Conveyors, Inc. & IBT

There’s a whole lot of information, thinking and choosing that goes into the specification and selection of a bucket elevator.

The experts at Conveyors, Inc. (CI) of Mansfield, Texas and the people at IBT can take you through the process, step by step.

The critical key, of course, is the material: what are you moving? This information will drive most of the other decisions that you will need to make.

So, you should start by answering basic questions about the “stuff.”

• Is it fluffy, crumbly, sluggish, abrasive, free-flowing or degradable?
• What is its temperature?
• How much does it weigh (pounds per cubic foot)?
• Is it lumpy? You will need to know the size of lumps and the percentage of it that is in lumps.

You should also look at the whole table of material characteristics that gives far greater detail.

Next questions have to do with the “job.”

• At what rate (units of weight and/or volume per hour) are you going to move it?
• How far are you going to move it?
• In what environment? Indoor, outdoor, hazardous – like corrosive or contaminated?
• With continuous service? Or intermittent?

Based on these questions, you can choose which of the three basic styles of bucket elevator you need. The choices are:

1. Centrifugal discharge: good for fine, loose, free-flowing materials with minimal lumping.
2. Positive discharge: which are for low-speed and handle light, fluffy, fragile and somewhat sticky materials.
3. Continuous: probably the most widely used, for light to heavy materials and ranging from fine to large lumps.

Material characteristics will most strongly influence the decisions about bucket elevators.

• Materials are rated by size: from very fine to lumpy, and irregular
• By flowability: from very free-flowing to sluggish
• As to abrasiveness: Non-abrasive, abrasive or very abrasive
• And by a range of fourteen additional characteristics

Buckets are also a key element, and bucket specifications can vary enormously. Things to consider include width/depth projection, style configuration, the way holes are punched, the way the buckets are vented, and the material from which they are made.

If you have an idea about your bucket elevator needs, but aren’t sure of exactly how to specify the job, IBT can help. If you are ready to proceed with a bucket elevator project, IBT is especially interested in talking. Contact your local branch – or write to them.