The Role of Grain Augers in the Agricultural Industry
Screw conveyors—also referred to as spiral conveyors, auger conveyors, or augers—are conveyance systems that consist of a rotating helical screw within a trough or tube. They are suitable for transporting a wide variety of bulk dry or wet materials, such as rocks, powders, and grains, on horizontal or inclined pathways. This quality makes them an effective conveyance solution for many industries.
Below, we highlight the role of screw conveyors in the agricultural industry. We discuss what grain augers are and how they work.
What Is a Grain Auger?
A grain auger is a screw conveyor designed to handle agricultural grain products. It is used to deposit grain into a bin or silo for storage purposes as well as retrieve grain from a bin or silo for further processing or distribution. Agricultural professionals use it to facilitate various grain harvesting and transportation operations.
How Does a Grain Auger Work?
Similar to other screw conveyors, grain augers are made up of a rotating helical screw component—known as flighting—contained within a trough or tube. A drive motor connected to the system turns the screw, which picks up and moves any material fed through the inlet to the discharge end. Depending on the configuration of the system, the material can be moved horizontally or diagonally to accommodate different material handling operations.
Custom Grain Augers at Reinke & Schomann
Grain augers are essential for any grain farming operation. By allowing users to adjust the elevation and angle of conveyance, they make transporting grain from one location to the next easy. Custom ones offer even more benefits as they are tailored to the exact needs of the application.
Looking for custom grain augers for your agricultural facility? Reinke & Schomann is here for you! We have extensive experience engineering and manufacturing custom screw conveyors for a wide range of industries and applications. Our design capabilities include:
Style: We construct screw conveyors in both horizontal and inclined configurations. Other style options include a tapered shaft, variable pitch, and non-standard diameter.
Shaft Type: We offer centerless pipe, solid, and tubing shafts.
Direction: We provide right-hand and left-hand screws.
Screw Diameter: Our standard screws come in sizes ranging from 2–24 inches (51–610 mm). However, we can produce custom sizes depending on the needs of the customer.
Construction Material: Our conveyors are made from durable materials that can withstand the harsh conditions typically found within agricultural applications. Materials options include abrasion-resistant alloys, Hastelloy, Inconel, mild steel, Monel, nickel alloys, and stainless steel.
Finish: We offer the following finishing options to increase the durability of our systems: flame spray, galvanizing, hard surfacing, and custom painting.
Resistances: By carefully choosing the material and finish, we ensure each conveyor system exhibits the proper resistances to damage. They can have abrasion resistance, corrosion resistance, heat resistance, and/or wear resistance.
Features: Our experts customize each screw conveyor to the needs of the customer. Some of the feature options we offer include trough liners, wear shoes, standard and special bearings, and standard and special drives.
For more information about our custom screw conveyor capabilities, check out our custom screw conveyors page or contact us today. To discuss your equipment needs with one of our experts, request a quote.
