AU2014262378A1

AU2014262378A1 - A liner system for a container used in handling bulk solids

Info

Publication number: AU2014262378A1
Application number: AU2014262378A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Darryl CRAWFORD; Mark Doyle
Original assignee: Weir Minerals Australia Ltd
Current assignee: Weir Minerals Australia Ltd
Priority date: 2013-05-10
Filing date: 2014-05-09
Publication date: 2015-12-24
Also published as: AP2015008907A0; WO2014179836A1; AU2018200897A1; PH12015502730A1; BR112015028323A2

Abstract

A container for use in the handling of bulk solids is disclosed, the container being generally rigid and including a liner system, the liner system including a flexible liner which lines at least a region of the inside surface of the container, the liner being affixed to the container such that when the container is moved in a direction to empty the container of bulk solids in use, at least a region of the liner is free to move away from the inside surface of the container wherein the liner is dimensioned to have a smaller volume than the container to thereby cause stretching of the liner when the container is loaded with bulk solids.

Description

WO 2014/179836 PCT/AU2014/000506 A LINER SYSTEM FOR A CONTAINER USED IN HANDLING BULK SOLIDS Technical Field 5 This specification relates to liner systems for use with containers used in handling bulk solids, such as digger buckets for mobile front end loaders, or for dump truck bodies or other containers for bulk solid materials which are intended to be repeatedly emptied. 10 Background Art In prior art digger buckets or other bulk solids containers, it is common to encounter a problem known as 'hang-up'. This is the name given to the situation where the container retains an amount of the solid material in a corner or side of the container 15 which is never discharged when the container is loaded and unloaded. Instead, an amount of the solid material is retained, thereby causing problems such as a loss of capacity of the container volume (as some capacity is actually never discharged), and potential unbalancing of the container as it swings back from the unloading position (and the remaining solids moves inside of the container). The undischarged solid 20 material may comprise a sticky ore material, may be wet or damp, or may contain a lot of clay which can add to the stickiness of the particulate ore. Summary of the Disclosure 25 In a first aspect, there is disclosed a container for use in the handling of bulk solids, the container being generally rigid and including a liner system, the liner system including a flexible liner which lines at least a region of the inside surface of the container, the liner being affixed to the container such that when the container is moved in a direction to empty the container of bulk solids in use, at least a region of the liner is 30 free to move away from the inside surface of the container wherein the liner is dimensioned to have a smaller volume than the container to thereby cause stretching of the liner when the container is loaded with bulk solids.

WO 2014/179836 PCT/AU2014/000506 2 In certain embodiments, the liner is at least partially formed from a resilient material. In certain embodiments, the liner is at least partially formed from an 5 elastomeric material. In certain embodiments, the liner has a laminated layered structure. In certain embodiments, the laminated structure includes at least two different 10 types of elastomeric material. In certain embodiments, the laminated structure includes a layer of elastomeric material which is relatively flexible, and a layer of elastomeric material which is relatively wear resistant. 15 In certain embodiments, at least one of the layers includes a join, and the join is overlapped by another layer. In certain embodiments, a partial vacuum between the container body and the 20 liner is created during unloading of the container. In a second aspect, there is disclosed a container for use in the handling of bulk solids, the container being generally rigid and including a liner system, the liner system including a flexible liner which lines at least a region of the inside surface of the 25 container, the liner being affixed to the container such that when the container is moved in a direction to empty the container of bulk solids in use, at least a region of the liner is free to move away from the inside surface of the container; wherein the liner is affixed to the container by one or more fixtures arranged to clamp the liner so as to line the inside surface of the container; wherein the liner is applied in sections, the sections 30 being affixed to the container by way of said fixture(s) located at an in use upper edge region of the sections and arranged so that the sections at least partially overlie one another to provide a non-continuous flexible liner at the inside surface.

