COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE BAE-1105

Auger Conveyors

Pete Bloome
Extension Agricultural Engineer Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Fact Sheets
are also available on our website at:
Sam Harp http://osufacts.okstate.edu
Manager, OSU Farm Building Information Service

Gerald Brusewitz Large bins, or bins which are filled more than once a year,
Associate Professor, Agricultural Engineering should be served by permanently mounted unloading augers.
Permanently mounted unloading augers may have inclined
Auger conveyors, sometimes called screw conveyors, or vertical discharge sections as shown in Figure 3.
are the most common method of handling grain and feed on Vertical augers can be used as the central elevating
farms. The purpose of this fact sheet is to describe various mechanism in a grain or feed system. However, if the annual
types and uses of augers. Capacities and power requirements volume to be handled is more than 30 to 10,000 bushels, a
are given to aid in planning and selection. Information is also bucket elevator should be used.
given to aid in selecting motors and V-belt drives. In certain applications, such as, dump pits or bulk bins,
Augers are available in various types and sizes designed augers can become overloaded if the flighting is exposed
for different jobs, some of which are illustrated in Figure 1. to the weight of the grain. In these cases, auger covers or
Portable or transfer augers are available in 6-, 8-, and 10- auger shields are used. Gates or baffles, half-pitch flighting,
inch diameters and lengths from 20 to 60 feet. They can be or auger sections with reduced size or tapered flighting may
powered by PTO, electric motor, hydraulic motor, or gasoline also be used.
engine. Mobility is the most important feature, and nearly all
on-farm grain systems include a transport auger.
Bin unloading augers may be permanently set or moved Auger Pitch
from one bin to another. If a metal sleeve is placed in the bin Auger pitch refers to the distance between correspond-
foundation, or through the bin sidewall, the unloading auger ing points on consecutive turns of the auger flighting or the
can be inserted when needed, as shown in Figure 2. distance the conveyed material moves with one revolution

A. transport auger F. vertical auger

B. horizontal overhead auger G. drive-over dump auger
C. unloading auger in plenum of drying bin H. unloading auger in bin foundation
D. sweep auger
E. unloading auger for cone-bottom bin
Figure 1. Augers are available in various sizes and types for different conveying jobs.

Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources • Oklahoma State University

 Table 1. 6-inch auger conveyor handling dry shelled
corn*

Auger Intake Angle of Elevation

Speed Exposure o• 45° go•
RPM inches bu/hr hp/1 0' bulhr hp/1 0' -- bulhr
p

200 6 590 .20 370 .33 220 .25

12 590 .28 500 .44 280 32
18 620 .32 510 .47 310 36
24 630 .44 555 .55 350 .40
400 6 970 .35 650 .60 380 .46
12 1090 .56 850 .88 520 70
18 1174 .74 940 1.02 560 eo
24 1190 .97 1010 1.18 660 .92

·~.r:· ': -.:~. :~-:;·.·.· ~·.:·.· :1.~ ·.·,;::;=;::;:;~;:::-·

..-.:';..":·:. . ..-. .•.·:.·.·. .••. . . ..·"'!'
r:. ...<f.· .•. .4::' .· # .~ ·:., ·~.;.~: :~· ::• .
tl 600 6 1210 .49 820 .62 490 .64
12 1510 .84 1160 1.28 740 1.05
Figure 2.1f a metal sleeve is placed in the bin foundation 18 1650 1.17 1270 1.52 800 1.23
or sidewall, an unloading auger can be inserted when 24 1700 1.47 1444 1.80 720 1.40
needed, and one auger can serve several bins, of the 800 6 1320 .58 890 .95 40 .77
same or different sizes. 12 1760 1.07 1370 1.62 890 1.32
18 1990 1.57 1510 2.08 1000 1.64
2140 1 95 1740 2'39 1100 1 89

• Moisture content, 14.5 percent wet basis.

