Geodesic Domes for Limestone Storage

Cement manufacturers must insure their product has consistent properties over time, but most limestone quarries produce materials of varying chemical composition. To obtain consistent quality in the final product, quarried raw materials must be blended before being fed into the kiln. Geometrica domes cover

Circular Homogenizing Limestone Stockpile

Limestone blending is done in two steps: First, the stacker arm moves back and forth, distributing inventory in layers, either in an arc of a circle (circular blending, shown in the photo) or in a straight line (longitudinal blending). With each pass, the stacker changes its overall position, moving closer to the back end of the reclaimer. Second, the reclaimer system works at the tall back end of the pile, taking out inclined slices and inching forward towards the back end of the stacker. The entire stacker/reclaimer system thus rotates slowly around the center (circular blending) or moves slowly down a straight line (longitudinal blending).

Geodesic domes provide the most efficient shape for a stockpile enclosure because they are lightweight and can span large areas without intermediate supports. The most common dome shape is a segment of a sphere, but it is more economical to use varying radii of curvature for the meridian of the dome -- the goal is to have the dome "hug" the clearance line of the stacker-reclaimer. This results in a smaller dome surface area and better clearance for vehicles around the perimeter.While geodesic domes are an obvious choice to cover stock piles, traditional construction systems may not translate to a low-cost solution because manufacturing and construction complexity offsets material savings from the more efficient form. Geometrica's solution :

• built with corrosion-resistant galvanized steel;
• packaged and shipped in small units that can be manually unloaded in remote locations;
• assembled by local labor without special equipment; and
• assembled over a stock pile while the pile remains in operation.

Dozens of galvanized steel domes for limestone storage have been built around the world. Following are images of a few of these structures:

 

2 x 113m South Africa	73m Senegal	100m Dominican Republic
86m Cambodia	110m Argentina	104m Mexico