Bucket Elevators
A bucket elevator, also called a grain leg, is a mechanism for hauling flowable bulk materials (most often grain or fertilizer) vertically.
Application
A bucket elevator can elevate a variety of bulk materials from light to heavy and from fine to large lumps.
There are three common bucket elevator designs seen in bulk material handling facilities worldwide:
1) Centrifugal Discharge Elevator
Typically, this is the style of elevator used in grain handling facilities we are all familiar with along rivers, ports or on the farm. The elevator buckets discharge product freely by the use of centrifugal force.
2) Continuous Discharge Elevator
This style bucket elevator is used typically to discharge sluggish and non-free flowing product where the elevator buckets discharge on top of each other.
3) Positive Discharge Elevator
Elevator design where the buckets are used to elevate commodities such as popcorn, candy, and potato chips where the utmost concern is on gentle handling and finished food grade applications.
Construction
It consists of:
1. Buckets to contain the material
2. A belt to carry the buckets and transmit the pull
3. Means to drive the belt;
4. Accessories for loading the buckets or picking up the material, for receiving the discharged
material, for maintaining the belt tension and for enclosing and protecting the elevator.