The Parable of the Fallen Arches
Guest article by Lyn Bates, Managing Director, Ajax Equipment, Ltd.
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In the beginning there were solids, liquids and
gases. They flowed freely, as milk and honey, even unto the lands of the Pharaohs, where
the fields of the Nile brought forth grain in abundance and there were many stores. The
people knew not problems of flow, for there were slaves to fetch and carry and to serve
the need of their masters.
The Curse
But as the stores grew ever mightier and their product multiplies,
even without number, great misfortunes fell upon the people, for solids flow was not
smooth, neither was it reliable, and the curse of the arches fell among them. And there
was much weeping and gnashing of teeth because they knew not the cause as the ways of the
errant masses surpassed all understanding.
Within their midst arose priests with diverse teachings. With curses
and incantations the Hittites and the Hammerites proclaimed that the containers be smote
mighty blows. An so it came to pass, they were beaten, even to destruction. But the evil
persisted and grew in magnitude. Leaders of the Shaker tribe spoke - 'Let Vibrations be
amongst them', and so it came to pass that the masses were shook and shaken without mercy,
until some solids stood firm for all time. The Numo elders called upon the air in
abundance.
The grains flowed and flowed, until the masses spewed without
restraint and ran amok with the affliction of fluidity, and there were great floods in the
land. The waste, sorrow and misery knew no bounds The Flowaid merchants prospered mightily
upon the ignorance of the people, the blind led the blind through the troughs of
complexity, and the people wept.
The Prophet
But it came to pass in time that a prophet by the name of Jenike
arose in the new world of the west. He prayed for mans understanding to grow, and withdrew
unto the barren wilderness of the salt plains, even to the village of Utah, to study the
scriptures of the wise men. In long years of toil among sackcloth and ashes, he explored
the mysteries of the soils, wherein a great awareness fell upon him, and he say the light,
for he then knew the law, and it was good.
"Yea must measure the strength of the soil and know how it
slides" he taught, "Only then will the great tables show thy needs. The bulk
will yield and the masses will flow, Yea, even unto the last grain". He called upon
his keen disciple and scribe Johanson, and together they brought forth might tomes in the
form of holy scrolls, who's numbers were Bull. 108 and 123.
The Knowledge
The word spread throughout the lands, to the far corners of the
earth, even unto the land under the earth, where strange tribes abide who throw, in their
wisdom, curved sticks which ever return to the sender. The fame of the prophet Jenike grew
as his work knew no failures. Miracles came to pass, as even when the measured values were
not even and the skills of the priests varied, the tables gave wondrous results and there
was great joy in the land at these achievements.
Verily I say unto you, that insofar as you have faith and follow in
the teaching of Jenike, then your yield will be good and your masses flow. The curse of
the arches will no longer abide with you, even unto the final resting place of the great
mass flow hopper in the sky...
Our Author: Lyn Bates of Ajax Equipment,
Ltd. has graciously agreed to provide an article or two for my column. He has been in the
Bulk Handling business for many years and kept close to the action in plant, development
and research activities. He publishes many articles, papers and more recently books, on
aspects of solids handling technology. He also dreams up various off-beat themes to convey
serious messages. From time to time we will publish examples of his humor on the site to
show that the subject is far from dull, but live with the intriguing complexities that
nature throws at solids handling engineers.
As managing director of Ajax Equipment Ltd. in
Bolton, UK, he finds time to serve on the Bulk Material Handling Committee of the
Institution of Mechanical Engineers and be a UK representative to the Working Party for
Mechanics of Particular Solids of the European Federation of Chemical Engineers. You can
contact Lyn at this E-mail address: Lbates@ajax.co.uk
Help others by posting your comments, suggestions and
experiences with bulk solids feeding or any other materials handling concerns you may have
on our On-Line Help Forum. For
past Ask Joe ! Articles, visit the Ask Joe! Archived Articles.
Guest articles for the Ask Joe! Column are always welcome,
for more information please contact Joe Marinelli directly at his email address:
joe@solidshandlingtech.com.
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