WO 2014/179836 PCT/AU2014/000506 3 In certain embodiments, the fixture includes an arrangement of teeth to clamp the liner. In certain embodiments, the or each fixture includes a bevelled region. 5 In certain embodiments, the liner includes a layer of a substantially inextensible material in the region where the liner is engaged by the fixture. In a third aspect, there is disclosed a container for use in the handling of bulk 10 solids, the container being generally rigid and including a liner system, the liner system including a flexible liner which lines at least a region of the inside surface of the container, the liner being affixed to the container such that when the container is moved in a direction to empty the container of bulk solids in use, at least a region of the liner is free to move away from the inside surface of the container; wherein the liner is affixed 15 to the container by one or more fixtures arranged to clamp the liner so as to line the inside surface of the container; wherein the or each fixture includes a bevelled region. In certain embodiments, the liner includes a layer of a substantially inextensible material in the region where the liner is engaged by the fixture. 20 In certain embodiments, the liner is applied in sections, the sections being affixed to the container by way of said fixture(s) located at an in use upper edge region of the sections and arranged so that the sections at least partially overlie one another to provide a non-continuous flexible liner at the inside surface 25 In a fourth aspect, there is disclosed a container for use in the handling of bulk solids, the container being generally rigid and including a liner system, the liner system including a flexible liner which lines at least a region of the inside surface of the container, the liner being affixed to the container such that when the container is moved 30 in a direction to empty the container of bulk solids in use, at least a region of the liner is free to move away from the inside surface of the container; wherein the liner is affixed to the container by one or more fixtures arranged to clamp the liner so as to line the inside surface of the container; wherein the liner includes a layer of a substantially WO 2014/179836 PCT/AU2014/000506 4 inextensible material in the region where the liner is engaged by the fixture. In certain embodiments, the or each fixture includes a bevelled region. 5 In certain embodiments, the liner is applied in sections, the sections being affixed to the container by way of said fixture(s) located at an in use upper edge region of the sections and arranged so that the sections at least partially overlie one another to provide a non-continuous flexible liner at the inside surface. 10 In a fifth aspect, there is disclosed a fixture for use in affixing a liner system to the inside surface of a container used in the handling of bulk solids, the fixture including:- an arrangement of teeth to clamp the liner at said inside surface in use-- a fastening means to fasten the fixture at the container; and - a bevelled region. 15 In certain embodiments, the teeth lie in a plane and the underside of the bevelled region has a planar surface; the planar surface lies in a plane which is inclined with respect to the plane of the teeth. In certain embodiments, the plane of planar surface is inclined with respect to 20 the plane of the teeth by approximately 5 angle degrees. Other aspects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this disclosure and which illustrate, by way of example, 25 principles of inventions disclosed. Brief Description of the Drawings Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference 30 to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a liner system attached to a container in the form of a digger bucket; WO 2014/179836 PCT/AU2014/000506 5 Figure 2 is a side view of a clamping member used in affixing the liner system of Figure 1 to the digger bucket; 5 Figure 3 is a partial above perspective view of the clamping member of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a liner system attached to a digger bucket; 10 Figure 5 is an upper perspective view of a further alternative embodiment of a liner system used in conjunction with a dump truck body; Figure 6 shows the upper region of one of the liner sections of Figure 5; 15 Figure 7 is an underside view of an alternative embodiment of a clamping member; Figure 8 is a cross-section along the line B-B of Figure 7; and 20 Figure 9 is a cross-section along the line A-A of Figure 7. Detailed Description of Embodiments 25 Referring to Figure 1, a container 10 includes a generally rigid container body which is a conventional steel digger bucket 12 of a front end loader. The steel digger bucket 12 has had a liner system 20 attached to it's interior. The liner system 20 includes a membrane 22 which has two side sections 24, 30 26 and a main section 28. The membrane is assembled in two layers in the following way from two different types of rubber materials: WO 2014/179836 PCT/AU2014/000506 6 The first step is to cut three sheets of LINARD@ brand latex rubber (available from the Weir Minerals Division of The Weir Group PLC, www.weirminerals.com), which are then joined to make a single piece (that is, one layer) using 14T glue 5 adhesive. The formed layer of LINARD rubber is made up of one main sheet and two small side pieces which together resemble the surface area of the interior surface of the bucket 12 (and are slightly smaller in overall assembled shape). The second step is to cut three sheets of LINATEX@ brand latex rubber 10 (available from the Weir Minerals Division of The Weir Group PLC, www.weirminerals.com), which are then joined to make a single piece (the second layer) using 14T glue adhesive. The forced layer of LINATEX rubber is made up of one main sheet and two small side pieces which together resemble the surface area of the interior surface of the bucket, but this time the sheet components are cut in such a 15 way as the join lines between the three pieces are staggered or offset from the join lines of the LINARD material layer (the first layer), when the two layers are overlaid. The first and second layers are then laminated together on opposite mating flat surfaces with glue, to form one membrane. In this way the combined sheet of first and 20 second layers has greater strength at the joins because of the staggered position of the join lines. The orientation of the flexible membrane in use is such that the layer of LINATEX rubber (the second layer) is positioned as a backing layer, adjacent the wall 25 of the bucket or container, and the layer of LINARD rubber is oriented as the outer surface of the flexible membrane which presents to the particulate ore material. This combination is especially useful because the LINATEX rubber layer has excellent strength properties as the supporting layer and the LINARD rubber has a laminated surface to improve the sliding ability of the ore particulates across the rubber surface 30 during discharge. LTNARD rubber also has good cut and tear resistance as the top layer (load facing) and the inside LINATEX rubber layer provides joint strength as well as flexibility and rebound strength.

