{"id":8852,"date":"2024-12-16T03:48:28","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T03:48:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/?p=8852"},"modified":"2024-12-16T07:13:12","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T07:13:12","slug":"8852-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/8852-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Solve Bridging and Ratholing of Cement and Mined Materials"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Material flow is the backbone of any successful operation in the mining and cement industries. Yet, common issues like bridging, ratholing, and material pileups can derail even the best-laid plans. These disruptions not only impact productivity but also drive up costs with additional labor and energy consumption.<\/p>\n<p>The solution? AirSweep\u2014a proven flow aid trusted by over 10,000 installations worldwide. Designed to handle the heavy-duty challenges of materials like clinker, fly ash, and copper concentrate, AirSweep ensures consistent material flow, minimizes downtime, and keeps operations running smoothly. Read on to discover why AirSweep outperforms traditional flow aids and how it\u2019s revolutionizing bulk material handling in the cement and mining industries.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Common material flow problems in mining and cement<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Heavy materials like clinker, fly ash, and copper concentrate pose significant challenges in processing plants. They often:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Bridge or rathole<\/strong> inside vessels, reducing live capacity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Plug outlets<\/strong>, halting production lines.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Segregate particles<\/strong>, disrupting material quality.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Flood or flush fine powders<\/strong>, causing inefficiency and waste.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Traditional flow aids like vibrators, air cannons, and fluidizers are no match for such issues. They can compact materials, waste energy, or create safety risks by dispersing particles.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8860\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8860\" class=\"wp-image-8860 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/common-flow-problems-cement-materials-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"common material flow problems of cement and mined materials\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/common-flow-problems-cement-materials-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/common-flow-problems-cement-materials-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/common-flow-problems-cement-materials-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/common-flow-problems-cement-materials-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/common-flow-problems-cement-materials.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-8860\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">AirSweep flow aids solve the toughest flow problems of cement and mined materials.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Why AirSweep is the best flow aid for cement and mined materials<\/h2>\n<p>AirSweep releases high-pressure, high-volume, 360-degree pulses of compressed air that break through material blocks and clear vessel walls. It\u2019s efficient, safe, and designed to tackle the toughest materials. It&#8217;s also <a href=\"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/airsweep-competitive-analysis\/\">more efficient, safe, and cost-effective<\/a> than other flow aids.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Fluidizers<\/strong> fail to activate heavy materials.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Air cannons<\/strong> waste energy and spread material dangerously.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Vibrators<\/strong> compact materials instead of clearing them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>AirSweep, on the other hand, activates materials quickly and completely, using less energy and plant air.<\/p>\n<h2>AirSweep is trusted by cement and mining companies worldwide<\/h2>\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col flex-grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 whitespace-normal break-words text-start [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-5\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"38502012-1ed3-488d-83fb-00b6afe40689\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-4o\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[3px]\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose w-full break-words dark:prose-invert light\">\n<p>AirSweep has consistently delivered outstanding results across the mining and cement industries, solving some of the toughest material flow challenges.<\/p>\n<p>For a leading <a href=\"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/case-history\/airsweep-effective-for-cement-materials\/\">cement manufacturer<\/a>, conventional air cannons failed to eliminate stubborn clogs and clinker, forcing workers to break blockages manually using bars\u2014a time-consuming and inefficient process. By switching to <a href=\"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/airsweep-model-va-51\/\">AirSweep VA-51 units<\/a>, the company significantly improved efficiency, completely eliminating residue buildup. The success was so remarkable that they implemented the system across multiple plants.<\/p>\n<p>In the mining sector, a <a href=\"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/case-history\/airsweep-exceeds-expectations-you-should-be-on-billboards-everywhere\/\">company handling copper concentrate<\/a> faced daily disruptions, with workers spending up to two hours clearing material blockages. Air cannons posed safety hazards by dispersing materials, while vibrators were both noisy and ineffective. Installing three AirSweep VA-12 units transformed their operations, providing a quiet and effective solution that allowed workers to redirect their efforts to other critical tasks.<\/p>\n<p>For a <a href=\"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/4-companies-that-switched-to-airsweep-and-improved-bulk-material-processing\/\">concrete company dealing with fly ash<\/a>, material bridging around vessel outlets brought production to a standstill. Four AirSweep units were installed while approximately eight tons of fly ash remained in the bin. The result? Production went from zero to full capacity overnight, ultimately boosting overall output by 60%.