Introduction
 Materials handling is loading, moving and unloading of materials.
 To do it safely and economically, different types of tackles, gadgets and equipment
are used, when the materials handling is referred to as mechanical handling of
materials.
Since primitive men discovered the use of wheels and levers, they have been moving materials
mechanically. Any human activity involving materials need materials handling. However, in the
field of engineering and technology, the term materials handling is used with reference to
industrial activity. In any industry, be it big or small, involving manufacturing or construction
type work, materials have to be handled as raw materials, intermediate goods or finished
products fromthe point of receipt and storage of raw materials, through production processes
and up to finished goods storage and dispatch points.
 Materials handling as such is not a production process and hence does not add to
the value of the product.
 It also costs money; therefore, it should be eliminated or at least reduced as much
as possible.
 However, the important point in favour of materials handling is that it helps
production.
 Depending on the weight, volume and throughput of materials, mechanical handling
of materials may become unavoidable.
Based on the need to be of optimum design and application specific to different type of
industries, materials handling can be as diverse as industries themselves. Consequently,
unfortunately, there is no universally accepted definition of materials handling.
One of the definition adopted way back by the American Materials Handling Society is:
Materials handling is the art and science involving the moving, packaging and storing of
substances in any form.

Some of the other definitions are:

Materials handling is the movement and storage of materials at the lowest possible
cost through the use of proper methods and equipment.
Materials handling is the moving of materials or product by any means, including
storage, and all movements except processing operations and inspection.
Materials handling is the art and science of conveying, elevating, positioning,
transporting, packaging and storing of materials.
In one of the definitions, all the functions of materials handling have been refered to which
are conveying, elevating, positioning, transporting, packaging andstoring. Storage or
warehousing is very much a part of materials handling. Materials handling uses different
equipment and mechanisms called Materials Handling Equipment. Though in one of the
definitions, processing operations and inspection have been specifically excluded from
scope of materials handling operations, it is worth mentioning that in specific cases
processing or inspection ofmaterials may be accomplished simultaneously with handling
activity. Onedefinition also covers the important objective of materials handling which is
lowestcost ‫ع‬ ‫ﻗﺪ ﺗﻤﺖ اﻹﺷﺎرة ﻓﻲ أﺣﺪ اﻟﺘﻌﺮﯾﻔﺎت إﻟﻰ ﺟﻤﯿﻊ وظﺎﺋﻒ ﻣﻨﺎوﻟﺔ اﻟﻤﻮاد وھﻲ اﻟﻨﻘﻞ واﻟﺮﻓﻊﺖ‬
‫ اﺳﺘﺨﺪاﻣﺎت ﻣﻌﺎﻟﺠﺔ اﻟﻤﻮاد‬.‫ ﯾﻌﺪ اﻟﺘﺨﺰﯾﻦ أو اﻟﺘﺨﺰﯾﻦ ﺟﺰءًا ﻛﺒﯿﺮًا ﻣﻦ ﻣﻌﺎﻟﺠﺔ اﻟﻤﻮاد‬.‫واﻟﻮﺿﻊ واﻟﻨﻘﻞ واﻟﺘﻌﺒﺌﺔ واﻟﺘﺨﺰﯾﻦ‬
‫ﻣﺨﺘﻠﻔﺔ‬
‫ ﺗﻢ اﺳﺘﺒﻌﺎد ﻋﻤﻠﯿﺎت اﻟﻤﻌﺎﻟﺠﺔ‬،‫ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﺮﻏﻢ ﻣﻦ أﻧﮫ ﻓﻲ أﺣﺪ اﻟﺘﻌﺮﯾﻔﺎت‬.‫اﻟﻤﻌﺪات واﻵﻟﯿﺎت ﺗﺴﻤﻰ ﻣﻌﺪات ﻣﻨﺎوﻟﺔ اﻟﻤﻮاد‬
‫ وﻣﻦ اﻟﺠﺪﯾﺮ ﺑﺎﻟﺬﻛﺮ أﻧﮫ ﻓﻲ ﺣﺎﻻت ﻣﺤﺪدة ﻗﺪ ﯾﺘﻢ إﻧﺠﺎز‬،‫واﻟﺘﻔﺘﯿﺶ ﻋﻠﻰ وﺟﮫ اﻟﺘﺤﺪﯾﺪ ﻣﻦ ﻧﻄﺎق ﻋﻤﻠﯿﺎت ﻣﻨﺎوﻟﺔ اﻟﻤﻮاد‬
‫ وﯾﻐﻄﻲ ﺗﻌﺮﯾﻒ واﺣﺪ أﯾﻀًﺎ اﻟﮭﺪف اﻟﻤﮭﻢ اﻟﻤﺘﻤﺜﻞ ﻓﻲ ﻣﻌﺎﻟﺠﺔ‬.‫اﻟﻤﻌﺎﻟﺠﺔ أو ﻓﺤﺺ اﻟﻤﻮاد ﻓﻲ وﻗﺖ واﺣﺪ ﻣﻊ ﻧﺸﺎط اﻟﻤﻨﺎوﻟﺔ‬
‫اﻟﻤﻮاد وھﻮ اﻟﺤﻞ اﻷﻗﻞ ﺗﻜﻠﻔﺔ‬.
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Material Handling Equation
It consider the characteristics of the material, along with the characteristics of the move, in order to
choose a method for moving the material.
 The essential requirements of a good materials handling system may be summarized as:
i. Efficient and safe movement of materials to the desired place.
ii. Timely movement of the materials when needed.
iii. Supply of materials at the desired rate.
iv. Storing of materials utilising minimum space.
v. Lowest cost solution to the materials handling activities. Functional
Scope of materials handling within an industry covers the following:
i. Bulk materials as well as unit materials handing. Bulk handling is particularly
relevant in the processing, mining and construction industries. Unit materials
handling covers handling of formed materials in the initial, intermediate and final
stages of manufacture.
ii. Industrial packaging of in-process materials, semi finished or finished goods,
primarily from the point of view of ease and safety of handling, storage and
transportation. However, consumer packaging is not directly related to materials
handling.
iii. Handling of materials for storage or warehousing from rawmaterials to finished product
stage.
Often materials handling extends beyond the boundary of the industry in the formof
movement of raw materials from the sources to the plant or in the form of finished goods
from the plant to the points of consumption. These long distance movements of materials are
generally termed as transportation of materials through various modes of transport like,
road, rail, ship or air.

