Investigation of adaptive interception systems for concentrate in spiral concentrators

Investigation of adaptive interception systems for concentrate in spiral concentrators | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Investigation of adaptive interception systems for concentrate in spiral concentrators Huizhong LIU, Fulong DENG, Yao LONG, Xixi LIU, Ruoyun ZHANG, Jian NING This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6476654/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract A spiral concentrator is an effective gravity separation device that utilizes a fluid film, recognized for its eco-friendly operation, lack of power requirements, ease of large-scale deployment, and little building and operational expenses. It has acquired several uses in the beneficiation processes of iron, tin, titanium, tantalum-niobium, and various metals, in addition to non-metallic ores such as sulfur and coal. The management of concentrate grades in spiral concentrators mostly relies on physical intervention. Field staff must continuously oversee mineral zoning and physically adjust the pertinent cut-off slot on the mineral block to guarantee that the block's tip corresponds with the boundary of the concentrate and tailings division point. The varying degrees of knowledge, responsibilities, and competencies among employees complicate the maintenance of an accurate separation block and its real-time management, potentially affecting the beneficiation index. We propose an automated machine vision system that efficiently oversees the interception of materials from the spiral concentrator, eliminating the necessity for human intervention. The system utilizes an advanced Yolov5 algorithm to determine the separation point of the spiral concentrator's concentrate and implements an automated collecting system, thereby obviating the need for manual modifications to the separation block. The testing results indicate that the optimized YOLOV5 algorithm achieves an accuracy of around 90% and a detection speed of 63 FPS. The specially designed spiral concentrator concentrate interception system is dependable and efficient, exhibiting a swift response with control accuracy over 90%, thereby meeting the necessary precision and speed for concentrate interception in production. The adaptive interception mechanism of the spiral concentrator significantly enhances the automation and intelligence of the production process. Analysis of an adaptive interception mechanism for concentrate in spiral concentrators. Physical sciences/Engineering/Mechanical engineering Physical sciences/Mathematics and computing/Computer science gravity beneficiation spiral concentrator machine vision intelligent beneficiation Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 09 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 23 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 05 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 01 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 04 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Sep, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 16 Jul, 2025 Editor invited by journal 20 Jun, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 22 May, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 23 Apr, 2025 First submitted to journal 23 Apr, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6476654","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":487689522,"identity":"50b77de4-d699-4cd8-a565-a0db323c9241","order_by":0,"name":"Huizhong LIU","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA/klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACPmYGNgYGA4YEIJvxgQRUVAKPDgY2JC3MBiClPAS1gBEDWAsbWCVhLew8Zo95Cury+KXbr1VYth22t2dgPnibh8EuD7fDeMyNeQzYiiXnnCm7IXHmcGIPA1uyNQ9DcjEeLWbSPAY8iRtu5KTdkKg4nMDDABJhOJDYgF+LBFhLgYTBYXseBv5vxGgxAGpJP8YAtIWxh4GHjYAWtjLJOQYJiTNn5DBLSJxJT+w5zGZsOccgGacWfv7D2yTe/KlL7JdIf/hZss3anr29+eGNNxV2OLUgAR4DZnB8MIMIA8LqgYD9AeMHohSOglEwCkbBSAMARxFFtm1fT7YAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, 341000","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Huizhong","middleName":"","lastName":"LIU","suffix":""},{"id":487689523,"identity":"2d0af15e-e152-484c-bda0-cf785ae52e1f","order_by":1,"name":"Fulong DENG","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, 341000","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Fulong","middleName":"","lastName":"DENG","suffix":""},{"id":487689524,"identity":"abe97a54-c012-4674-8724-4a1217d44fd4","order_by":2,"name":"Yao LONG","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, 341000","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yao","middleName":"","lastName":"LONG","suffix":""},{"id":487689525,"identity":"bcc5e1df-e2b8-426b-bc27-457148817eab","order_by":3,"name":"Xixi LIU","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, 341000","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xixi","middleName":"","lastName":"LIU","suffix":""},{"id":487689526,"identity":"a0215a98-3571-40fa-ac8b-f82389bf48d0","order_by":4,"name":"Ruoyun ZHANG","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, 341000","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ruoyun","middleName":"","lastName":"ZHANG","suffix":""},{"id":487689527,"identity":"7efa9658-81b3-4dd8-8793-20be079542b8","order_by":5,"name":"Jian NING","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, 341000","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jian","middleName":"","lastName":"NING","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-04-18 06:53:22","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6476654/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6476654/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":87467006,"identity":"6d799649-a93f-44bf-9fe6-5af56539459f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-24 07:39:50","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1560116,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6476654/v1_covered_490dc370-5085-42ac-a9c8-72618ac85387.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Investigation of adaptive interception systems for concentrate in spiral concentrators","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"gravity beneficiation, spiral concentrator, machine vision, intelligent beneficiation","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6476654/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6476654/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eA spiral concentrator is an effective gravity separation device that utilizes a fluid film, recognized for its eco-friendly operation, lack of power requirements, ease of large-scale deployment, and little building and operational expenses. It has acquired several uses in the beneficiation processes of iron, tin, titanium, tantalum-niobium, and various metals, in addition to non-metallic ores such as sulfur and coal. The management of concentrate grades in spiral concentrators mostly relies on physical intervention. Field staff must continuously oversee mineral zoning and physically adjust the pertinent cut-off slot on the mineral block to guarantee that the block's tip corresponds with the boundary of the concentrate and tailings division point. The varying degrees of knowledge, responsibilities, and competencies among employees complicate the maintenance of an accurate separation block and its real-time management, potentially affecting the beneficiation index. We propose an automated machine vision system that efficiently oversees the interception of materials from the spiral concentrator, eliminating the necessity for human intervention. The system utilizes an advanced Yolov5 algorithm to determine the separation point of the spiral concentrator's concentrate and implements an automated collecting system, thereby obviating the need for manual modifications to the separation block. The testing results indicate that the optimized YOLOV5 algorithm achieves an accuracy of around 90% and a detection speed of 63 FPS. The specially designed spiral concentrator concentrate interception system is dependable and efficient, exhibiting a swift response with control accuracy over 90%, thereby meeting the necessary precision and speed for concentrate interception in production. The adaptive interception mechanism of the spiral concentrator significantly enhances the automation and intelligence of the production process. Analysis of an adaptive interception mechanism for concentrate in spiral concentrators.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Investigation of adaptive interception systems for concentrate in spiral concentrators","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-07-21 14:14:52","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6476654/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-02-09T07:30:11+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-01-23T09:43:19+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"121499706495851080562040907272163166594","date":"2026-01-05T09:53:05+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"133376579751124854616702175368173977162","date":"2026-01-02T04:08:41+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-11-04T17:24:53+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"22343730203546776866270483406550347317","date":"2025-09-20T14:54:03+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-07-17T02:26:50+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-06-20T07:53:14+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-05-22T10:01:34+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-04-23T10:09:42+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2025-04-23T10:05:47+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"f757e488-255a-432c-86fa-6d29a2729b75","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 21st, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[{"id":51779330,"name":"Physical sciences/Engineering/Mechanical engineering"},{"id":51779331,"name":"Physical sciences/Mathematics and computing/Computer science"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-24T06:40:17+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-07-21 14:14:52","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6476654","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6476654","identity":"rs-6476654","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}