Source: Research Bulletin No. 740, Purdue University Agricultural
Experiment Station.
grains; particularly oats. The power requirements of Tables I
and 2 may also be used for augers handling ground or cracked
grain or concentrate feed rations. Multiplying bu/hr by 50 will
give approximate auger capacity in lbs/hr. To use Tables 1
and 2 for soybeans, reduce capacity values by 25percent and
increase power values by 40percent.
Several important rules are illustrated in Tables I and
2.
1. As angle of elevation increases from Odegrees to 90de-
A B grees, auger capacity decreases.
2. Power requirements increase with angle of elevation to
45degrees, then decrease as the auger goes to 90de-
Figure 3. Bin unloading augers with A) a vertical discharge grees.
section using a right-angle drive and B) an inclined dis- 3. Auger capacity and power requirement increase with
charge section using a universal joint. auger speed. Practical limits are 1,000 RPM for 4-inch
augers and 800 RPM for 6-inch augers.
4. Auger capacity and power requirement increases with
intake exposure. At long exposures, the power require-
of the auger. Most augers are standard pitch with pitch ap- ment increases at a greater rate than capacity. Normal
proximately equal to the auger diameter. exposure for standard pitch augers is 2 to 3 times auger
diameter.
5. Auger length has no effect on auger capacity orthe power
Capacities and Power Requirements requirement per foot of length. Auger lengths are limited,
The capacity of an auger is affected by: auger diameter, however, by the maximum torque that the auger shaft
auger speed, length of intake exposure, angle of elevation, and coupling pins will carry. This length is usually 60
and kind and moisture content of grain conveyed. The length to 100 feet, unless the auger is of special design. For
of the auger will affect the power requirement, but not the longer distances, augers can be cascaded, as shown
capacity. in Figure 4.
Tables 1 and 2 present capacities and power rerequire- 6. When handling wet grain, auger capacity is about 60
ments of standard pitch auger conveyors handling shelled com. percent of the capacity in dry grain. Horizontal augers
Horsepower is that required at the auger drive shaft. Power handling wet grain require several times the power re-
loss in the drive train is generally estimated at 1Opercent, quired for dry grain. Augers inclined 45 degrees require
to be added to the table values. Tables I and 2 may also be about twice as much power for wet as for dry grain. The
used for wheat, grain, sorghum, oats, barley, and rye, though power requirement in vertical augers is the same for wet
conveying capacity will be somewhat less for some of these or dry grain.

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Selecting Augers
The quality of augers available for farm use varies greatly.
Quality is usually reflected in useful life and reliability, though
it may affect capacity as well.
Less expensive augers have bearings at the drive end
only. When these augers are operated empty, wear is exces-
sive as the flighting contacts the case.
More expensive augers have bearings at both ends and
intermediate bearings along the shaft. They usually have
heavier gauge flighting and casings. Some capacity is sacrificed
due to intermediate bearing mounts, though this problem is
reduced by using U-trough augers as illustrated in Figure 5. Figure 4. Augers may be cascaded over long distances.
Auger life and reliability are increased by selecting large
diameter augers and U-troughs and operating them at low
Selecting Motors and Drives
speed. Auger life and reliability are most important for augers
which are difficult to repair or replace; such as, overhead Tables 1 and 2 can be used to determine the power re-
augers or augers in dump pits. quirements for augers. The table values must be multiplied for
auger length and then increased by 1Opercent for drive-train
power loss. If the auger will handle wet grain, be sure to use
the wet grain power requirement.
Table 3 may be used to select motors based on calculated
auger Hp and continuous operation. When electric motors must
Table 2.Auger conveyor handling dry vs. wet shelled corn* be mounted in positions other than horizontal, they should be
with 12-inch intake exposure. equipped with thrust bearings.
Electric motors over1/ 2 Hp should be operated on 230
Auger Moisture Angle of Elevation volts, controlled by a motor-starting switch, and have the
Speed content% oo 45° goo grounded neutral wire attached to the motor frame for shock
RPM wet basis bu/hr hp/10' bu/hr hp/10' bu/hrhp/10 protection. Properly sized overcurrent protection must be
used. If an ordinary on-off switch is used, install time-delay
4-inch conveyor
200
fusetrons or fusestats sized to 115percent of the name-plate
14 150 .12 120 .15 60 .11
400 14 290 .29 220 .29 130 .25 operating current.
700 14 470 .43 350 .52 220 .41 Fractional horsepower (FHP) V-belt drives are frequently
1180 14 650 .63 460 .81 310 .67 used with grain augers. Larger motors require multiple V-belt
drives.
6-inch conveyor Table 4 is presented as a guide for selecting pulleys for
200 14 590 .3 500 .5 280 .4 V-belt drives powered by 1750 RPM electric motors. The speed
25 370 1.4 280 1.3 160 .4 ratio is the ratio of motor RPM to the desired auger RPM. This,
400 14 1,080 .6 850 .9 520 .7 then, is the desired ratio of auger pulley diameter to motor
25 690 1.8 510 1.8 300 .7
pulley diameter. When the motor pulley diameter has been
600 14 1,500 .9 1,160 1.3 745 1.1
selected, it may be multiplied by this ratio to determine the
25 950 2.4 680 2.3 380 1.1
800 14 1,760 1.1 1,370 1.6 890 1.3 required auger pulley diameter. Several pulley combinations
25 1,100 2.8 770 2.8 470 1.6 are given in Table 4 as examples.
V-belt drives are limited in the Hp that can be carried per
8-inch conveyor belt. This value is determined by the type, size, and length of
200 14 1,050 .5 900 .9 490 .7 belt; the speed and size of the small pulley; and the ratio of
25 670 3.5 510 2.3 280 .7 pulley diameters, which determines the belt contact length on
400 14 1,950 1.1 1,530 1.6 940 1.4 the small pulley. Small diameter pulleys should be avoided
25 1,250 3.5 930 3.4 550 1.4 for this reason. For electric motors up to 3 Hp, the minimum
600 14 2,700 1.6 2,100 2.4 1,500 2
recommended pulley outside diameter is 2 1/ 2 in.
25 1,700 4.3 1,220 4.2 680 2