WO 2014/179836 PCT/AU2014/000506 7 The LINARD material used may have a Shore A hardness in the range of between 55 and 75 and may selected from any of: LINARD 60 having a Shore A hardness of 58, LINARD HDS having a Shore A hardness of 70, or LINARD HD70 having a Shore A hardness of 67. The LINATEX rubber material used has a Shore A 5 hardness of approximately 40, but may lie in the range of in the range of 30 to 50. In some embodiments, the second layer may also be formed of LINARD rubber, such as LINARD 60. The second layer may be of approximately 5mm to 10mm thickness. The first layer may be of approximately 15mm to 20mm thickness. 10 The liner membrane 22 is attached to the bucket 12 at its edges by way of a series of fixtures in the forn of clamping members 50. Referring to Figures 2 and 3, each clamping member 50 has a flat region 52 which in use lies against the inside surface of a location around the rim of the digger bucket 12. A portion of the liner 15 membrane is clamped between the clamping member 50 and the inside surface of the digger bucket 12 in the region of teeth formation 54. Bolts are inserted through the outside of the digger bucket through holes 58 to engage with nuts located in some recesses 56. Tightening of the bolts causes the teeth 54 to bite into the rubber membrane 22 and thus to clamp the liner membrane 22 between the clamping member 20 50 and the inside surface of the digger bucket 12. The clamping member 50 has an angled bevelled region 60 facing the front of the bucket to deflect the ore away during loading of the bucket, as well as to protect the leading edge of the rubber membrane 22. The fixtures may be cast from wear resistant 25 alloys. Each fixture may have several mounting holes and may be of various lengths. Several fixtures are used to mount each liner. The teeth 54 are arranged to be reverse facing - that is, to jag and support the liner membrane 22 opposite to the direction of force that will be placed on the liner 30 membrane 22 during loading of ore material. This feature allows a very high clamping force and reduces the potential of the rubber being ripped from the clamp when subjected to high pulling loads when the bucket is being filled. Rubber can be a difficult material to clamp because its natural elasticity allows it to take high initial WO 2014/179836 PCT/AU2014/000506 8 clamping force that soon becomes relaxed. A high clamping force is maintained by the clamping member 50 by having a preloaded amount of clamp force as well as the teeth to take up the rubber liner membrane 22. 5 Referring to Figures 7 to 9, an alternative embodiment of a clamping member 150 is shown. Like features to the fixture which is shown in Figures 3 and 4 have been indicated by using like reference numerals. In this embodiment, the flat region 152 is inclined to the plane of the teeth 154 by approximately 5 angle degrees. The flat region 152 is inclined so that the angle at which surfaces 152 and 160 meet is reduced when 10 compared with surfaces 52 and 60 of the embodiment of the clamping member shown in Figures 3 and 4. This feature can allow multiple thicknesses of rubber membrane to be used with the same clamp. Tests have shown a full clamping force to be achieved with rubber liner thicknesses of between 20mm through to 30mm. 15 In the embodiment of Figures 3 and 4, some recesses 56 in the clamping member 50 protect the nuts from damage due to wear in use. In the embodiment of Figures 7 to 9 the nuts are protected by raised ridges 162 which stand proud of the upper surface of the clamping member 150 and which encircle the nuts. The ridges around adjacent nuts are joined by webs for added strength. 20 Referring to Figure 4, the clamping arrangement is shown in enlarged view. The bevelled region of the clamping member 50 cooperates with a bevelled edge 11 on the lower lip of the bucket 10 to guide bulk material into the bucket and to protect the rubber membrane 22. 25 In some embodiments, the end sections 24, 26 may be omitted. In such embodiments, curved clamping members (not shown) can be utilised to affix the liner to the bucket along its side edges in the region indicated by arrows A in Figure 4. The curved clamping members are formed from rectangular strips which have been shaped 30 to conform with the curvature of the bucket and are provided with a series of holes along their length to enable the strips to be bolted to the rear face of the bucket through the rubber liner, so as to secure the rubber liner to the bucket.

