ELSEVIER PowderTechnology88 (1996) 81-87

The influence of screw feeders on bin flow patterns

Y. Yu, P.C. Arnold
Department of Mechanical Engineeriug. Universityof Wollongong. Wollongong, NSW, Australia
Received20 October 1995

Abstract

Screw feeders are often used in bulk solid handling systems to control the feed from mass-flow bins with wedge or transition shaped
hoppers. This requires good geometric design of the outlet-feeder combination in order for the bulk solids to be entrained over the full length
of the outlet. Otherwise, unnecessary problems are likely to occur. Achieving an even flow pattern in the bin or hopper can minimize these
problems. There are several methods to increase screw capacity in the direction of feed, e.g. stepped pitch, tapered shaft, tapered screw
diameter; or a combination of these methods. In this paper a theoretical model for achieving a uniform flow pattern is proposed based on the
pitch characteristic of screws. The limitations of some methods for increasing the screw cape~ity are discussed. Experimental studies on the
flow pattern in a wedge hopper with a screw feeder are also included. Four screws of different configurations were investigated on a test fig.
All the screws had increased screw capacity in the flow direction. In the experiments a dividing grid was fitted above the screw to form a
central division over the axis of the screw to isolate each side into a number of divisions which matched the different pitches of the screw.
The results from the experiments are presented and compared with the theoretical predictions.

Keywords: Screwfeeders; Pitch characteristics:Bin flow patterns

1. I n t r o d u c t i o n for interfacing hoppers with screw feeders [ 2,3 ]. Carson [4]

Many industrial processes require controlled feeding.
Screw feeders are one of the most useful feeding devices
whic t not only have good metering characteristics, but also
use relatively simple eomponents and can be designed to feed
reliably many kinds o f bulk solids in a variety of applications.
Screw feeders can be used for different hopper shapes and
are commonly fitted to plane-mass-flow bins or hoppers with
slotted outlets. This requires that specia~ precautions be taken
in the design o f the hopper outlet-feeder combination in order
for the bulk solids to be withdrawn as evenly as possible over
the full length o f the outlet. If this is not the case the draw-
down in the bin will be far from uniform and, in a worse case,
material will only be withdrawn at the rear end o f the bin. To
minimize this problem methods are employed to increase the
volume of the screw in the direction o f flow. Common tech-
niques arc to increase the pitch of the screw, decrease the
shaft diameter, increase the screw diameter, or a combination
o f these.
Bates [ 1 ] studied the flow pattern developed by a screw
feeder in a hopper. A series o f tests on each combination o f
screw and material was undertaken to compare the different
flow patterns. In later papers Bates reviews the requirements
reviews desigq procedures that can help to improve screw
feeder performance. He also discusses the interaction mech-
anisms between proper bin design and optimum screw feeder
design. More recently a theory has been proposed by Roberts
[5] to evaluate the characteristics o f a given screw feeder.
The core of his theory is the proposed criterion for uniform
draw-down, which is used in later papers [6,7] to extend the
concepts to predict the flow patterns generated in the hopper
by a giver screw. Haaker et al. [ 8] discuss a theoretical base
for the volumetric efficiency o f screw feeders ar~ propose a
method for optimal pitch design to increase tile screw capacity
in the flow direction. In the present paper a theoretic~ model
for a uniform flow pattern is proposed based on the pitch
characteristic o f screws. The limitations o f s c m e methods for
increasing the screw capacity are discussed. Experimental
studies on the flow pattern in a wedge hopper with a screw
feeder are also included. Four screws o f different configura-
tions were investigated on a test rig. All the screws had
increased screw capacity in the flow direction. In the exper-
iments a dividing grid was fitted above the screw to form a
central division over the axis o f the screw to isolate each side
into a number o f divisions which matched the different
pitches o f '-he screw. The resalts from the experiments are
presented and compared with the theoretical predictions.

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 Y. Yu, P. C. Arnold~Powder Technology 88 (1996) 81-87

2. Theory for a uniform flow pattern i

I,,i sa.cwexl.
A screw feeder fitted to a plane-mass-flow bin is shown in
Fig. 1. We assume the diameter of the screw flight, the diam-
eter of the core or shaft, and the pitch to be functions of the
conveying direction of lhe screw feeder. At any location x
the relevant geometric variables of the screw are pitch P(x),
outside diameter D(x) of the screw, and core or shaft diam-
eter d(x). I
The cross-sectional area is given by Fig. 2. Directionof materialelementmotion.

