Moving Difficult-To-Handle Bulk Materials With Flexible Screw Conveyors

Flexible screw conveyor systems can be engineered to transport bulk materials that tend to pack, cake, smear, break apart or fluidize, and can prevent the separation of blended products.

Flexible screw conveyors (Fig. 1) are suitable for most bulk materials, from sub-micron powders to large pellets, both free-flowing and non-free flowing. They are capable of conveying bulk materials at any angle — over or under obstructions, and through small holes in walls or ceilings. They have the advantage of simple construction, low space requirements, reliability of operation, and favorable economics. Although alternate conveying methods may be preferable given upon the application parameters of a project, this article is limited specifically to a discussion of flexible screw conveyors relative to materials that are problematic to convey.