Transportation is generally excluded from the scope of materials handling. However, at each
of the sources and destinations, loading and unloading of materials is necessary and these
are referred to as materials handling of these locations.

Some production equipment are fitted with facilities for handling of the materials being
processed. Such materials handling equipment are generally considered tobe an integral
part of the production equipment.

A few typical examples are:

(i) the feeding mechanism in an automatic machine,
(ii) coiler and de-coiler in a strip rolling mill or
(iii) paper feeding and transportation arrangement in a multi-stationprinting
machine.‫) آﻟﺔ اﻟﻠﻒ وآﻟﺔ اﻟﻠﻒ ﻓﻲ ﻣﻄﺤﻨﺔ اﻟﺪرﻓﻠﺔ‬2) ،‫آﻟﯿﺔ اﻟﺘﻐﺬﯾﺔ ﻓﻲ آﻟﺔ أوﺗﻮﻣﺎﺗﯿﻜﯿﺔ‬
(3) ‫ﺗﺮﺗﯿﺒﺎت ﺗﻐﺬﯾﺔ اﻟﻮرق وﻧﻘﻠﮫ ﻓﻲ آﻟﺔ طﺒﺎﻋﺔ ﻣﺘﻌﺪدة اﻟﻤﺤﻄﺎت‬.

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OBJECTIVES OF MATERIAL HANDLING
Following are the objectives of material handling:
 Minimise cost of material handling.
 Minimise delays and‫ اﻧﻘﻄﺎﻋﺎت‬interruptions by making available the materials at
thepointof use at right quantity and at right time.
 Increase the productive capacity of the production facilities by effectiveutilisation of
capacity and enhancing productivity.
 Safety in material handling through improvement in working condition.
 Maximum utilisation of material handling equipment.
 Prevention of damages to materials.
 Lower investment in process inventory