In general, the pitch of a screw can be regarded as varying

A(x) =4[ D(x)2-d(x)2]
incrementally rather than continuously. Hence, along the
feeding length the pitch can be expressed as
In one revolution, the screw advances one pitch, P(x). If
the thickness of the screw flight is negligible, the maximum Pt =Xl
theoretical volume withdrawn per revolution is P2=x2-xl
Vt(x) =A(x)P(x)
Pt. = pitch at feeder outlet
This implies complete filling of the screw and no rotation
Within a particular pitch, Eq. ( 1) can be written as
of the material. In reality, however, the material rotates and
follows a helical path at an angle with the plane perpendicular V~(x) =PiA(x)~lv(x) i= 1..... L (2)
to the axis, as shown in Fig. 2.
From Eq. (2), it can be seen that if a screw feeder has variable
Thus, the actual withdrawn volume is
pitches, the transported volume is not a continuous function
V(x) =A(x)r/~(x)P(x) (!) along the feed length but is also incremental. In considering
the flow pattern in a hopper fitted with a screw feeder the
where r/v is the volumetric efficiency. The volumetric effi-
withdrawn volume can be considered separately in each pitch.
ciency is composed of two comp,, =ents: the rotational effect
Within a pitch the average effective area is defined as
and the fullness effect. For screw feeders operating at low
speed, the fullness effect is very small and the screw can be x,
considered to be operating 100% 'full'. The dominant factor Aai= I A,(x)a%(x) dx
influencing the volumetric efficiency is the rotational motion x,-i
which is a function of the screw geometry as well as the
coefficient of friction of the material on the flight face. The
following equation for the volumetric efficiency is proposed: The volume transported per revolution in pitch i is

tan/3c V, = P, Aa, (3)

tan c~c + tan/3c For many processes, the material should be withdrawn
The equations for calculation of a¢ and/3¢ are [9] uniformly from the entire hopper outlet area; this requires a
screw capacity which increases with length. To satisfy this
/3o _,r~(D+d) -2~,P1 requirement the volumetric transportation should be consis-
=tan L2-F;~;~,(ob-Z~J tent with the following equations:
and V2= VI + P2Aal =Aal (PI +P2)
ac = 9o° - 4 , , - /3o

A =A PI+---P2
RearI Hopper i Front a2 al P2
x P(x)
In general,
Vi = V~_ l + P~Aal = Aal (Pi + P2 +"" + Pi)

Pl XL tPt + P2 + " " + P~

A a/----ga ~ (4)
Pi
Fig. I.A screw feederwitha plane-mass-flowbin. and at the feeder outlet
 E Yu, P.C. Arnold~Powder Technology 88 (1996) 81-87
L
A ~ = A,, p'-~L
Eq. (4) is the required criterion for uniform draw-down
performance and Eq. (5) is the boundary conditiot~. From
Eqs. (4) and (5) it can be concluded that the average effec-
tive area in the first pitch has a very important influence on
the performance of the whole screw. In actual applications it
is difficult to provide the increasing capacity of every pitch
to satisfy the criterion. A profile coefficient is introduced to
allow the withdrawal performance of a particular screw to be
compared with the ideal:
A.~-A.~_ , ( Pi- ,/ P~)
fpi Aa '
fp = I for ideal uniform withdrawal performance and fp = 0
for no increment in a pitch.
3. Limitations of some design methods
Typically, screw feeders are designed with a constant-pitch
screw in which the pitch is usually equal to the screw diam-
eter. Unfortunately, a constant-pitch screw is not suited to a
rectangular hopper outlet; it only withdraws material from
approximately one pitch length near the back end of the bin
outlet. There are three main methods to increase screw capac-
ity with length, namely, stepped pitch, tapered shaft or tapered
screw diameter (Fig. 3). The nomenclature in the following
analysis is related to this figure.
3./. Stepped pitch
As shown in Fig. 3(a), along the whole feed length thc
cross-sectional area is constant and within a pitch the volu-
metric efficiency is also constant, i.e.
vt ~ A
(a)
(b)
- ^ A A A P! =P2 . . . . .
I "it Y • y y
I- L
(C)
Fig. 3. Screw configurationsfor increasingcapacity: (a) stepped pitch,
uniformdiameter; (b) taperedshaft, uniformdiameter; (c) taperedscrew
mamete~.~nifo.,'myltch
0.8
(5)
0.6
i 0.4
-~ 02
0.0
1 2 3
Patio P'JPi-I
Fig. 4. Profilecoefficientfpfor a stepped-pitch,uniform-diameterscrew.
A(x) = A
(6)
~lv~(x ) = 71v~
According to Eq. (2) the volume transported per revolu-
tion in pitch i is
V,=t',am,
Comparing this with the required criterion for uniform
draw-down performance (Eqs. (4) and ( 5 ) ) , it can be seen
that a screw with stepped pitch and uniform diameter cannot,
theoretically speaking, provide a uniform withdrawal flow
pattern, because 'there is no increment in the average effective
area. In practice, the variable pitch range of a screw is limited.
Based on experimental investigations and experience, the
minimum pitch should not be less than one third oftbe screw
diameter and the maximum pitch should be approximately
one screw diameter for most materials. If the pitch is too
small the pocket between the shaft and the first two flights is
so narrow that the material compacts and rotates with the
screw. This results in no material being fed into the adjacent
section of the screw. Above the upper bound of the pitch, the
flight forces the material to rotate excessively with the screw
rather than move toward the discharge end and the volumetric
efficiency is greatly decreased.
As a simple case, one can assume a constant volumetric
efficiency. The profile coefficient in pitch i can be approxi-
mated by
P~_,
fpi = 1 P,
The range of the profile coefficient is shown in Fig. 4.
3.2. Tapered shaft, uniform pitch
The pitch is constant along th, vhole feed length as shown
in Fig. 3(b), i.e.
PL = P
Vl Ip The volume withdrawn in pitch i is
V~= PAai
Similar to the case in Section 3.1, a constant volumetric
efficiency is assumed. As an example, the profile coefficient
 Y. Y., P. C. Arnold~Powder Technology 88 (1996) 81--87

