Bucket chain excavator
A bucket chain excavator (BCE) is a piece of heavy equipment used in surface mining and dredging. BCEs use buckets on a revolving chain to remove large quantities of material. They are similar to bucket-wheel excavators and trenchers. Bucket chain excavators remove material from below their plane of movement, which is useful if the pit floor is unstable or underwater.[1]
History[edit]
The first documented use of a bucket chain excavator was in 1859 by Alphonse Couvreux, a French entrepreneur. Several Couvreux BCEs were used in the construction of the Suez Canal.[2]
Overview[edit]
A bucket chain excavator works similarly to a bucket wheel excavator, using a series of buckets to dig into the material before dumping it in the bucket chute and depositing it through a discharge boom. The primary difference is that the buckets are mounted on a flexible chain similarly to a chainsaw blade rather than on a rigid wheel. BCEs are used primarily to excavate material below the vehicle's superstructure while bucket wheel excavators focus primarily on excavating top soil overburden and/or resources.[3]
BCEs vary in range and size, although the majority of them are extremely large, with some capable of excavating 14,500 m3/h. The average BCE from Tenova Takraf for example, weighs around 1,150 tons and has a combined length of 58.5 meters, with a 23.5 meter long bucket ladder. The speed of the bucket chain is 1.22 m/s with a digging force of 1,170 kN/m2.[4] BCEs such as the RK 5000 from the Czech Republic weigh up to 5,000 tons.[5]
Nevertheless, bucket chain excavators are usually smaller than bucket wheel excavators, dragline excavators or conveyor bridges due to the limitations of excavating materials below the base of the vehicle.
Structure[edit]
The superstructure of a bucket chain excavator is similar to that of a bucket wheel excavator.
The primary component of bucket chain excavators is the bucket ladder and the bucket-chain. Unlike the buckets on a BWE, the buckets on the chain face downwards, allowing the machine to remove overburden or materials significantly below the bench or travel level.[6]
The megaton excavator materials are deposited through the bucket chute. Material can be transferred to a bench conveyor directly or via a discharge boom or mobile conveyor bridge.[6]
Like the BWEs, bucket chain excavators also feature a fixed or rotating superstructure with a counterweight boom that allows the cutting boom a certain degree of verticality.[7] Likewise have a substructure equipped with either a rail or crawler-mounted undercarriage for mobility and transportation.[6] Some BCEs have 'hopping' pontoons similar to those found on walking dragline excavators.[5]
Gallery[edit]
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Two BCEs supporting a conveyor bridge. -
RK 5000 BCE with walking mechanism. -
Open pit mining in Cottbus-Nord -
Bucket dredger Heimdall -
Bucket dredging
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Tenova TAKRAF. (2007). Retrieved from Tenova Takraf Mining Equipment Archived 2011-12-06 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Keith Haddock. Giant Earthmovers : An Illustrated History. MotorBooks International. pp. 173–174. ISBN 978-1-61060-586-1.
- ^ "Service manual Kobelco Hydraulic Excavator". 2021-12-25. doi:10.31764/jpl.v2i2.6149. ISSN 2775-1384.
- ^ "Bucket Chain Excavator ERs (K) 800".
- ^ a b Avery Thompson. "How a 5,000 Ton Excavator "Walks" Away When Its Work Is Done".
- ^ a b c "Bucket-Chain Excavators".
- ^ "Bucket chain excavator".
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