Tire couplings in bucket elevators
In this section, we are going to be focused on another type of machine used for heavy loads, which is interesting for a tyre coupling as the Uneflex, considering that it might be seen and located in the mining or diary sector among others.
What is the bucket elevator and how does it work?
The bucket elevator is a mechanism used for handling and transporting materials and very similar to the vertical conveyor.
The bucket elevator is made of the following components
- Buckets to transport the material
- A conveyor or a chain connecting the buckets
- A motor that starts up the transport system of the buckets
- Other components used to introduce the material in the buckets
Fields of application for the bucket elevator
The bucket elevator is used in those applications where there is a need to handle or transport grains, seeds, minerals, etc.
Flexible couplings in bucket elevators
The Uneflex is a high-capacity coupling used to absorb lateral, axial, radial and angular misalignments. In addition, it has a great torsional capability, due to its flexible tyre made of rubber, preventing breaks thanks to its elastic capacity. The coupling is able to absorb 2° of angular misalignment, 5,2mm of radial misalignment and 6mm of axial misalignment, which enables itself to adapt easily to the of heavy load machines’ working conditions as the bucket elevators.
¿What happens in case there is a break? How could we prevent the material from falling?
In case there is a break, it is enough changing the elastic element, and in order to avoid falling the load, the tyre coupling can be manufactured with security mortises. Consequently, the load would remain suspended in the air.
In the following picture, we can see an example of the coupling with these components. The security mortises (marked in blue colour) are fixed, so that they avoid the load falling down and preventing any possible accident.
