Conveyor Bucket

Shaft sinking with devil bucket (1894)

A conveyor bucket is a transported goods support , which in mining and tunnel construction for well production and depths of wells is used. The capacity of the bucket has a major influence on the performance of a shaft hoisting system. Since conveyor buckets are only used for conveying in the shaft, they always remain on the conveyor rope and are filled or emptied on the suspended bench or at the filling point .

Historic designs

Depending on the shape and size of the shaft, a distinction is made between three bucket shapes, the ordinary bucket, the box bucket and the rocking bucket.

The ordinary bucket

Common conveyor bucket

The common bucket is available in two types, either with a circular or oval cross-section. The oval bucket becomes larger towards the top, the circular bucket is uniform in circumference. The oval delivery bucket is much more useful because on the one hand it has greater strength due to the combination of the staves and on the other hand because the center of gravity of the bucket is above the center of the bucket. By shifting the center of gravity to the upper area of the bucket, the bucket can be unloaded better. The larger opening also makes it easier to fill.

Structure and use

The bucket is made of oak staves . To improve stability, the bucket is covered with three straps. The bottom and the edge are mechanically stabilized and protected with tape holders. At the upper edge there are two iron eyelets into which an iron bracket is hung. In Freiberg mining, this bracket is also called Quentzel. That is to the bracket conveyor cable by means of tow hooks attached. So that the rope hook on the bracket cannot slide back and forth, the bracket is provided with a loop in the middle. There are also buckets that have several iron eyelets at the top to which chains are attached. The capacity depends on the material to be conveyed and is between 1 1/3 and 3 cubic feet , depending on the type of bucket . There are one and two-man buckets with different capacities. The empty weight of the bucket is between 14 and 24 kilograms, depending on the design of the bucket, with a payload of 50 to 150 kilograms. In the Saxon Ore Mountains, the two-man bucket has a capacity of up to 2,500 Leipzig cubic inches . It can be filled with up to a hundredweight of ore. The bucket is used to convey ore and also to lift water. In tunnel construction, the bucket was only used to sink the shaft . To remove the bucket on the suspended bench, the bucket is swiveled manually onto the flooring of the suspended bench and the rope is released at the same time. In the underground filling point, the bucket is pulled out of the shaft with a hook to hang it off.

Box bucket

The box bucket is used in shafts in which the use of ordinary buckets is not feasible. They are also used in shafts with a length of tonnes, because there the container is pulled directly into the shaft and it is not necessary to reload the conveyed material into the bucket. The buckets are pulled into the shaft and placed on a rack trolley along the way and transported away.

Structure and use

The box bucket has a right-angled, usually square, shape. Its capacity is between 15 and 20 cubic feet. The surface of the bottom of the bucket is reinforced and covered with iron, as this part of the vessel is heavily stressed by being put on and taken off frequently. Iron rods or chains, so-called Quenzel chains, are used to attach to the rope hook. Since the chains can be attached better to the rope, attachment by means of chains has prevailed. The corners are reinforced with iron corner fittings so that the bucket walls are not pulled together during conveyance. For unloading, the box bucket has a flap at the rear end that is locked with an iron rod. This rod is secured with a bolt. If the box buckets are used in saigeren shafts, they are provided with guide devices that ensure safe transport through the shaft.

Rocker bucket

The rocking bucket is also called a Silesian box . It is shaped like an overturned pyramid. In the distance the promotion of these buckets are placed on a plate rack up to three. For shaft conveying each bucket is individually struck to the conveying cable and supported by the shaft. Pivots attached to the sides, which are screwed tightly to the bucket, serve as guide shoes. Two guide slats are nailed together in the shaft so that they form a guide channel for the pivot pin. On the suspended bench, the shaft opening must first be closed with a trap door. Then the vessels are placed on a rack trolley. Then the rocker buckets are brought to the discharge site for emptying.

Abteufkübel Zeche Friedrich der Große Schacht 6, Herne, during the visit of Chancellor Erhard in 1965

Abteufkübel of the Lüderich mine , in front of the Bergisches Museum for Mining, Crafts and Trades in Bergisch Gladbach

Modern feed buckets

In modern mining, conveyor buckets are mainly used when sinking shafts. These conveying vessels, which are therefore also known as sink buckets , are made of steel, have different sizes and can accommodate up to 8 people on the cable car. The shape resembles a cylinder with a conical bottom and top. The stop bracket is permanently connected to the bucket by bolts and is attached to the hook of the hoisting rope with a shackle . Conveyor buckets are approved carriers and are therefore also used as part of access equipment for abandoned or deferred mines or when converting shafts. In such cases, for example, a special truck-mounted crane with a long rope, a so-called mobile rope winch, serves as the hoisting machine . A so-called guide carriage , which slides on (usually two) guide ropes, is used to guide the bucket .

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b Gustav Köhler: Textbook of mining history. Second improved edition, Verlag von Wilhelm Engelmann, Leipzig 1887, pp. 379-380.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Franz Rziha: Textbook of the entire art of tunneling . First volume, published by Ernst & Korn, Berlin 1867, pp. 305–308.
^ ^A ^b ^c Carl Hellmut Fritzsche: Textbook of mining science. Second volume, 10th edition, Springer Verlag, Berlin / Göttingen / Heidelberg 1962, pp. 74–79.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gustav Köhler: Textbook of mining science. Sixth improved edition, published by Wilhelm Engelmann, Leipzig 1903, pp. 427-429.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Emil Stöhr: Catechism of Mining Studies . Lehmann & Wentzel bookstore for technology and art, Vienna 1875.
↑ ^a ^b Georg Agricola: Twelve books on mining and metallurgy . In the VDI-Verlag GmbH commission, Berlin, pp. 123–125.
↑ ^a ^b ^c Ernst-Ulrich Reuther: Textbook of mining science. First volume, 12th edition, VGE Verlag GmbH, Essen 2010, ISBN 978-3-86797-076-1 , pp. 211-212.

Web links

Commons : Abteufkübel - collection of images, videos and audio files

A septic tank! Retrieved on July 4, 2013 (picture of a sink bucket).
Conveyor Bucket. Mineral Atlas, accessed July 4, 2013 .

[Quelle_3-1] A ^b Gustav Köhler: Textbook of mining history. Second improved edition, Verlag von Wilhelm Engelmann, Leipzig 1887, pp. 379-380.

[Quelle_6-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Franz Rziha: Textbook of the entire art of tunneling . First volume, published by Ernst & Korn, Berlin 1867, pp. 305–308.

[Quelle_1-3] A ^b ^c Carl Hellmut Fritzsche: Textbook of mining science. Second volume, 10th edition, Springer Verlag, Berlin / Göttingen / Heidelberg 1962, pp. 74–79.

[Quelle_7-4] Gustav Köhler: Textbook of mining science. Sixth improved edition, published by Wilhelm Engelmann, Leipzig 1903, pp. 427-429.

[Quelle_2-5] Emil Stöhr: Catechism of Mining Studies . Lehmann & Wentzel bookstore for technology and art, Vienna 1875.

[Quelle_5-6] Georg Agricola: Twelve books on mining and metallurgy . In the VDI-Verlag GmbH commission, Berlin, pp. 123–125.

[Quelle_4-7] Ernst-Ulrich Reuther: Textbook of mining science. First volume, 12th edition, VGE Verlag GmbH, Essen 2010, ISBN 978-3-86797-076-1 , pp. 211-212.