Bucket Elevators: Types, Design, and How to Select One
Vertical bulk material transport with buckets on a belt or chain — design, types, and selection.
What a bucket elevator is
A bucket elevator lifts bulk materials vertically using buckets mounted on an endless belt or chain. Used wherever material needs to be raised in height rather than moved horizontally.
Bucket elevator design
Main components: a traction element (belt or chain) with mounted buckets, a drive station at the head of the elevator, a tensioning station at the boot (bottom section), and a casing protecting the traction element and material from the environment and preventing dust emission.
Belt vs chain elevators
Belt elevators run at higher speeds, are lighter and cheaper, and suit light to moderately abrasive materials. Chain elevators run slower but withstand higher loads, elevated temperatures, and abrasive, coarse materials.
Bucket discharge types
Centrifugal discharge — material is thrown out of the bucket by centrifugal force at high belt speed, suited to light bulk materials. Gravity discharge — at low speed, material falls out under its own weight, used for coarse or cohesive materials.
How to select an elevator
Selection requires: required lift height, throughput (t/h), and material characteristics — abrasiveness, cohesiveness, temperature, and lump size. These determine the choice of traction element, bucket type, and discharge method.
Need a bucket elevator for your facility?
UK-ZTO-AN designs and manufactures bucket elevators to your required lift height and throughput, with installation and service across Kazakhstan and the CIS.