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How A Bucket Elevator Operates

By Brenda Brooks


Accessing top floors of a tall building would not be possible without lifts. Electric lifts also facilitate vertical transport of both light weight and bulky loads. A bucket elevator is a superb conveyor designed to carry loads in an inclined path. This equipment is used in the several industrial sectors. A light weight version of this device is used to serve domestic operations.

This equipment is made up of several components. It comprises of a long belt, chains for attaching the load, terminal machinery and supporting frames. These components facilitate the transport of different load sizes in a vertical manner. Furthermore, they are interconnected to each other using bolts hence working as a system. The terminal machinery is used for discharging and loading. The belt is used to tie and facilitate the pull of a load.

This machine can handle fine materials such as sand and cement. This is the reason why most construction sites have container lifts for precisely transporting concrete mixtures up and down a building. Engineers usually exercise caution when utilizing this machine to transport fine materials. To be precise, they ensure that containers are firm in structure because such loads have a tendency of spilling over when they are transported in a high speed.

Three design mechanisms are used in the industry to manufacture this device. These designs are based on the capability of a machine in handling a certain size and type of material. The most common mechanism is centrifugal discharge. This mechanism is powered by centrifugal force that acts centrally on an object. According to the laws of physics, a lift is able to transport loads vertically when centrifugal force acts on this load.

The second style is called continuous discharge. Lifts that operate based on this style normally handle viscous materials. Continuous discharge is a term used in the engineering sector to refer to materials that are dense and have a slower velocity. Machines that handle such materials usually operate at a slower speed. The containers for carrying such materials also comprise of a triangulated cross sectional area. These containers are mounted close to belts used in tying a load.

The third design is known as positive discharge. Lifts that operate based on this design normally handle light weight and gentle loads. These lifts can also be used to load and discharge food commodities when they are being processed in the industry. For example, candy companies utilize positive discharge lifts in processing and packaging sweets. This lift has a double chain and is adjusted by two pins to allow the free swiveling of a load.

A similar machine comprising of flat steps is seasonally utilized as a lift to carry people in buildings under construction and parking garages. This machine is very dangerous because it lacks safety precautionary utilities such as air vents and walls to support an individual when standing.

Centrifugal, continuous and positive discharge lifts have certain limitations. For instance, the lump size is supposed to be less than one hundred millimeters and should not be sticky. The temperature of the load should also be optimum because when lifts are in motion, heat is generated.




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