Designing Conveyors for Large Seismic Induced Displacements at a Port Facility

Elevated conveyors are commonplace throughout the world’s ports and marine terminals for the shipment of bulk products such as coal and potash. By their nature the terminals are typically close to tidewater and frequently located on reclaimed land that can be prone to above average seismic movements associated with soil liquefaction. The lands associated with many of these facilities were constructed prior to the development of modern seismic design standards that would now have required different construction methodologies to address liquefaction and the associated effects on ground movements and bearing capacities. In particular, the differential ground movements along the length of or between adjacent structures become significant considerations. Furthermore, ground improvements are often challenging at existing port facilities due to impacts on existing infrastructure, placing the onus on structures to withstand kinematic loading without compromising their ability to resist inertial loading. The present study provides a concept that can be applied to new construction port projects, complete with comprehensive geotechnical and structural analyses to prove the efficacy of the system.