bucket elevator

bucket elevator Introduction

Bucket elevator is a vertical conveying equipment. It uses a series of buckets evenly fixed on the endless traction member. Under the drive of the driving device, the head roller or sprocket drives the traction member to circulate, lift the material dug from the lower bucket to the top, and discharge it with the help of centrifugal force or gravity to realize vertical material transportation.

The working principle of bucket elevator

The operation mechanism of the bucket elevator is simple and efficient:

Loading stage

The material enters from the bottom feed port and is scooped by the continuously moving bucket. The specially designed feeding device ensures that the material fills the bucket evenly to avoid spilling.

Lifting stage

The bucket filled with material rises vertically with the traction member (belt or chain). The casing forms a closed space to effectively prevent dust spillage and material contamination.

Unloading stage

When the bucket reaches the top steering wheel, the material is thrown out from the discharge port under the action of centrifugal force or gravity to complete the entire conveying process.

Structural analysis of bucket elevator

A typical bucket elevator contains seven core components:

Traction mechanism

Use high-strength rubber belt or alloy chain, and choose different specifications according to the lifting height and load. High-quality rubber belts are wear-resistant and anti-static, while alloy chains are suitable for heavy-duty conditions.

Hopper system

Deep bucket type: suitable for dry powdery materials

Shallow bucket type: used for moist and easy-to-cake materials

Triangular bucket: designed for easy-to-flow particles

Drive device

Includes motor, reducer and backstop. The new variable frequency drive can achieve stepless speed regulation and significant energy saving effect.

Casing assembly

Engineers use a segmented steel plate welding structure and can freely increase or decrease the standard section of the middle segment to meet different height requirements. The setting of observation windows and inspection doors facilitates daily maintenance.

Tensioning device

The automatic adjustment tensioning system ensures that the traction components always maintain the best working tension to avoid slipping or derailment.

Outstanding performance characteristics of bucket elevator

High efficiency and energy saving

The vertical conveying path is shortened, and the energy consumption is reduced by more than 40% compared with the inclined trough conveyor. The new design makes the filling coefficient reach 90%.

Enclosed and environmentally friendly

The equipment adopts a fully enclosed structural design and is equipped with a standardized dust removal interface. The measured dust emission concentration can be controlled below 30mg/m³, which fully complies with the relevant limit requirements of GB 16297-1996 “Comprehensive Emission Standard of Air Pollutants”.

Easy maintenance

The equipment adopts a modular structural design, and all major functional units support quick disassembly and replacement. High-performance rolling bearings are used in key transmission parts. After laboratory accelerated life test verification, its rated service life can reach more than 20,000 hours, which effectively reduces the frequency of equipment maintenance and significantly improves operating efficiency.

Intelligent monitoring (optional)

Operators can integrate material flow monitoring, temperature alarm, and vibration detection systems to achieve preventive maintenance.

Various materials

Users can select carbon steel, stainless steel, or a wear-resistant lining according to the material characteristics, while the corrosion-resistant version suits the chemical industry.

In actual application, after a cement plant adopted the TD630 bucket elevator, the annual transportation capacity increased to 500,000 tons and the failure rate decreased by 60%, which fully verified its reliability and economy. With the advancement of intelligent manufacturing, the new bucket elevator equipped with the Internet of Things module is becoming an important transportation equipment in the era of Industry 4.0.

‌Bucket Elevator Product Parameters Table‌