How can you move 1000 pounds of copper ore out of a vertical mineshaft within the workday?

While primarily daunting, the challenge is easily overcome with material handling equipment- i.e., machines made specifically to address the safe material transport. Modern technology like the conveyor system allows operators to increase production and construction pace, and people use these machines in the industry for transportation reasons. To learn about the various conveyor types, read the articles on understanding conveyor and national conveyors company. Still, this article gives your more in-depth investigation into bucket conveyors. These conveyor machines also referred to as bucket elevators, are made to haul heavy material vertically and are a popular option in several applications. You can read details about bucket conveyors, their types, design, and uses in this article to show where to use and who can benefit from this type of conveyor.

What do you know about bucket conveyors?

Bucket conveyors move heavy or bulk products vertically by reciprocating buckets. The conveyor manufacturer made a conveyor of an interconnected loop of buckets that stay level when moving from horizontal to vertical, avoiding contents from spilling out.  You can load this conveyor with the material at the front, and each bucket automatically credits at the end of the run, also called the discharge. This process is a speedy and automatic process of vertical conveying, as the same buckets you use to pick up material to pledge it. These machine designs depend heavily on the transported material and the desired height that it should travel, but they are durable, consistent, and efficient if made correctly. They perform best when moving light, dry, or powder bulk items. People should not use it to move wet or sludge-like materials, as any buildup in the buckets cause discharging problems.

Bucket conveyors are a popular option for vertical conveying and find several uses in the biomass, glass, cement, mining, agriculture, power generation, and paper industries. They keep manufactured goods in discrete units, dissimilar screw conveyors that homogenize the material, and excel in handling abrasive, free-flowing collections. Bucket conveyor belts are non-accumulating and come in C, S, Z, and vertical arrangements, depending on the material type. Some examples of bucket conveyor belt applications are coal and ash handling equipment, grain and sugar conveyors.

Types of bucket conveyors

The bucket conveyor belt comes in three basic types: centrifugal, continuous, and positive discharge conveyor belts. This section explores each kind to show how they differ and illustrate their most essential use-cases.

Centrifugal bucket conveyor

Centrifugal bucket conveyor belts move free-flowing items using centrifugal force. Regularly spaced buckets at the inlet on a chain dig into the material and then throw the material out of the discharge throat, usually right after the chain’s upper turn to maximize centrifugal force. These centrifugal buckets are within a metal housing that prevents material from going anyplace but out the discharge end. The leftover material falls back down and starts the conveying process again. They can both low and high speeds and can operate at around 350 feet per minute and with an ability of up to 100 lbs per cubic foot. Specific centrifugal conveyors move at much higher speeds, approximately 1000 feet per minute, but these belt models are aloof for lighter material. Centrifugal conveyors are great for high-speed applications and work best with refined products, making them a striking option for grain, sugar, mineral, and chemical applications.

Continuous bucket conveyor

Continuous bucket conveyor belts are distinct from other bucket types in that manufacturer meant them to transport fragile or light products. They move at much slower speeds, around 3-5 feet per second, and there is no space between buckets to prevent any spilling. You can fill the bucket conveyors individually by the inlet and deposit the buckets to only gravity works on the product. They minimize material damage by preventing ventilation and handle delicate or friable products.

They can come in various shapes and ratings and can be in a C, S, or Z shape, depending upon essential. They find uses in the plastics companies and mining industries, severe-duty services, and various applications requiring minimal agitation.

Positive discharge conveyor

Positive discharge conveyor belts are a superior kind of centrifugal conveyor belt, where their buckets pass over an additional sprocket which blows the material out of the discharge end. These belts move at slower speeds around 2-4 feet per second, preventing excessive dropping and breakage of product. The bucket designs of these discharge conveyors are unique to each manufacturer, and they are made larger to reimburse for the slower speeds. They are most beneficial in applications like the movement of nuts, cereal, dried fruit, and other types of products where the priority is to preserve material integrity. They come in several arrangements and sizes and are typically expensive than the prior two bucket conveyors.

Specifications and range criteria

Selecting the right kind of bucket conveyor belt is challenging; this article helps make the process easier by delineating the basic specifications your conveyor belt supplier will need. The next section will provide the most pertinent information to consider while contacting your national conveyors company to help them determine your requirements.

Capacity output rate, bucket design, and distance

How much product can convey per unit time, and how far should it travel? The answers to these frequently asked questions will dictate which you can and cannot use conveyors, as well as the perfect bucket shape and size. A fast way of determining the desired capacity of your bucket conveyor is by the following method:

If you are unsure of any values, your conveyor supplier can help outline them so that you cover your application. The bucket conveyor’s height and orientation will help determine the design and amount of buckets used, and the speed of the bucket conveyor belt depends on its drive. You need to find a unit with the best possible capacity output rate that allows your material to move as fast and safely as possible through the conveyor system without damaging it.