March | April 2011

Feature title: How to select the proper plastic resin replacement elevator bucket

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F: Elevator buckets
How to select the proper
plastic resin replacement
elevator bucket
by Carl Swisher, Tapco Inc.
E
very machine part will eventu-
ally wear out, needing replace-
ment. Elevator buckets are
no exception to this rule.
Before selecting a replacement bucket,
it is helpful to know several pieces of
information...
1: Your elevator type: indus-
trial or agricultural;
2: Bucket elevator manufacturer;
3: Material being handled;
4: Bucket dimensions;
5: Material of bucket construction.
Selecting a replacement elevator bucket
for your bucket elevator can be a challenge,
especially when you consider how many
different buckets are on the market. Properly
selecting the correct elevator bucket can keep
your operation running smoothly, cut mainte-
nance costs and improve elevator efficiency.
Regularly scheduled inspections are also an
important factor to maximize productivity of
your facility.
Measuring the Existing
Elevator Bucket
The length of the bucket is measured across
the back from outside wall to outside wall
(dimension A).The projection is measured from
the outside of the back wall to the tip of the
front lip at a perpendicular (90 degree) angle off
the back wall (dimension B). Often projection is
incorrectly measured from the top of the back
wall to the tip of the front lip. The depth of the
bucket (dimension C) is measured from the
26 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | March-april 2011
upper most point of the bucket to the bottom
most point. Bolt hole spacing or centers are
measured from the left edge of one hole to the
left edge of the second hole.
Why is Plastic Resin
Better Than Metal?
Elevator buckets made from plastic resins
are now the market norm of the bulk material
handling industry. Plastic provides the follow-
ing basic advantages over metal:
• Lighter in weight;
• Non-corrosive, rust-free
and non-sparking;
• Safe food grade material;
• Impact strength;
• Flexible yet strong.
The major advantage of any plastic bucket
is its physical ability to absorb an impact inside
the elevator leg. More buckets tear up and
break due to impacts and obstructions, than
are worn out by abrasion from the product
carried. Bent and torn buckets cause a myriad
of problems in the elevator: not efficiently
carrying product, dragging and scraping inside
the casing and creating a potential sparking
hazard.
A well-designed plastic
bucket has the built in abil-
ity to “give” or “yield” to
bypass an obstruction in an
elevator, return to its original
shape and keep on working.This
requires strong, consistent, uniform
wall thickness and the proper
grade of the selected resin.
Style AA
The weight of the elevator
bucket contributes significantly to
the total cost of the elevator. By using
lighter weight plastic resin buckets –
approximately half the weight of metal
buckets – elevator manufactures can
use lighter gauge belts, smaller
pulley shafts and bearings,
and reduce their horsepower
and mechanical transmission
requirements. This also means
less wear and tear on elevator
drive components.
Another important factor is the
ease of installation of plastic buckets. Due
to their lighter weight and lack of hazardous,
sharp edges, they are much easier to handle
when changing or retrofitting in an elevator.
This makes the job easier and safer for those
tasked with keeping the bucket elevators
running at peak performance.
Switching to Plastic Resin
In order to select the appropriate plastic
bucket, one must consider the character-
istics of the conveyed bulk material being
handled. Important factors to take
European style (Super
Euro Bucket)
Xtreme Duty
(CC-XD)
Heavy Duty
(CC-HD)
into account
are the size,
shape, bulk density, temperature, moisture
content, flow-ability and abrasiveness of
conveyed material.
The three most common plastics are high-
density polyethylene (HDPE), nylon and urethane
(thermo plastic urethane). Each plastic carries
a number of different advantages when paired
correctly with the corresponding bulk solid.
Bent and torn steel buckets
Bucket Choices
for Centrifugal
Discharge Style
Elevators
Proper identification
of elevator type and style
of existing bucket – and
then matching it with a
plastic replacement – is
vital to ensuring the bucket
elevator continues to operate
efficiently. The correct bucket,
when properly installed (with
close bucket spacing) – assures
the same or Increased eleva-
tor capacity. Plastic resin elevator
buckets are commonly found in
centrifugal discharge style eleva-
tors. In contrast, metal buckets are
Specifying the Bucket
(A) length, (B) projection, and (C) depth.
(T) thickness, (WL) water level, (E) hole centers.
Back View
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F: Elevator buckets
still predominantly used in continuous dis-
charge style bucket elevators. About the Author
There are two categories of centrifu-
gal discharge style bucket elevators: High
Carl Swisher, Tapco Inc Sales
Manager oversees domestic and
speed (operates at speeds faster than 91
mpm) and slow speed (operates at speeds
under than 107 mpm). High-speed elevator
international sales force. Swisher
has 20 years of experience in
industrial sales and international
buckets come in many different shapes and
sizes. The two most common bucket styles
business. Prior to joining Tapco,
Swisher was the Latin America Regional Sales
used in high-speed centrifugal discharge Manager for a leading parts supplier in the sewn
elevators are the North American CC products industry. Proficient in Spanish, he is a
(close center) style and European style. graduate of Washington University in St. Louis
They handle materials such as grains, feed and completed his graduate studies at the Stern
and feed pellets, salt, seeds, fertilizer, and School of New York University.
dry chemicals. Founded in 1974, Tapco Inc is a leading
Slow-speed buckets are used to handle manufacturer of elevator buckets with 900,000
denser and larger materials, such as aggregates, buckets in stock – available in polyethylene,
foundry sand, coal, clay, sand, gravel, and crushed polyurethane, nylon, aluminum, ductile iron
glass. Commonly used bucket styles for this and fabricated steel. Standard styles include
elevator include Style A, AA and AARB, which AA, AC, Continuous, CCB, CC-HD, CC-XD
has a reinforced back. Style AA buckets and Super EuroBucket. Tapco also maintains a
are readily available in polyethylene, large inventory of elevator bolts, belt splices or
nylon, urethane, ductile iron or steel. joiners, abrasion-resistant sheeting, drag flights,
With the correct selection of and hanger bearings.
plastic replacement buckets and Carl Swisher, Sales Manager
good preventive maintenance, TAPCO INC, St. Louis, Missouri USA
operators and maintenance manag- Tel: +1 314 739 9191 ext. 1920,
ers can look forward to many years Website: www.tapcoinc.com
End View
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Tel : +31 (0)26 - 479 06 99
Fax: +31 (0)26 - 479 06 98
info@wynveen.com
www.wynveen.com
March-april 2011 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | 27
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