1a-inch conveyor Safety Considerations

200 14 2,000 1 1,700 1.6 930 1.3
Augers can represent one of the greatest safety hazards
25 1,250 4.6 950 4.2 525 1.3
400 14 2 2,850 3
on farms. All exposed auger drive assemblies should have
3,650 1,750 2.5
25 2,300 6 1,700 6 1,000 2.5 safety shields. All auger intakes should be covered by a grate
designed to keep hands, feet,and clothing from contacting
* Table values may also be used for wheat, grain, sorghums, oats, the auger flighting or being caught between the flighting and
barley, rye, ground grain and concentrate feed rations. Multiplying case. The grate should easily support the weight of a man.
bu/hr by 50 will give the approximate lbs/hr capacity when convey- A deadly hazard exists for anyone in a grain bin when
ing meal or concentrate feed rations. For soybeans, reduce capacity the unloading auger is started. Deaths occur annually from
values by 25% and increase values by 40%. suffocation and injuries inflicted by the unloading auger in this
Source: Research Bulletin No. 740, Purdue University Agricultural
situation. Many of these victims are children.
Experiment

BAE-1105-3
 Table 3. Motor selection for continuous conveyor opera-
tion.

Calculated Electric Motor Gasoline Engine

TROUGH COVER
Conveyor Hp. Size, Hp Size, Hp

Up to .27 1f4 ,,2

28 to 35 ,,3 2f3
36to 55 ,,2 1
.56 to .81 3f4 1'/2
.82 to 1.10 1 2
1.11 to 1 60 11f2 3
SCREW 1.61 to2.10 2 4
• CONVEYOR 2A 1 to 3.20 3 5
3.21 to 5.25 5 8

Values from Tables I and 2 multiplied for auger length and increased
IOpercent for drive train power loss.

Table 4. Pulley sizes required for various auger speeds

powered with 1750 RPM electric motors.
U- TROUGH
Pulley Combinations
Desired Required Motor Auger Actual
L.....--- CONVEYOR HANGER
Auger Ratio, .. Auger Pulley Pitch Pulley Pitch Auger
Speed PulleyDia. Dia. Dia. Speed
FigureS. U-trough conveyors have the advantages of being
RPM Motor Pulley Dia (in.) (in.) (RPM)
fully bearing-mounted, easily loaded at any point along the
conveyor, easily repaired, and give longer service life.
200 8.75 2.0 17.5 200
2.2 19.0 203
300 5.83 2.2 13.0 296
Disconnect power to the unloading auger before entering 3.2 18.5 303
the bin, or place an on-off switch at the point where the bill is 400 4.38 2.4 10 5 400
entered, or use a power lockout switch. A knotted safety rope 3.6 16.0 394
hanging near the center of the bin offers some protection. A 500 3.50 2.3 8.0 503
second person standing by can offer assistance and summon 3.6 12.5 504
aid. 600 2.92 2.4 7.0 600
An air pocket sometimes forms when grain bridges over 3.6 10.5 600
unloading augers due to spoiled grain or moisture accumula- 700 2.50 2.2 5.5 '700
tion. Never walk on the grain surface if this occurs. One can 3.2 80 '700
be trapped when the pocket collapses. Break up the pocket 3.4 85 700
by using a long pole from outside the bin. 800 2.19 2.4 5.2 808
Wear an effective dust mask when exposed to grain dust. 3.6 8.0 788
In particular, avoid breathing mold dust from spoiled grain. 900 1.94 2.3 4.5 894
When children are present on the farm, never engage 3.6 7.0 900
any machinery before checking on the possible presence of 1000 1.75 2.8 5.0 980
a child. 3.2 5.5 1018
4.0 7.0 1000

motor RPM
Calculated as , the speed ratio.
desired auger RPM

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Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension wort<, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agricu~ure, Robert E. Whitson, Director of Cooperative Exten-
sion Service, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater. Oklahoma. This publication Is printed and issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the Vice President, Dean, and Director of
the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and has been prepared and distributed al a cost of 20 cents per copy. 0607

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