Frequently Asked |Questions|

Frequently Asked Questions

About Jenike & Johanson

Our corporate office is in Tyngsboro – Massachusetts, USA while our West coast office is in San Luis Obispo – California, USA.  We also have offices in Toronto – Canada, Vina del Mar – Chile, Perth – Australia, Vinhedo, SP – Brazil, and Houston – Texas, USA. For the full contact details for each office, please click here.
Whatever is most convenient for you.  We can be reached by phone, email, fax, and even the old-fashioned method of US Postal Mail, though this is not the fastest way to reach us!  When you call, an experienced engineer is typically available to immediately address your inquiry – we do not have a call center or representatives answering the phone.
Jenike & Johanson has developed proven and practical ways to design bulk solids storage, handling, and conveying equipment to promote reliable, uniform, and unrestricted flow.  Our unique combination of science/engineering/design capabilities and our 1,000+ years of hands-on experience is unrivaled.
No.  We are not an engineering-procurement-construction-management (EPCM) firm.  We do not design entire manufacturing plants or production facilities.  Rather, we focus on all aspects of powder and bulk solids storage, handling, transport, and processing.  We routinely cooperate with large EPCM firms to ensure our clients receive effective engineering designs required to ensure reliable bulk material handling and processing.
Jenike & Johanson works with all types of clients, whether they are the end user, facility owner, operator, EPCM or AE firm, other service company, or equipment vendor.  Our unique capabilities fit into all aspects of a typical engineering project including stages of feasibility, engineering, fabrication & installation, and operation & maintenance.  Our engineers are highly skilled in material assessments, conceptual and functional equipment design, peer reviews, critique of vendor design packages, analytical modeling, structural engineering, development to physical models/prototypes, on-site equipment inspections, and troubleshooting of process bottlenecks. Explore our approach to projects to understand better how we can meet your bulk material engineering needs.
Yes.  When faced with unique bulk material handling challenges, Jenike & Johanson can provide innovative equipment designs engineered for your challenging applications.  Reliable material flow often depends upon seemingly small, but very significant, construction details.  To ensure that our equipment works effectively, we take responsibility for all such details when we supply custom equipment.  The result is dependable, quality equipment with a long life. Custom bulk material handling equipment we can supply includes mass flow containers, mass flow tumble blenders, mass flow screw feeders, anti-segregation distributors, mass flow Y-branch transfer chutes, J-Purge® gas introduction systems, slide or pin gates with expansion joints, and Solids Pump®.  We do not fabricate and supply large storage equipment, such as silos, sweep augers, or belt conveyors.
Yes, we are prepared to help you!  Though you may not have found a reference to your particular application, it does not mean that we cannot assist you!  We have worked on thousands of extremely unique powder and bulk solids handling applications over our 55 years in business.  We are the world's most-skilled engineering and testing firm.  We know bulk solids – science – engineering – design; in fact, the founder of our company, Dr. Andrew Jenike, invented the field of bulk solids handling technology!