PRINCIPLES OF MATERIAL HANDLING

Following are the principles of material handling:
1. Planning principle: All handling activities should be planned.
2. Systems principle: Plan a system integrating as many handling activities as possible
and co-ordinating the full scope of operations (receiving, storage, production,
inspection, packing, warehousing, supply and transportation).
3. Space utilisation principle: Make optimum use of cubic space.
4. Unit load principle: Increase quantity, size, weight of load handled.
5. Gravity principle: Utilise gravity to move a material wherever practicable.
6. Material flow principle: Plan an operation sequence and equipmentarrangement
to optimise material flow.
7. Simplification principle: Reduce combine or eliminate unnecessary
movement and/or equipment.
8. Safety principle: Provide for safe handling methods and equipment.
9. Mechanisation principle: Use mechanical or automated material handling
equipment
10. Standardisation principle: Standardise method, types, size of materialhandling
equipment.
11. Flexibility principle: Use methods and equipment that can perform avariety of
task and applications
12. Equipment selection principle: Consider all aspect of material, move and
method to be utilised.
13. Dead weight principle: Reduce the ratio of dead weight to pay load inmobile
equipment.
14. Motion principle: Equipment designed to transport material should be keptin
motion.
15. Idle time principle: Reduce idle time/unproductive time of both MHequipment and
manpower .
16. Maintenance principle: Plan for preventive maintenance or scheduledrepair of all
handling equipment.
17. Obsolescence principle: Replace obsolete handling methods/equipmentwhen more
efficient method/equipment will improve operation.
18. Capacity principle: Use handling equipment to help achieve its fullcapacity.
19. Control principle: Use material handling equipment to improve productioncontrol,
inventory control and other handling.
20. Performance principle: Determine efficiency of handling performance interms of
cost per unit handled which is the primary criterion.‫ ﻣﺒﺪأ‬lanning: ‫ﯾﺠﺐ اﻟﺘﺨﻄﯿﻂ ﻟﺠﻤﯿﻊ أﻧﺸﻄﺔ‬
‫ ﺗﺧطﯾط ﻧظﺎم ﯾدﻣﺞ أﻛﺑر ﻋدد ﻣﻣﻛن ﻣن أﻧﺷطﺔ اﻟﻣﻧﺎوﻟﺔ وﺗﻧﺳﯾﻖ اﻟﻧطﺎق اﻟﻛﺎﻣل ﻟﻠﻌﻣﻠﯾﺎت‬:‫ ﻣﺑدأ اﻷﻧظﻣﺔ‬.‫اﻟﻤﻨﺎوﻟﺔ‬
21. )‫)اﻻﺳﺗﻼم واﻟﺗﺧزﯾن واﻹﻧﺗﺎج واﻟﺗﻔﺗﯾش واﻟﺗﻌﺑﺋﺔ واﻟﺗﺧزﯾن واﻟﺗورﯾد واﻟﻧﻘل‬. 3
