Ways to improve material flow through transfer chutes
Designing a transfer chute that promotes rapid material flow is an important part of designing your bulk solids handling system. After discussing how a chute functions, this article describes tests that measured the effects of several variables on material flow through chutes. The final section provides information on interpreting the results and applying them to your own chute design problems.
In a bulk solids handling system, a chute transfers material from one element, such as a storage container, to another element, such as a belt conveyor, process equipment, or a storage container. The chute is as important in achieving smooth material flow as the other equipment: No matter how well the storage container, belt conveyor, and process equipment are designed for the application, a poorly designed chute can cause inconsistent material flow through the system, stop the flow, or create other handling problems.