6. Large Pitch Conveyor Chains
6.3 SPECIALTY CONVEYOR CHAINS
6.3.1 Bucket Elevator Chain Large conveyance: Vertical conveyance of grain and other bulk materials for the cement, chemical, and food industries Application Example Bucket Elevator Chains convey bulk materials vertically. You might see this type of chain used to move cement, coal, or grain, for example. Buckets are installed at regular intervals, and the chain moves continuously, scooping and conveying the product. Because they are effective and economical, Bucket Elevator Chains are widely used (Figure 6.10). When the chain engages the upper sprocket, the buckets are tipped, and conveyed objects are discharged. Discharging occurs either with centrifugal force or continuously, which uses the bottom side of the bucket as a guide for the next bucket. The trend has been for bucket elevator equipment to become smaller, to economize on installation costs. To reduce the operating costs, the chain must travel faster (more than 80 m/min.). Therefore, the centrifugal discharge buck- et elevator has become more common (Figure 6.11). Usually, the capacity of the conveyed material is within the range of 300 ton/h.
Continuous Discharge
Centrifugal Discharge
Figure 6.10 Bucket Elevator
Figure 6.11 Discharging of Buckets Occurs with Centrifugal Force or Continuously
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