22. ‫ ﺗﺣﻘﯾﻖ اﻻﺳﺗﺧدام اﻷﻣﺛل ﻟﻠﻣﺳﺎﺣﺔ اﻟﻣﻛﻌﺑﺔ‬:‫ﻣﺑدأ اﺳﺗﻐﻼل اﻟﻣﺳﺎﺣﺔ‬.
‫ زﯾﺎدة اﻟﻛﻣﯾﺔ واﻟﺣﺟم واﻟوزن ﻟﻠﺣﻣوﻟﺔ اﻟﺗﻲ ﯾﺗم اﻟﺗﻌﺎﻣل ﻣﻌﮭﺎ‬:‫ﻣﺑدأ ﺗﺣﻣﯾل اﻟوﺣدة‬.
SELECTION OF MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENTS
Selection of Material Handling equipment is an important decision as it affects both cost
and efficiency of handling system. The following factors are to betaken into account
while selecting material handling equipment.
🖋 PROPERTIES OF THE MATERIAL
Whether it is solid, liquid or gas, and in what size, shape and weight it is tobe
moved, are important considerations and can already lead to a preliminary
elimination from the range of available equipment under review.
Similarly, if a material is fragile, corrosive or toxic this will imply that certain
handling methods and containers will be preferable to others.
🖋 LAYOUT AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BUILDING
Another restricting factor is the availability of space for handling. Low-level ceiling
may preclude the use of hoists or cranes, and the presence of supporting columns in
awkward places can limit the size of the material- handling equipment. If the building
is multi-storeyed, chutes or ramps for industrial trucks may be used. Layout itself will
indicate the type of production operation (continuous, intermittent, fixed position or
group) and can indicate some items of equipment that will be more suitable than
others. Floor capacity also helps in selecting the best material handling
equipment.‫ ﻗﺪ ﯾﺤﻮل اﻟﺴﻘﻒ اﻟﻤﻨﺨﻔﺾ اﻟﻤﺴﺘﻮى دون‬.‫ھﻨﺎك ﻋﺎﻣﻞ ﻣﻘﯿﺪ آﺧﺮ وھﻮ ﺗﻮﻓﺮ ﻣﺴﺎﺣﺔ ﻟﻠﻤﻨﺎوﻟﺔ‬
‫ ﻛﻤﺎ أن وﺟﻮد أﻋﻤﺪة داﻋﻤﺔ ﻓﻲ أﻣﺎﻛﻦ ﻏﯿﺮ ﻣﻨﺎﺳﺒﺔ ﯾﻤﻜﻦ أن ﯾﺤﺪ ﻣﻦ ﺣﺠﻢ ﻣﻌﺪات‬،‫اﺳﺘﺨﺪام اﻟﺮاﻓﻌﺎت أو اﻟﺮاﻓﻌﺎت‬
‫ ﻓﯿﻤﻜﻦ اﺳﺘﺨﺪام اﻟﻤﺰاﻟﻖ أو اﻟﻤﻨﺤﺪرات ﻟﻠﺸﺎﺣﻨﺎت اﻟﺼﻨﺎﻋﯿﺔ‬،‫ إذا ﻛﺎن اﻟﻤﺒﻨﻰ ﻣﺘﻌﺪد اﻟﻄﻮاﺑﻖ‬.‫ﻣﻨﺎوﻟﺔ اﻟﻤﻮاد‬.
‫وﺳﯿﺸﯿﺮ اﻟﺘﺨﻄﯿﻂ ﻧﻔﺴﮫ إﻟﻰ ﻧﻮع ﻋﻤﻠﯿﺔ اﻹﻧﺘﺎج )ﻣﺴﺘﻤﺮة أو ﻣﺘﻘﻄﻌﺔ أو ﻣﻮﻗﻊ ﺛﺎﺑﺖ أو ﻣﺠﻤﻮﻋﺔ( وﯾﻤﻜﻦ أن ﯾﺸﯿﺮ‬
‫ وﺗﺴﺎﻋﺪ ﺳﻌﺔ اﻷرﺿﯿﺔ أﯾﻀًﺎ ﻓﻲ اﺧﺘﯿﺎر أﻓﻀﻞ‬.‫إﻟﻰ ﺑﻌﺾ ﻋﻨﺎﺻﺮ اﻟﻤﻌﺪات اﻟﺘﻲ ﺳﺘﻜﻮن أﻛﺜﺮ ﻣﻼءﻣﺔ ﻣﻦ ﻏﯿﺮھﺎ‬
‫ ﻗﺪ ﯾﺤﻮل اﻟﺴﻘﻒ اﻟﻤﻨﺨﻔﺾ اﻟﻤﺴﺘﻮى دون‬.‫ﻣﻌﺪات ﻣﻨﺎوﻟﺔ اﻟﻤﻮھﻨﺎك ﻋﺎﻣﻞ ﻣﻘﯿﺪ آﺧﺮ وھﻮ ﺗﻮﻓﺮ ﻣﺴﺎﺣﺔ ﻟﻠﻤﻨﺎوﻟﺔ‬
‫ ﻛﻤﺎ أن وﺟﻮد أﻋﻤﺪة داﻋﻤﺔ ﻓﻲ أﻣﺎﻛﻦ ﻏﯿﺮ ﻣﻨﺎﺳﺒﺔ ﯾﻤﻜﻦ أن ﯾﺤﺪ ﻣﻦ ﺣﺠﻢ ﻣﻌﺪات‬،‫اﺳﺘﺨﺪام اﻟﺮاﻓﻌﺎت أو اﻟﺮاﻓﻌﺎت‬
‫ ﻓﯿﻤﻜﻦ اﺳﺘﺨﺪام اﻟﻤﺰاﻟﻖ أو اﻟﻤﻨﺤﺪرات ﻟﻠﺸﺎﺣﻨﺎت اﻟﺼﻨﺎﻋﯿﺔ‬،‫ إذا ﻛﺎن اﻟﻤﺒﻨﻰ ﻣﺘﻌﺪد اﻟﻄﻮاﺑﻖ‬.‫ﻣﻨﺎوﻟﺔ اﻟﻤﻮاد‬.
‫وﺳﯿﺸﯿﺮ اﻟﺘﺨﻄﯿﻂ ﻧﻔﺴﮫ إﻟﻰ ﻧﻮع ﻋﻤﻠﯿﺔ اﻹﻧﺘﺎج )ﻣﺴﺘﻤﺮة أو ﻣﺘﻘﻄﻌﺔ أو ﻣﻮﻗﻊ ﺛﺎﺑﺖ أو ﻣﺠﻤﻮﻋﺔ( وﯾﻤﻜﻦ أن ﯾﺸﯿﺮ‬
