A critical, but often overlooked aspect of bucket elevator design and operation is considering how the equipment will be fed. Failure to control and regulate the feed of material into the elevator can result in product losses and damage, as well as reduced throughput. Common causes of infeed losses include the following:
①Failing to achieve an even distribution of product within the elevator’s buckets. This problem often arises when product is being fed at right angles to the elevator.
②Overfilling the buckets. Feeding product at too fast a rate can result in bucket overfilling, spillage, and plugging of the elevator’s infeed section.
③Dropping product into the elevator from too high a height. This can cause particle damage and attrition.
④Feeding the elevator before the running speed is achieved. Feeding in product before the optimum running speed is achieved can result in underfilling of the buckets.