WO 2014/179836 PCT/AU2014/000506 9 In use, the innate stiffness of the rubber membrane material along with the clamping arrangement maintains the membrane in general conformity with the inside of the bucket, while still allowing some movement and flexing of the membrane, which in use, aids in the release of bulk solid material from the bucket. In use, the membrane is 5 free to move away from the rear wall of the bucket during a product discharge step, insofar as the shape and flexibility of the rubber will allow, which in turn facilitates discharge of maximum residual material from inside the bucket. The filling of particulate material such as ore or particulate materials passing into the bucket, on top of the rubber membrane, then causes the rubber to be reshaped back into the form of the 10 container as a liner material. During a subsequent product discharge step, a partial vacuum may be created in the back side area of the bucket, for example, between the bucket base or end wall and the underside of the rubber membrane, which also facilitates the sucking back of the membrane liner into the bucket during subsequent refilling operation. 15 The liner is designed to be slightly smaller in size than the bucket to which it is affixed, so as to offer a slight stretch when the bucket is loaded. This aspect allows the rubber to be pushed back into the bucket during the ore loading process and to assist the discharge of the ore when the bucket is being emptied. In a pure mathematical form 20 one can consider the steel bucket as having a capacity of 100%. The liner on the other hand in its relaxed form may have a capacity of, say, only 95% given that it is smaller than the bucket to which it is attached. The ability of the rubber to stretch allows it to assume the 100% capacity of the bucket when it is being loaded. The liner may also be installed under some tension, that is, the rubber is stretched slightly from its relaxed 25 position when installed. The lamination of the two compounds offers a liner membrane having a layer of cut resistance and sliding material together with a highly flexible compound to give the flexibility needed to both extend and retract the liner when emptied. The liner is 30 affixed to the bucket by various means depending on the bucket design but is intended to be fixed at the periphery of the opening of the bucket to remain as flexible as possible.

WO 2014/179836 PCT/AU2014/000506 10 The rubber membrane can be fastened to the rim of the container by any suitable fastening means, which can include a series of rounded discs welded to the rim, and the liner having a series of holes which match or align with the position of those rounded discs, and a suitable bolt, fastener, clip or similar to fasten the edge region of 5 the liner sheet to the rounded discs. Experimental results have shown that hang-up in conventional digger buckets can be as much as 50% of its capacity, whereas buckets fitted with liners as described herein above have shown that the percentage of retained ore material has dropped to 10 around 5-10% of the bucket capacity. This can allow a significant increase in production capacity and reduce operational costs because the effective amount of ore moved per load is higher because of the reduction of hang up tonnage. In another embodiment, a liner system is configured for use with dump trucks 15 at a mine site which tip the dump truck bodies to effect discharge of the materials, or are inverted to effect discharge. Referring to Figure 5, a container 100 is shown in the form of a dump truck body 110 fitted with a liner system 120. This embodiment involves a series of 20 overlapping panels fitted along the front wall, corners, forward floor and part of the tapered inside surfaces of the dump truck body. The dump truck body is shown in an upper perspective view and some elements are shown as visible through side wall 111 to allow for a better understanding 25 of the arrangement of components inside the dump truck body. The dump truck body 110 includes a sloped floor portion 112, a front wall 114, side walls 111, 113 and a forwardly projecting lip 115 which extends over the top of the cabin (not shown) of the truck. 30 The dump truck body is fitted with a series of three cascading liner sections 130, 140, 150, which are installed by affixing the liner sections along their respective upper edges with three rows of clamping fixtures 50a, 50b, 50c affixed at different heights, and which are identical to those used in the previously described embodiment WO 2014/179836 PCT/AU2014/000506 11 in the following manner: The front area of the floor 112 is covered first with a first section 130 which is affixed at its upper edge by a row of clamping fixtures 50a positioned about 500mm up 5 from the base of the front wall 114 and is allowed to lay on the floor up toward the rear of the tray by approximately 2.5 - 3m. A long skive in the rubber at the trailing edge of the first section is designed to minimise the pickup when the truck is being loaded. A second section 140 is installed overlying the first section 130. The second 10 section 140 is affixed by a row of clamping fixtures 50b positioned about 1.0 to 1.2m up from the base of the front wall 114. The second section drops down to the floor and extends along the floor by about 500mm overlapping the floor section 130. The third section 150 is provided in two parts in the front corners of the truck 15 body 110, and each part is affixed at their respective upper edges by clamping fixtures 50c positioned at about the upper edges of the front 114 and side walls 111, 113 and extend from the top of the truck body down to the floor 112. The corner sections 150 therefore overlap the second 140 and first 130 sections. 20 The liner sections 130, 140, 150 are of a laminated construction. Referring to Figure 6, a portion of a liner section 140 is shown in enlarged detail and includes a rearwardly disposed layer 142 of 5mm thick silica reinforced natural rubber material such as LINARD@ HDS brand. A frontwardly disposed layer 146 is formed from LINARD@ HDS of 20mm thickness. In between the layers 142, 146 is disposed a 25 region of a substantially inextensible material such as truck cord (otherwise known as tyre cord) 144. The layers are adhered together using 14T glue adhesive. The cord material 144 extends from the upper edge of section 140 to below the region in which the section is clamped by approximately 150mm. The cord material 30 144 is included to allow the elongation of each of the sections in a controlled manner whereby the section elongates from the truck cord and not the clamp itself. This relieves the loads in the region of the clamp 50, reducing the likelihood of the rubber sections splitting at the clamp, but still allows the rubber to stretch where it is needed.

