Text 11. Grain-Conveying Equipment

Conveying equipment often has to move grain contaminated with straw or weed seeds at angles varying from vertical to horizontal. It should be self-cleaning to avoid contamination of different varieties of cereal.

Augers consist of a helical screw in a closely fitting tube. The screw projects at the inlet end of the tube and there is a slide to control the amount exposed. An electric motor at the other end drives the screw.

Augers convey grain at any angle from the horizontal to the vertical, but the greater the angle the less the throughput; they are self-cleaning.

Chain and flight conveyers consist of horizontal chain with cross bars or flights running between the flights.

This type of conveyer is suitable for horizontal use or at very slight angles. It is not self-cleaning and therefore gives a certain amount of grain contamination.

Endless belts are used for horizontal conveying and are self-cleaning and efficient.

A long wooden trough is suspended on flexible wooden strips and pushed backwards and forwards by an eccentric drive from an electric motor. These are durable and self-cleaning but have a limited output, particularly when the grain is wet. They are only suitable for horizontal conveying.

A series of small metal buckets is fitted to a canvas belt. The buckets dip into the grain in the foot of the conveyer, raise it to the top, then flick it out as they turn over the top. These are only suitable for vertical conveying but are not affected by the moisture content of the grain; they are also self-cleaning.