<\/p>\n<p>These real-world applications highlight AirSweep\u2019s ability to optimize material flow, reduce labor, and enhance productivity in even the most demanding environments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"group\/conversation-turn relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\">\n<div class=\"flex-col gap-1 md:gap-3\">\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col flex-grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 whitespace-normal break-words text-start [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-5\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"1475dda8-8c5f-4055-a356-5b92016b122c\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-4o\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[3px]\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose w-full break-words dark:prose-invert light\">\n<h2>Fits Every Vessel, From Silos to Trucks<\/h2>\n<p>AirSweep can be installed on all types of bulk material handling equipment, from silos and hoppers to truck trailers. The wear plates and hard-facing AirSweep units can be bolted on flat walls or surfaces to protect equipment. In truck applications, AirSweep proves equally effective, activating materials during transport to guarantee smooth and efficient unloading.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8859\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8859\" class=\"wp-image-8859 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Cement-application-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Cement-application-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Cement-application-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Cement-application-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Cement-application.jpg 1213w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-8859\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">AirSweep can be installed on equipment used to transport cement and mined materials.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Built for Durability and Performance<\/h2>\n<p>AirSweep systems come with the <strong>longest warranty in the business\u2014seven years<\/strong>\u2014a testament to their reliability. Whether you need to clear stubborn clogs in silos or ensure smooth transport in trailers, AirSweep delivers unmatched performance.<\/p>\n<p>Ready to revolutionize your operations? <a href=\"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/contact\/\">Contact the AirSweep team<\/a> today to find out how we can optimize your material flow and prevent costly downtime.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Material flow is the backbone of any successful operation in the mining and cement industries. Yet, common issues like bridging, ratholing, and material pileups can derail even the best-laid plans. These disruptions not only impact productivity but also drive up costs with additional labor and energy consumption. The solution? AirSweep\u2014a proven flow aid trusted by [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":376,"featured_media":7629,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1019],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-information"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.8 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Solve Bridging and Ratholing of Cement and Mined Materials - Control Concepts, Inc.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"AirSweep prevents bridging and ratholing of cement and mined materials, while using less energy and plant air than other flow aids.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/8852-2\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dedet Panabi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Solve Bridging and Ratholing of Cement and Mined Materials - Control Concepts, Inc.","description":"AirSweep prevents bridging and ratholing of cement and mined materials, while using less energy and plant air than other flow aids.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/8852-2\/","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dedet Panabi","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/8852-2\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/8852-2\/"},"author":{"name":"Dedet Panabi","@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a19e882400d334be493cd955f7b59925"},"headline":"How to Solve Bridging and Ratholing of Cement and Mined Materials","datePublished":"2024-12-16T03:48:28+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-16T07:13:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/8852-2\/"},"wordCount":677,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/8852-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/shutterstock_1185139963.jpg","articleSection":["News and Information"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/8852-2\/","url":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/8852-2\/","name":"How to Solve Bridging and Ratholing of Cement and Mined Materials - Control Concepts, Inc.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/8852-2\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/8852-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/shutterstock_1185139963.jpg","datePublished":"2024-12-16T03:48:28+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-16T07:13:12+00:00","description":"AirSweep prevents bridging and ratholing of cement and mined materials, while using less energy and plant air than other flow aids.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/8852-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/8852-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/8852-2\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/shutterstock_1185139963.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/shutterstock_1185139963.jpg","width":1000,"height":667,"caption":"Cement on conveyer using AirSweep"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/8852-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Solve Bridging and Ratholing of Cement and Mined Materials"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/","name":"Control Concepts, Inc.","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/#organization","name":"Control Concepts Inc.","url":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/CCI-Logo-Color.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/CCI-Logo-Color.svg","width":"1024","height":"1024","caption":"Control Concepts Inc."},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a19e882400d334be493cd955f7b59925","name":"Dedet Panabi","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/eaa99b0bef13f6beab18cf90aa1a34fb0670cf7a47ef2e44970594f849f00ea3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/eaa99b0bef13f6beab18cf90aa1a34fb0670cf7a47ef2e44970594f849f00ea3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dedet Panabi"},"url":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/author\/dpanabi\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/376"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8852"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8852\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/controlconceptsusa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}