About Material Testing

We recommend that you first consult with a Jenike & Johanson engineer to determine the exact testing quantity required for your specific analysis.  We have the capabilities to work with a wide range of sample sizes, and we routinely work with high-value samples that are very limited in quantity (e.g., 50 g). Click here for details regarding typical sample quantities, where to ship the materials, and hazard communication requirements. The cost for testing a sample depends greatly on the type, number, and complexity of tests requested.  One of our engineers can quickly process your request for testing and issue either a budgetary or formal quotation for testing services. Contact us to get a quote for testing or any other Jenike & Johanson service.
No.  It is our policy to return, for your disposal, all material samples, hazardous or not because US federal and state environmental protection laws have become strict and complex.  Please be advised that as a testing facility, we handle all types of powders, and while our equipment is regularly cleaned, we can’t guarantee that minimal cross-contamination will not occur.  You shall retain ownership of all sample materials, which may be delivered to and tested by us, although we may use and/or deplete such materials, as we deem necessary.
Yes.  When evaluating bulk material flow properties, it is vital to replicate actual or expected process conditions to avoid further complications and gather the most accurate information possible.  Key factors that often affect material properties include: moisture content; storage time at rest; particle size distribution; particle shape; temperature; pressure; and relative humidity.
Yes.  We routinely conduct flow properties testing on-site at manufacturing plants and R&D facilities around the world.  We have highly experienced technicians that have the knowledge (i.e., test methods, safety training, personal protective equipment usage), skill in sample handling/preparation, and professional character required for completing the testing program at your facility on-time and on-budget. Our technicians have experience testing solids that are radioactive, highly toxic, explosive, narcotics or cytotoxic, and those that change properties over time, such as soap noodles, fresh crystals, or resin right from a reactor.
Typically, we can issue a report with complete bulk material test results within two to three weeks; however, this depends upon the testing scope and our in-house testing queue. Contact an engineer to get an up-to-date estimate for timing and testing costs.
Yes.  We sell the Ring Shear Tester and Segregation Testers. The Ring Shear Tester provides computer-controlled measurement of the flow properties of powders and other bulk materials under representative operating conditions.  Important properties measured include cohesive strength, internal friction (particle-to-particle), wall friction (particle-to-wall), and compressibility (bulk density as a function of pressure).  The “small” Ring Shear Tester, model RST-XS, utilizes a 30 ml cell volume.  This compares to the 900 ml cell volume of the standard tester, model RST-01.pc.  The small size of the RST-XS also makes it a bench-top unit, while the RST-01.pc is a floor unit. The Jenike & Johanson sifting segregation tester measures the tendency of powders or other bulk solids to segregate by the sifting mechanism (ref. ASTM International Standard D6940).  The Jenike & Johanson fluidization segregation tester measures the tendency of powders or other bulk solids to segregate by the fluidization mechanism (ref. ASTM International Standard D6941).
Absolutely not.  We have an expansive offering of services all specialized for analyzing, engineering, designing, and troubleshooting powder and bulk solids applications.  Explore our services to see our vast array of bulk material engineering capabilities.

About Our Engineering

Yes.  We perform structural design calculations, stress and fatigue analysis using our extensive proprietary and commercial software capabilities such as Compress, RISA, and ANSYS®.  Our engineers have the knowledge and valuable experience to analyze and design steel, aluminum, or concrete storage structures based on critical design loads including all relevant internal (solids and gas pressures) and external conditions.  Our engineers are well-versed in the most up-to-date silo design codes, pressure vessel design procedures, seismic and wind analysis requirements, and explosion venting practices. Contact us to discuss our specialized capabilities which can help to fulfill your bulk material engineering needs.
Absolutely not.  Besides material testing, analytical and physical modeling, we can engineer designs for transfer chutes, gravity reclaim stockpiles, feeders, dilute phase pneumatic conveying systems, and processing vessels that can dry, heat/cool, or purge solids.  We can also provide expert witness and other litigation support services.  Explore our services to see our vast array of bulk material engineering capabilities.
Yes. Some abrasive wear is expected when handling an abrasive material such as glass batch in a mass flow bin, since flow along hopper walls is a requirement for mass flow.  The rate of wear is a function of the bulk solid, wall surface, solids pressure, and particle velocity.  This rate, which can be predicted by Jenike & Johanson, needs to be accounted for during the detailed design of any equipment.  The engineer can then consider the trade-offs between cost, wall thickness, material of construction, and life expectancy.  It is important to remember that all equipment has a life expectancy, even bins and chutes.
A 60º cone (referenced from horizontal) is the most commonly manufactured hopper angle due to its simplicity to make and not because it is optimized for mass flow.  In fact, many 60º hoppers will not discharge bulk materials in mass flow.  The cone is derived from cutting a circular shape in half (and cutting outlet size) and rolling into a cone shape.  This way, the hopper manufacturer can accurately and quickly make two identical hoppers at 60º with minimal material waste!  Mass flow hopper angles are properly determined through flow testing.