‫ وﺗﺴﺎﻋﺪ ﺳﻌﺔ اﻷرﺿﯿﺔ أﯾﻀًﺎ ﻓﻲ اﺧﺘﯿﺎر أﻓﻀﻞ‬.‫إﻟﻰ ﺑﻌﺾ ﻋﻨﺎﺻﺮ اﻟﻤﻌﺪات اﻟﺘﻲ ﺳﺘﻜﻮن أﻛﺜﺮ ﻣﻼءﻣﺔ ﻣﻦ ﻏﯿﺮھﺎ‬
🖋 PRODUCTION FLOW
If the flow is fairly constant between two fixed positions that are not likely to change,
fixed equipment such as conveyors or chutes can be successfullyused. If, on the
other hand, the flow is not constant and the direction changes occasionally from one
point to another because several products are being produced simultaneously, moving
equipment such as trucks would be preferable.
🖋 COST CONSIDERATIONS
This is one of the most important considerations. The above factors can help to narrow
the range of suitable equipment, while costing can help in taking a final decision.
Several cost elements need to be taken into consideration comparisons are made
between various items of equipment that are all capable of handling the same load.
Initial investment and operating and maintenance costs are the major cost to be
considered. By calculating and comparing the total cost for each of the items of
equipment under consideration, a more rational decision can be reached on the
mostappropriate choice.
🖋 NATURE OF OPERATIONS
Selection of equipment also depends on nature of operations like whether handling is
temporary or permanent, whether the flow is continuous or intermittent and material flow
pattern-vertical or horizontal.
🖋 ENGINEERING FACTORS
Selection of equipment also depends on engineering factors like door and ceiling
dimensions, floor space, floor conditions and structural strength.
🖋 4
EQUIPMENT RELIABILITY
Reliability of the equipment and supplier reputation and the after sale service also
plays an important role in selecting material handling equipments.
MATERIAL HANDING EQUIPMENTS
Broadly material handling equipment’s can be classified into two categories,
namely:
(a) Fixed path equipments, and
(b) Variable path equipments.
(a) Fixed path equipments which move in a fixed path. Conveyors, monorail devices,
chutes and pulley drive equipments belong to this category. A slight variation in this
category is provided by the overhead crane, which though restricted, can move
materials in any manner within a restricted area by virtue of its design. Overhead
cranes have a very good range in terms of hauling tonnage and are used for handling
bulky raw materials, stacking and at times palletizing.

