General Information | Theory of Operation

Theory of Operation

Operation of a round bottom conveyor varies greatly from one application to another. Some conveyors are operated much like a standard en-masse conveyor where the trough is full of material up to the top return chain idlers and the entire mass moves along with the chain. Other applications, such as those going up a significant incline, may have the trough only partially filled and each paddle moves an individual pile of material along with it. Any given conveyor application will behave differently depending on the type of material handled so we strongly recommend that all but the most simple applications be referred to the factory for analysis.

The conveyor can be fed by one of two methods: Controlled Feeding or Flood Feeding.

A control fed conveyor has the capacity determined by a feeding device such as a bucket elevator, another conveyor or a process machine. The conveyor speed is set so that the trough conveying area is never more than 95% full.

A flood fed conveyors capacity is determined entirely by the speed of the conveyor. There are three possible methods by which a round bottom conveyor may be flood fed. It is possible to flood the trough by dumping right into the top and passing through the top chain. This requires an extensive distance between the inlet and the tail however so this method is rarely used. More often the material is fed through a by-pass inlet or onto a pan feeder. Use of a by-pass inlet allows the conveyor to be fed right next to the tail section.