Bucket elevator

Bucket elevators are very efficient systems for continuous, vertical and dust-free transport of bulk goods and derivatives in granule or powder form. Bucket elevators move granular bulk goods vertically in a continuous product flow using a large number of elevator buckets which are attached to the elevator belt at regular intervals. This belt runs over a cage pulley at the head (top) and foot (bottom) of the elevator. The top pulley is driven and the bottom pulley is designed as a guide pulley with a tensioning device. The belt transports the product and transfers power. The ascending and descending sections of the elevator almost always run in casings, usually separately but sometimes together. These casing are mounted on the elevator base and support the elevator head. The base can be fitted with one or two intake chutes. The head has a discharge opening which guides the product to the next conveyor. When an elevator is discharging, both gravity and centrifugal forces play an important role. The design of the inlet and outlet connections has a major influence on the capacity of the elevator. The volume and shape of the elevator buckets, bucket spacing, belt speed and pulley diameters also play an important role.