What Is a Hopper Conveyor?

Bucket conveyor is suitable for conveying materials and powder with certain granularity and block size in metallurgy, mining, construction, chemical, food, grain and other industries. It includes a driving device (including a backstop device), a casing (including a horizontal section, a redirecting section and a vertical section), and a drag chain, a hopper, a head wheel and a tail wheel located in the casing. There are a feeding section and a discharging section, and the two sides of the hopper are respectively connected with two parallel drag chains through a coupling ring. The head wheel is provided with teeth matching the traction chain. The conveying forms are three types: L-shaped, L-shaped and Z-shaped.

The advantages of the bucket conveyor (bucket elevator) are: compared with other conveyors, it can transport materials in a vertical direction with a small footprint; at the same lifting height, the conveyor route is greatly shortened, making its system The arrangement is compact; it can work in a fully enclosed enclosure, with better sealing, which can reduce environmental pollution. Its main disadvantages are: the type of material to be transported is limited; it is sensitive to overload; it requires uniform feeding. Therefore, under normal circumstances, the productivity of the bucket conveyor is limited to about 300t / h, and the lifting height is not more than 80m. However, in recent years, with the development and application of high-strength traction members, its application range has been greatly expanded. There are many classification methods of bucket conveyors. For example, they can be divided into vertical and inclined according to the method of conveying the materials; they can be divided into belt and chain according to the form of the traction member; and they can be unloaded from the hopper according to the materials. The methods can be divided into centrifugal, gravity and hybrid; according to the arrangement of the hopper on the traction member, it can be divided into sparsely arranged hoppers and densely arranged hoppers. In order to ensure that the bucket conveyor has normal working conditions, attention must be paid to the correct selection of the shape and size of the hopper, the speed of movement, the size of the drum or sprocket, and the size of the head and base suitable for the physical properties of the material and the working conditions of the conveyor.

The hopper lifts the material from the storage below.

Bucket conveyor installation requirements

1. The bucket conveyor must be firmly installed on a solid concrete foundation. The surface of the foundation should be flat and horizontal, to ensure that the bucket conveyor meets the vertical requirements after installation.

The higher position of the bucket conveyor in the middle and upper cabinets should be connected to the buildings adjacent to it (such as silos, workshops, etc.) to increase its stability. When installing, first install the lower part, fix the anchor bolts, then install the middle case, and then install the upper case. The cabinet was successfully installed and the verticality was corrected. Measure the whole height with lead straight, the error should be less than 10mm. The upper and lower shafts should be parallel, and their axis lines should be in the same plane.

When the lower height bucket conveyor is installed, all the upper, middle and lower casings can be connected and just right at the ground level, and then the whole is straightly fixed on the foundation of the concrete.

2. After the cabinet is installed, install the chain and hopper. The U-shaped screw for hopper link is both a chain joint and a fixed part of the hopper. The nut of the U-screw must be tightened and securely prevented from loosening.

3. After the chain and hopper are installed, tension them properly.

4. Add appropriate amount of oil and butter to the reducer and bearing seat respectively. The reducer is lubricated with industrial gear oil. Calcium-based or sodium-based butter can be used in the bearing seat.

5. Trial operation, after the installation is completed, empty vehicle trial operation should be carried out. Attention should be paid during dry running: it should not be reversed, and there should be no bump. Dry running is not less than 2 hours, there should be no overheating, the temperature rise of the bearing should not exceed 250 , and the temperature rise of the reducer should not exceed 300 . After 2 hours of dry running, the load test can be carried out when everything is normal. The feeding should be uniform during the test run with load to prevent too much feeding and block the lower part and cause a "stuck car".

Maintenance of bucket conveyor

1. The bucket conveyor should be driven with no load. Therefore, all the materials in the hopper should be exhausted before each shutdown, and then stop.

2. It cannot be reversed. Chain derailment may occur during inversion, and it is troublesome to troubleshoot derailment.

3. Feed evenly. Do not increase the feeding amount suddenly. The feeding amount cannot exceed the conveying capacity of the conveyor. Otherwise, it is easy to cause a "stuck car" accident when the material accumulation at the bottom is serious.

4. Replenish lubricating oil in a timely manner.

5. When the chain and hopper are severely worn or damaged, they should be replaced in time.

Bucket conveyor safety regulations

1. The conveyor is maintained and managed by designated personnel, and the key of the power switch box is managed by designated personnel.

2. The conveyor must have a hoist limiter and a stroke limiter. The limiter should enable the pulley to stop automatically when it is lifted up to 300 mm from the drum or pulley.

3.Transfer

The machine should have the maximum load mark, and the weight should not be overloaded (1T) during lifting and landing.

4. After powering on, check the hoisting limiter, travel limiter, interlock switch and other safety devices. The action is sensitive and reliable, and test lifting is performed.

5. Before hoisting or landing, drive after the alarm is sounded.

6. The conveyor must never carry people up and down.

7. After the work is finished, the conveyor hoisting plate should fall to the ground, then cut off the power and close the upper and lower guardrail doors.

8. Always keep the environment around the conveyor hygienic. ^[1]

Basic requirements of bucket conveyor

(1) The conveyor shall meet the requirements of JC460.1 and this standard, and shall be manufactured, installed and used in accordance with the design drawings and technical documents approved by the prescribed procedures. Technical requirements not specified in the drawings and technical documents shall be in accordance with Implementation of relevant general standards such as industry.

(2) The limit deviation of the dimensions without tolerances on the drawings shall comply with the provisions of GB 1804, where the machined surface is tTl3; the non-machined surface of the weldment is IT16; the non-machined surface of the forging is ITl5.

(3) Welding parts shall comply with the relevant regulations for mechanical welding of building materials.

(4) Gray iron castings shall meet the requirements of GB 9439.

(5) Forgings must not have defects such as interlayer, folding, cracks, satin wounds, scars, and slag inclusions.

(6) The hoist shall be provided with a level gauge, a speed monitor and an anti-deviation device for tape.

Proper modification of bucket conveyor

Bucket conveyors are widely used vertical conveying equipment and have been widely used in the food, feed and seed processing industries. However, some problems have also arisen in use. In order to enhance its working performance and reliability, it has been improved.

(1) Anti-reverse device is installed on the head of the bucket conveyor.

When the power is suddenly interrupted during the operation of the bucket conveyor, reverse rotation is very dangerous for the bucket conveyor. During the hoisting process of the bucket elevator, one side is an ascending bucket full of materials, and the other side is a descending empty bucket having unloaded materials. After the power is interrupted, the bucket elevator must reverse due to gravity. With the reversal of the bucket, the material is unloaded to the bottom of the bucket conveyor until the bucket is jammed when it is full. Since reversing is an accelerating movement, and then it suddenly gets stuck, it is easy to tear off the bucket, causing the belt to be damaged or even broken. In addition, the bottom of the bucket elevator is full of materials, which also makes the bucket conveyor unable to start. Anti-reverse can use ratchet mechanism.

(2) Suction pipes and vents should be provided on the head and bottom of the bucket conveyor to ensure that the bucket conveyor does not form negative pressure and dust overflow during the unloading and feeding process.

A well-made conveyor must have a reliable seal. However, a good seal will inevitably produce a pressure difference during the material discharge and feeding process, causing difficulties in feeding and discharging. The vents make the internal pressure of the bucket conveyor basically equal to the external pressure. Proper suction prevents dust from spilling out of the ventilated area, avoids waste and cleans the environment. ^[2]