Sonic horns: Sounding off against flow problems
A sonic horn can get material flowing in your storage vessel or hopper truck or railcar by directing low- frequency sound vibrations into the vessel to fluidize stagnant material and buildup. This article gives a brief introduction to storage applications for sonic horns, explaining sonic horn benefits, how the horn operates, and how to select one.
A sonic horn [also called an acoustic horn or acoustic cleaner] is one of many types of flow aids you can use to get bulk solid materials flowing from vessels and ensure complete discharge to prevent batch-to-batch contamination. Such aids are commonly used to remove ratholes, bridging, and sidewall buildup caused by fine materials like kaolin clay, cement, carbon black, graphite, PVC compound, wheat flour, and food powders.