3 Design braking systems The FLSmidth design team has pioneer ed and perfected many hoisting confgurations particularly in the feld of deep level hoisting. FLSmidth has designed, manufactur ed and supplied mor e BMR hoists than any other hoist supplier . W e wer e also the frst company to successfully supply a hoist operating over a single winding depth in excess of 3000 meters. The hoist design pr ocess makes extensive use of our in-house fnite element analysis (FEA) facilities. Moder n softwar e allows for all geometric details to be modelled and fully analysed, ensuring r obust and r eliable designs for which we ar e r eputed. Our designs have been pr oven over many years in the feld, with performance being backed by feld strain gauge testing. Drum design is a crucial component for all hoists. Drums ar e exposed to heavy loads of a cyclical natur e and ar e ther efor e designed in accor dance with r ecognised inter national standar ds for fatigue design. V arious drive confgurations can be of fer ed including gear ed, dir ect drive with overhung motors and Integral. Motors can be AC Induction, AC Synchr onous or DC and would be supplied thr ough a pr eferr ed supplier . For the purposes of cost competitiveness, FLSmidth employs concepts of “designed for manufactur e“ and make use of their global network for material and component sour cing in or der to pr ovide hoists of the fnest quality with unparalleled levels of r eliability and pr oduction availability . FLSmidth is able to of fer fully customised designs to suit individual client needs and r equir ements. These customised designs make use of commonly used standar d components such as bearings and clutches. FLSmidth as an inter national leader in hoisting technology , has developed hydraulic systems for „Escort“ and „Closed-Loop“ brake contr ol. The developments in „Closed Loop“ contr ol wer e stimulated by the need to r educe dynamic r ope loads under emergency braking conditions. The r esultant r eduction in peak r ope loads has facilitated deep shaft hoisting. Sophisticated hydraulic systems ar e employed to ensur e rapid speed of r esponse and r epeatable contr ol accuracy . Disc braking systems ar e the pr eferr ed arrangement for curr ent hoists. The design of the brake path or brake disc ensur es minimum defection under r ope loading and high stability under thermal loading. Friction hoists, commonly r eferr ed to as “Koepe“ hoists, pr ovide an economical solution to many hoisting applications.