Good experience with new-generation feeders (Eur. Pat.)
Even after more than a dozen years in service, the first few machines are still showing hardly any wear on their floor chains, despite the heavy forces acting on them. Just how long the floor chains will last is therefore still a matter of conjecture.
Due to the fact that the hoppers narrow toward the top, the entire bulk weight rests on the floor chain, hence causing high frictional adhesion with accordingly accurate feeding action, even in the already implemented large-volume feeders with a useful content of 2 000 m³ and a clear width of 8 000 mm. The same applies to the smallest mobile version, too, with its 30 m³ volume (»1), which follows on the heels of the excavator in the pit. The low circumferential velocity of its paddle shafts minimizes the feeder‘s wear and power requirement. Now, a new development even enables the storage, metering and drying of moist mineral and agrarian bulk materials.
