six of the most popular mechanical conveying options for the processing industries: belt conveyors, screw conveyors, bucket elevators, drag conveyors, tubular drag conveyors and flexible screw conveyors.
Belt conveyors
A belt conveyor system consists of two or more pulleys, with an endless loop — the conveyor belt — rotating around them. One or more of the pulleys are powered, moving the belt as well as the material carried on top of the belt.
Screw conveyors
Screw conveyors consist of a rotating screw within a trough or tube. As the screw rotates, its flights push the material along the bottom of the trough.
Bucket elevators
Bucket elevators consist of a series of equally spaced buckets attached to a moving belt or chain. Each bucket gets filled as it passes through a pile of material at the bottom of the unit then carries the material upwards and flings it out by centrifugal force as the belt rotates around the head pulley at the top.
Drag conveyors
A drag conveyor uses paddles or flights attached to one or more endless chain loops to drag material along a trough or channel. Material enters from above at one end of the conveyor and is dragged along the chute to a discharge in the bottom of the chute at the other end. The empty paddles and chain travel along the top of the housing back to the pickup point.
Tubular drag conveyors
Tubular drag conveyors have circular discs attached at regular intervals to an endless loop of cable or chain, which is pulled through an enclosed tube. Material enters at the pickup point and is pushed by the discs through the tube to a discharge point, then the empty discs return through a separate tube back to the material pickup point.
Flexible screw conveyors
Flexible screw conveyors consist of a rotating screw within a tubular housing. Unlike traditional screw conveyors, the helical screw has no center shaft and is somewhat flexible. The housing is also somewhat flexible since it is generally made of ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) polyethylene tubing. The screw is not attached to anything except the drive unit at the top of the assembly, allowing the screw to rotate and float within the housing without additional supports or bearings.
Post time: Nov-30-2023