Sunday, June 23, 2013

What To Know About The Bucket Elevator

By Lila Barry


The bucket elevator, which is also known as a grain leg, is the mechanism used for elevating bulk materials. It is primarily used to haul flowable materials, including fertilizer and grain, vertically. These devices are designed to be able to elevate large to fine, and light to heavy loads.

There are four main components that this device consists of. The buckets are the main part, as they contain all of the material that is to be hauled. Then, a belt is necessary to help carry up the buckets and transmit pulls. There must also be a means to drive this belt to operate. Most buckets feature accessories that are used for loading buckets or picking the material up. These accessories are also useful when it comes to maintaining belt tension, receiving discharged material, as well as enclosing and protecting the mechanism itself.

A centrifugal discharge elevator might be classified as vertical or inclined. The vertical versions rely on centrifugal force to move the material to the discharge chute. These models must operate at high speeds in order to do this properly. Most elevators of this type include spaced buckets that feature round bottoms. They are designed to pick up material from a pit, boot or pile at a foot pulley.

Discharge chutes for incline versions are typically set under the head pulley. This means they centrifugal force is not needed to direct material to and through the chute. The operating speed of these structures is notably slower. Inclined elevators may have their buckets close together or spread far apart.

Another version is the continuous bucket. These are mostly used to slowly transport materials that are difficult to manage. Buckets used for such devices might be triangular in their cross section and put close to the belt so that there is little space, or none at all, between them.

Deciding on which version should be used to haul material is often relative to the material being moved, where it is being moved to and other similar factors. Early versions of the bucket elevators utilized a flat chain that had small, steel buckets connected to it at every couple inches. Current construction makes use of rubber belts and plastic buckets. Pulleys are used at the top and bottom and are often several feet in diameter. The top pulley is powered by an electric motor.

This device is considered enabling technology because it has allowed for grain elevator construction. The diverter at the top of the mechanism allows grain to be sent into the chosen bin. There is a similar structure that features flat steps and is sometimes used by humans, such as those in a parking garage. However, this version is not considered safe for public use.

The bucket elevator is made to haul flowable materials vertically. There are many different models, such as: vertical, centrifugal discharge, inclined and continuous. These structures generally include buckets, belts, pulleys and accessories. Early versions were made with flat chains and steel buckets, while most modern models feature rubber belts with plastic buckets.




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