A bucket elevator, also known as a bucket conveyor, uses a continuous belt or chain with attached buckets to lift materials vertically from a lower level to a higher one. Materials are fed into the buckets at the bottom, lifted to the top, and then discharged, often using centrifugal force or gravity.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the working principle:
- Feeding and Loading : Materials are fed into the elevator at the bottom (boot section) through a feeding port.
- Lifting : The buckets, attached to a belt or chain, rise vertically due to the movement of the belt or chain.
- Discharge : At the top (head section), the buckets may flip over and discharge the material through a chute, either due to centrifugal force (if the
bucket is rotating at high speed) or gravity. - Return : The belt or chain returns to the bottom, allowing the buckets to be reloaded and the process to repeat.