WO 2014/179836 PCT/AU2014/000506 12 The system allows easy installation and a modular design to facilitate individual change-out of any damaged sections. 5 The overlapping nature of the liner sections allows them to act on each other, protect each other and yet move independently to each other. By being secured only at their upper edges, the sections are free to move away from the inner surfaces of the tray body when the tray is tipped. This allows the bulk solid material contained in the truck body to start moving when the tray is tipped. Then, with no other obstructions, the bulk 10 material gathers momentum and continues to move, resulting in a substantially empty truck. The system is particularly suitable for the application of handling ore at mine sites and in areas where high compaction of the solids are evident from loading and 15 vibrations. Although embodiments have been described with reference to containers in the form of digger buckets and dump truck bodies, it has application to any container used for bulk solids which show symptoms of "hang up" when the container is moved in a 20 direction, such as by being tipped or inverted, to empty the container, for example railway ore container cars. The reduction in hang up provided by embodiments disclosed herein can provide at least one of the following consequent advantages: 25 e Fuel savings * Elimination of the need to operate a separate excavator e Reduced operator injury * Reduced tyre costs e Reduced maintenance costs, and 30 * Increased production throughput of ore material. In the foregoing description of preferred embodiments, specific terminology has been resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific WO 2014/179836 PCT/AU2014/000506 13 term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar technical purpose. Terms such as "front" and "rear", "inner" and "outer", "above", "below", "upper" and "lower" and the like are used as words of convenience to provide reference points and are not to be construed as limiting terms. 5 The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement or admission or any form of suggestion that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general 10 knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates. In this specification, the word "comprising" is to be understood in its "open" sense, that is, in the sense of "including", and thus not limited to its "closed" sense, that is the sense of "consisting only of'. A corresponding meaning is to be attributed to the 15 corresponding words "comprise", "comprised" and "comprises" where they appear. In addition, the foregoing describes only some embodiments of the invention(s), and alterations, modifications, additions and/or changes can be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments, the embodiments 20 being illustrative and not restrictive. Furthermore, invention(s) have been described in connection with what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on 25 the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the invention(s). Also, the various embodiments described above may be implemented in conjunction with other embodiments, e.g., aspects of one embodiment may be combined with aspects of another embodiment to realize yet other embodiments. Further, each independent feature or component of any 30 given assembly may constitute an additional embodiment.

