Methods to Extend the Service Life of Bucket Elevators
Author :
Bucket conveyors (or bucket elevators) are vital for vertical/steep-angle bulk material transport in mining, grain, and construction. Featuring mounted buckets on belts/chains, they efficiently move powders, granules, or lumps. Key strengths: high capacity, space-saving design, and adaptability to abrasive/sticky materials with tailored buckets. To ensure longevity, prioritize regular lubrication, wear-part checks, and dust/humidity protection—critical for minimizing downtime.
Bucket elevators are key equipment for the vertical conveyance of bulk materials in industries such as grain, mining, and building materials. Their service life is closely related to production continuity and maintenance costs. To extend the service life of the equipment, it is necessary to build a full-process management system that includes “appropriate selection, meticulous maintenance, controllable components, and environmental adaptation.” The specific measures are as follows:
Precision Selection for Conveyor
Selection failure is the primary cause of equipment damage. It is essential to accurately select the conveyors based on material characteristics and working conditions. For materials with high abrasiveness (such as iron ore and quartz sand), thick steel plate welded buckets (thickness not less than 6 mm), high-wear-resistant rubber conveyor belts (Shore hardness ≥75), or chain drive structures should be selected. Additionally, buffer devices should be installed to reduce material impact. For sticky materials (such as starch and fly ash), shallow bucket designs with PTFE anti-adhesive coatings should be used to prevent material accumulation and blockage. Moreover, the motor power should be calculated based on “conveying capacity × lifting height ×1.2 safety factor” to avoid overloading and burning out or energy waste.
Daily Maintenance Reduces Fault Losses
Daily inspections should focus on checking the bucket fastening bolts (torque not less than 20 N・m) and the tension of the conveyor belt (sag controlled within 1% of the span). Timely handling of belt deviation and slipping issues is necessary to prevent accelerated wear due to friction. Weekly maintenance includes lubricating rotating components such as transmission bearings and chain pins with lithium-based grease. The oil quantity should be 1/3 to 1/2 of the bearing cavity volume to avoid oil sludge blockage or lubrication failure. After shutdown, residual materials inside the casing must be cleaned, especially after conveying high-temperature materials (such as cement clinker). The equipment should be allowed to cool to room temperature before cleaning to prevent deformation caused by thermal expansion and contraction of components.
Full-Cycle Management of Wearable Components Extends Equipment Life
The buckets,conveyor belts,and chains are the parts that tend to break down the most easily.It’s essential to plan for their replacement in advance and also keep spare parts on hand. Buckets should be replaced immediately if cracks exceed 50 mm in length or edge wear reaches 1/3 of the original thickness. Conveyor belts should be repaired using cold bonding or hot vulcanization techniques if the surface damage area exceeds 0.1 m² or the joint crack length exceeds 20 mm. Severely damaged belts should be replaced entirely. Chains should be replaced as a set if the pin wear exceeds 10% of the original diameter or if the rollers show pitting and spalling (avoid mixing new and old chains to prevent uneven force distribution). It is recommended to store 30% of spare parts according to the equipment’s wearable component list, and the storage environment should be kept dry and ventilated to prevent aging of rubber parts and rusting of metal parts.
Environmental Adaptation and Standardized Operation Ensure Smooth Operation
Harsh environments and non-standard operations can accelerate equipment aging. In working conditions with dust concentrations exceeding 10 mg/m³, pulse jet bag dust collectors should be installed, and sealing hoods should be set at the inlet and outlet to reduce dust ingress into precision components such as bearings and motors. In humid environments (relative humidity >85%), metal components such as casings and buckets should be coated with epoxy resin anti-rust paint, and moisture-proof heating devices should be installed on motors. Operationally, the principle of “no-load start-up and uniform feeding” must be strictly followed. The feed quantity should not exceed 10% of the rated value, and it is prohibited to stop with a load or overfeed, to avoid material impact causing bucket breakage or casing deformation.
Regular Comprehensive Overhaul Eliminates Potential Hidden Dangers
A disassembly-style comprehensive overhaul should be conducted every six months: the bending degree of the transmission shaft should be checked (tolerance not exceeding 0.2 mm/m), and any shafts exceeding the standard should be straightened. The seal of the casing welds should be inspected, and any leaks should be rewelded and treated for corrosion prevention. The sensitivity of the electrical control system (such as overload protection and limit switches) should be tested to ensure a response time of ≤0.5 seconds. Annually, professional organizations should be invited to conduct precision inspections of the equipment, focusing on calibrating key parameters such as conveyor belt deviation and chain tension, so as to eliminate potential failures.
Through the above multi-dimensional collaborative management, the equipment failure rate can be effectively reduced, and the average service life of bucket elevators can be extended from 3-5 years to 8-10 years, significantly improving production stability and economic benefits.
Bucket Elevator,Bucket Conveyor
Previous page
Previous page
Get a Free Quote
We sincerely welcome you to write to us, call us to inquire about our business, visit us, inspect us, buy us and adopt us. You have any questions you can write to call, you can also leave a message on this site, the site administrator will do our best to provide you with the most efficient service.
HOT NEWS
Customer Service Hotline
Add：No. 8, Changjiang Road East, Lucheng Street, Yidu City, Hubei Province
Tel：+86-717-4904858 / 4820569
Mr. Zhou：+86-15871569828
Mr. Gong：+86-13508601368
Ms. Zou：+86-13872614986
© COPYRIGHT HUBEI YIDU YIYUN MEC.&ELEC. ENGINEERING CO.,LTD ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | Power by 300.cn
SAF Coolest v1.3.1.2 设置面板 GAGSD-ZGYF-JVZFE-ZVF
无数据提示
Sorry, the current section is being updated, so stay tuned!
You can view other columns or return to Home