Optimal Layout of the Head Drive for a Self-Supporting Bucket Elevator of High Productivity

The article deals with bucket elevators of high productivity. The demand for grain crops is growing worldwide, requiring transportation, transshipment, and storage in huge volumes. Based on this, it is urgent to solve the problem of increasing the productivity of bucket elevators in the self-supporting version. The problem is that increasing performance requires increasing the drive's power, leading to a significant weight increase. This imposes a limit on the height of the bucket elevator. A considerable weight at a high altitude significantly reduces the stability of the structure itself. For the most part, this problem was solved by limiting the height or productivity of the bucket elevator. The construction of a self-supporting bucket elevator, possible layouts of the head drive, and advantages and disadvantages were considered. Three bucket elevators with different heights, productivity, and belt width were selected to determine the optimal layout. Four drive options were calculated for each design, and a comparative analysis was carried out using a graphical method. The analysis showed that one of the biggest problems is the displacement of the center of mass relative to the central plane of the bucket elevator. As a result, means to ensure the smallest displacement coefficient relative to the vertical axis of the bucket elevator were presented. Advantages, disadvantages, and the possibility of constructive implementation of the layouts were also considered.