Conveyor and Crane

Chutes
(b)Variable path equipments have no restrictions in the direction of movement
although their size is a factor to be given due consideration trucks, forklifts mobile
cranes and industrial tractors belong to this category. Forklifts are available in many
ranges, they are manoeuvrable and various attachments are provided to increase their
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versatility. Material Handing Equipments may be classified in five major categories.
1. CONVEYORS: Conveyors are useful for moving material between two fixed
workstations, either continuously or intermittently. They are mainly used for
continuous or mass production operations—indeed,they are suitable for most
operations where the flow is more or less steady. Conveyors may be of various
types, with rollers, wheels or belts to help move the material along: these may be
power-driven or may roll freely. The decision to provide conveyors must be taken
with care, since they are usually costly to install; moreover, they are less flexible
and, where two or more converge, it is necessary to coordinate the speeds at which
the two conveyors move.
2. INDUSTRIAL TRUCKS: Industrial trucks are more flexible in use than
conveyors since they can move between various points and are not permanently
fixed in one place. They are, therefore, most suitable for intermittent production and
for handling various sizes and shapes of material. There are many types of truck
petrol-driven, electric, hand- powered, and so on. Their greatest advantage lies in
the wide range of attachments available; these increase the trucks ability to
handle various types and shapes of material.

Trucks

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 Forklift

3. CRANES AND HOISTS: The major advantage of cranes and hoists is that
they can move heavy materials through overhead space. However, they can usually
serve only a limited area. Here again, there are several types of crane and hoist, and
within each type there are various loading capacities. Cranes and hoists may be used
both for intermittent and for continuous production.

THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OVERHEAD CRANES AND HOISTS

1.The main difference between an overhead crane and a hoist is their movement patterns.
Overhead cranes transfer bulky loads from side to side or up and down. They move both
vertically and horizontally. On the contrary, hoists lift items up and down only on the vertical
axis.
2.Additionally, an overhead crane is the structure and a hoist is mounted onto the crane (fixed
or mobile).
3.A hoist is specifically designed for lifting heavy loads up and down. This is all you need for a
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 mechanism like an elevator, making a hoist a perfect solution in the right circumstances.
4.An overhead crane allows you to move heavy loads up, down, and sideways.
5 A hoist is a component of overhead cranes which allows for vertical movement. An overhead
crane’s horizontal movement is created through bridges and a trolley.

4. CONTAINERS: These are either ‘dead’ containers (e.g. Cartons, barrels, skids,
pallets) which hold the material to be transported but do not move themselves,
or ‘live’ containers (e.g. wagons, wheelbarrows or computer self-driven containers).
Handling equipments of this kind can both contain and move the material, and is
usually operated manually.

5. ROBOTS: Many types of robot exist. They vary in size, and in function and
maneuverability. While many robots are used for handling and transporting
material, others are used to perform operations such as welding or spray
painting. An advantage of robots is that they can
perform in a hostile environment such as unhealthy conditions or carry on
arduous tasks such as the repetitive movement of heavy materials.

The choice of material-handling equipment among the various possibilities that exist is not
easy. In several cases the same material may be handled by various types of equipments,
and the great diversity of equipment and attachments available does not make the problem
any easier. In several cases, however, the nature of the material to be handled narrows the
choice.

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Guidelines for Effective Utilization of Material Handling Equipment

The following guidelines are invaluable in the design and cost reduction of the materials
handling system:
1. As material handling adds no value but increases the production cycle time, eliminate
handling wherever possible. Ideally there should not be any handling at all!
2. Sequence the operations in logical manner so that handling is unidirectional and
smooth.
3. Use gravity wherever possible as it results in conservation of power and fuel.
4. Standardise the handling equipments to the extent possible as it means
interchangeable usage, better utilisation of handling equipments, and lesser spares
holding.
5. Install a regular preventive maintenance programme for material handling equipments
so that downtime is minimum.
6. In selection of handling equipments, criteria of versatility and adaptability must be the
governing factor. This will ensure that investments in special purpose handling
equipments are kept at a minimum.
7. Weight of unit load must be maximum so that each ‘handling trip’ is productive.
8. Work study aspects, such a elimination of unnecessary movements and combination
of processes should be considered while installing a material handling system.
9. Non-productive operations in handling, such as slinging, loading, etc., should be
kept at a minimum through appropriate design of handling equipment. Magnetic cranes
for scrap movement and loading in furnaces combination of excavators and tippers for
ores loading and unloading in mines are examples in this respect.
10. Location of stores should be as close as possible to the plant which uses the materials.
This avoids handling and minimizing investment in material handling system.
11. Application of OR techniques such as queueing can be very effective in optimal
utilisation of materials handling equipments.
12. A very important aspect in the design of a material handling system is the safety aspect.
The system designed should be simple and safe to operate.
13. Avoid any wasteful movements-method study can be conducted for this purpose.
14. Ensure proper coordination through judicious selection of equipments and training of
workmen.