Claims

1. A container for use in the handling of bulk solids, the container being generally rigid and including a liner system, the liner system including a flexible liner which lines at least a region of the inside surface of the container, the liner being affixed to the container such that when the container is moved in a direction to empty the container of bulk solids in use, at least a region of the liner is free to move away from the inside surface of the container wherein the liner is dimensioned to have a smaller volume than the container to thereby cause stretching of the liner when the container is loaded with bulk solids.

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the liner is at least partially formed from a resilient material.

3. A container according to claim 2, wherein the liner is at least partially formed from an elastomeric material.

4. A container according to claim 3, wherein the liner has a laminated layered structure.

5. A container according to claim 4, wherein the laminated structure includes at least two different types of elastomeric material.

6. A container according to claim 5, wherein the laminated structure includes a layer of elastomeric material which is relatively flexible, and a layer of elastomeric material which is relatively wear resistant.

7. A container according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein at least one of the layers includes a join, and the join is overlapped by another layer.

8. A container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a partial vacuum between the container body and the liner is created during unloading of the container. WO 2014/179836 PCT/AU2014/000506 15

9. A container for use in the handling of bulk solids, the container being generally rigid and including a liner system, the liner system including a flexible liner which lines at least a region of the inside surface of the container, the liner being affixed to the container such that when the container is moved in a direction to empty the container of bulk solids in use, at least a region of the liner is free to move away from the inside surface of the container; wherein the liner is affixed to the container by one or more fixtures arranged to clamp the liner so as to line the inside surface of the container; wherein the liner is applied in sections., the sections being affixed to the container by way of said fixture(s) located at an in use upper edge region of the sections and arranged so that the sections at least partially overlie one another to provide a non-continuous flexible liner at the inside surface.

10. A container according to claim 9 wherein the fixture includes an arrangement of teeth to clamp the liner.

11. A container according to either of claim 9 or claim 10 wherein the or each fixture includes a bevelled region.

12. A container according to any one of claims 9 to 11 wherein the liner includes a layer of a substantially inextensible material in the region where the liner is engaged by the fixture.

13. A container for use in the handling of bulk solids, the container being generally rigid and including a liner system, the liner system including a flexible liner which lines at least a region of the inside surface of the container, the liner being affixed to the container such that when the container is moved in a direction to empty the container of bulk solids in use, at least a region of the liner is free to move away from the inside surface of the container; wherein the liner is affixed to the container by one or more fixtures arranged to clamp the liner so as to line the inside surface of the container; wherein the or each fixture includes a bevelled region. WO 2014/179836 PCT/AU2014/000506 16

14. A container according to claim 13 wherein the liner includes a layer of a substantially inextensible material in the region where the liner is engaged by the fixture.

15. A container according to either of claim 13 or claim 14 wherein the liner is applied in sections, the sections being affixed to the container by way of said fixture(s) located at an in use upper edge region of the sections and arranged so that the sections at least partially overlie one another to provide a non continuous flexible liner at the inside surface

16. A container for use in the handling of bulk solids, the container being generally rigid and including a liner system, the liner system including a flexible liner which lines at least a region of the inside surface of the container, the liner being affixed to the container such that when the container is moved in a direction to empty the container of bulk solids in use, at least a region of the liner is free to move away from the inside surface of the container; wherein the liner is affixed to the container by one or more fixtures arranged to clamp the liner so as to line the inside surface of the container; wherein the liner includes a layer of a substantially inextensible material in the region where the liner is engaged by the fixture.

17. A container according to claim 16 wherein the or each fixture includes a bevelled region.

18. A container according to either of claim 16 or claim 17 wherein the liner is applied in sections, the sections being affixed to the container by way of said fixture(s) located at an in use upper edge region of the sections and arranged so that the sections at least partially overlie one another to provide a non continuous flexible liner at the inside surface.

19. A fixture for use in affixing a liner system to the inside surface of a container used in the handling of bulk solids, the fixture including: - an arrangement of teeth to clamp the liner at said inside surface in use; WO 2014/179836 PCT/AU2014/000506 17 - a fastening means to fasten the fixture at the container; and - a bevelled region.

20. A fixture according to claim 19, wherein the teeth lie in a plane and the underside of the bevelled region has a planar surface; the planar surface lies in a plane which is inclined with respect to the plane of the teeth.

21. A fixture according to claim 20, wherein the plane of planar surface is inclined with respect to the plane of the teeth by approximately 5 angle degrees.