Bulk Handling Conveyors

Bulk handling conveyors carry materials such as grain, coal, pellets or any other powder, granular or bulk media. Performance specifications include maximum load, load capacity, speed, volume transported, and mass flow of material. There are many different types of bulk handling conveyors. Major categories include belt conveyors, bucket conveyors, chute conveyors, diverters, drag conveyors, screw conveyors, slat conveyors, vertical continuous conveyors, and vibrating conveyors.

Belt, bucket, and chute conveyors are common types of bulk handling conveyors. Belt conveyors include flat belt, magnetic belt and trough belt conveyors. They are the most commonly used type of bulk handling conveyor because of their reliability, versatility, and range of capacities. Bucket conveyors consist of a bucket elevator and an endless belt or chain with a series of attached buckets. The buckets are filled, lifted vertically to a head pulley or sprocket, and dumped. Chute conveyors are the least expensive way to move materials with a conveyor. Typically, chute conveyors are used to link two powered conveyors together, and for accumulation in shipping areas. Spiral chutes are used to convey items from floor to floor without using much space. The main limitation of chute conveyors is the lack of control over the items being conveyed. Items can become wedged in the conveyor and cause blockage.

Bulk handling conveyors include diverters, drag conveyors, and screw conveyors. Diverters are used to move products off the main conveyor by either pulling or pushing. Side-mounted diverters move a product in one direction. Overhead diverters can shift a carton to either side. Drag conveyors (drag chain conveyors) pull or drag material through a tube or U-shaped trough.  Sub-types include tubular, round bottom, flat bottom, and V-groove drag conveyors. Screw conveyors or auger conveyors are of simple, relatively low cost construction. A screw conveyor consists of a helical flight fastened around a rigid pipe or solid shaft, mounted within a tubular or U-shaped trough. As the screw rotates, material heaps up in front of the advancing flight and is pushed through the trough. Particles in the heap, adjacent to the flight surface, are carried part way up the flight surface and then flow down on the forward-moving side of the heap.

Slat conveyors, vertical conveyors, and vibrating conveyors are special types of bulk handling conveyors. Slat conveyors have slats that are spaced apart from one another and are connected to a chain. They are similar to belt conveyors because the item being transported retains its position relative to its surroundings. Vertical continuous conveyors use multiple platforms, forks or cages to lift or lower loads between various levels in intermittent flow operations. They are commonly in places where horizontal space is limited and may be of single-mast or double-mast design. Vibrating conveyors or oscillating conveyors consist of a trough supported by tuned springs and/or hinged links having a drive system. The drive system is arranged to oscillate the trough, causing solid particles to be moved along the trough.

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