CHARACTERISTICS AND CLASSIFICATION OF MATERIALS

Method to be adopted and choice of equipment for a materials handling system primarily
depends on the type of material/s to be handled. It is, therefore, very important to know
about different types of materials and their characteristics which are related to methods and
equipment used for their handling.
As innumerable different materials are used and need to be handled in industries, they are
classified based on specific characteristics relevant to their handling.
Basic classification of material is made on the basis of forms, which are
(i) Gases,
(ii) Liquids
(iii) Semi Liquids and
(iv) Solids.

Following characteristics of gases, liquids and semi liquids are relevant to their
handling.
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1. For gases it is primarily pressure, high (25 psi and more) or low (less than 25 psi). Chemical
properties are also important.

2. For liquids the relevant characteristics are density, viscosity, freezing and boiling point,
corrosiveness, temperature, inflammability etc. Examples of common industrial
liquids are: water, mineral oils, acids, alkalies, chemicals etc. Examples of common
semi-liquids are: slurry, sewage, sludge, mud, pulp, paste etc.

3. Gases are generally handled in tight and where required, pressure resisting containers.
However, most common method of handling of large volume of gas is through pipes by
the help of compressor, blower etc. This process is known as pneumatic conveying.

4. Liquids and semiliquids can be handled in tight or open containers, which may be fitted
with facilities like insulation, heating, cooling, agitating etc. as may be required by the
character of the liquid. Large quantity of stable liquids/semiliquid are generally
conveyed through pipes using suitable pumps, which is commonly known as hydraulic
conveying.

5. Solids form the majority of materials which are handled in industrial situation. Solids are
classified into two main groups:

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Unit load and Bulk load (materials).
Unit loads are formed solids of various sizes, shapes and weights. Some of these are
counted by number of pieces like machine parts, molding boxes, fabricated items. Tared
goods like containers, bags, packaged items etc. and materials which are handled en-masses
like forest products (logs), structurals, pig iron etc. are other examples of unit loads. The
specific characteristics of unit loads are their overall dimensions, shape, piece-weight,
temperature, inflammability, strength/fragility etc. Hoisting equipment and trucks are
generally used for handling unit loads. Certain types of conveyors are also used particularly
for cartons/packaged items and metallic long products like angles, rods etc.
Unit loads have been classified by Bureau of Indian Standards' (BIS) specification number
IS 8005:1976(2).

The classifications are based on:

a) Shape of unit loads - (i) basic geometric forms like rectangular, cylindrical,
pyramidal/conical and spherical; (ii) typical or usual forms like pallets,
plate, containers, bales and sacks; (iii) irregular forms like objects with flat base
dimension smaller than overall size, loads on rollers/wheels and uneven shapes.
b) Position of C.G. (stability) of load.
c) Mass of unit load in 10 steps from 0-2.5 kg to more than 5000 kg.
d) Volume per unit in 10 steps from 0-10 cm3 to more than 10 m3.
e) Type of material in contact with conveying system like metal, wood,
paper/cardboard, textile, rubber /plastics, glass and other materials.
f) Geometrical shape (flat, concave, convex, irregular/uneven, ribbed etc.) and physical
properties (smooth, slippery, rough, hard, elastic etc) of base surface of unit load.
g) Specific physical and chemical properties of unit loads like abrasive, corrosive,
dust emitting, damp, greasy/oily, hot, cold, fragile, having sharp edges, inflammable,
explosive, hygroscopic, sticky, toxic, obnoxious, radioactive etc.
h) Loads sensitive to pressure, shock, vibration, turning/tilting,
acceleration/deceleration, cold, heat, light, radiation, damp etc.
Bulk materials are those, which are powdery, granular or lumpy in nature and are stored
in heaps. Example of bulk materials are: minerals (ores, coals etc.), earthly materials

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(gravel, sand, clay etc.) processed materials (cement, salt, chemicals etc.), agricultural
products (grain, sugar, flour etc.) and similar other materials.
Major characteristics of bulk materials, so far as their handling is concerned, are: lump-
size, bulk weight, specific weight, moisture content, flowability (mobility of its
particles), angles of repose, abrasiveness, temperature, proneness to explosion,
stickiness, fuming or dusty, corrosivity, hygroscopic etc.

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