hopper with vertical end walls which allows both the hopper
1.o.] ~ dl/D=0.9 ] geometry and the slot opening width to be changed. The four
g 1 ~ dr/o=0.8 I test screws (Fig. 8) are listed as follows:
°'8 ~ ' - - - - - - - . - - . ~ . . _ ~ _ ~ a ~ - ° . 7 I
No. 1, stepped pitch and uniform diameter,
No. 2, tapered shaft and stepped pitch,
0.4 No. 3, variable-width ribbon flight and stepped pitch,
No. 4, stepped shaft and stepped pitch.
,~ 0.2
A dividing grid was fitted over the screw to form a central
0.0 division above the axis of the screw and isolate each zide into
3 4 5 6
a number of divisions which matched the different pitches of
Rado L/O
each screw. The screw was driven by an electric motor via a
Fig. 5. Variation of f~,, with L/D and dn/D for a tapered-shaft screw
shaft-mounted gear box which connected a transducer for
(d/D = I/3 and P/D = 1).
recording the screw torque. The rotating speed of the screw
was varied by frequency control of the drive motor. The screw
1"0t ~ DI/D=-O.5 [ speed or the amount of rotation was measured by a counter.
°., 1 • I
o.o _ i
D~-o.~

,~ 0.2

0.0
3 4 5 6
Ratio L/D
Fig. 6 Variation offp~ with L/D and Dn/D for a tapered-diameter screw
(P/D o=0.7 and d/D = I/3).

in the second pitch is considered in order to understand the

effect of the feeding length L and the shaft diameter dt at the
beginning of the first pitch on the profile coefficient. Their
m~M~ a
relationships are shown in Fig. 5. It can be seen that the profile
coefficient is very sensitive to the ratio d ~ / D which deter- hopper

mines the volume withdrawn in the first pitch. When d n / D is

less than 0.8 the profile coefficient is less ~han 0.5.

3.3. T a p e r e d s c r e w diameter, uniform pitch I ,, ,, I

_

The proposed assumptions are the same as in Section 3.2; Fig. 7. Test rig for screw feeders.
again the profile coefficient in the second pitch is considered.
The rel',~ionships between the geometric variables are shown 5o.3 7s.3 loo.~ m.~ (a)
in Fig. 6.
Because the narrow back et~d is prone to having arches
form over it and it is difficult to fabricate properly the screw
trough and the interface with the bin, the tapered-diameter _~o 6s.3s.~.j~,~ ton ~zs.6 ~b ~
screw is not recommended for most materials.
In the above discussion the volumetric efficiency of the
screw feeder is neglected. However, the volumetric efficiency
decreases with increase in the ratio of the pitch to the screw 50 .ca_/sol__ _.~s,Z.__l~.~ izs-6 ~. (C)
diameter. It also decreases with decrease in the ratio of the "i"ff'~V~; ~ V v ,i v ,,
shaft diameter to the screw diameter. These negative effects
on the profile coefficient are further exacerbated by the inclu- (d)
sion of volumetric efficiency.

4. Experimental
Fig. 8. Configurations of the test screws: (a) No. I, step~d pitch and uniform
The test rig shown in Fig. 7 consists of screws of four diameter; (b) No. 2. tapered shaft mid stepped pitch; (c) No. 3, ribbon flight
different configurations and a variable-geometry plane-flow and stepped pitch; (d) No. 4, stepped shaft and pitch.
 Y. Yu, P.C. Arnold~Powder Technology 88 (1996) 81-87

White plastic pellets were used in the experiments. The

600 - F-- - -
measured flow properties were:
Bulk density Pb 530 kg/m 3
Particle density Ps 893 kg/m 3
Mean equivalent diameter dm 3.7 mm
Effective angle of internal friction 8 44 °
Wall friction angle on mild steel 0w 17°
The effective angle of internal friction and the wall friction
angle on mi!a- steel were determined by measurements with
a Jenike-type shear tester.
I'%] .....
ci
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 08
I
!.0
The material was loosely poured into the hopper. After Ratio xR.
several revolutions of the screw the hopper was refilled and Fig. 10. Flow patternwith screw No. 2.
trimmed level to secure equilibrium conditions in the bulk
material. Measurements of the fall of the level were then taken
at each division after each two successive rotations of the
screw. Preliminary trials confirmed that the flow pattern and
total quantity withdrawn did not show a significant variation
over a speed range from 10 to 80 rpm. Tests rep,.~ted here
were carried out at 20 rpm.

5. Results
J g, --i- I
O.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Ratio xlL
The volume withdrawn was different between the rising Fig. l i. Flow patternwithscrew No. 3.
side and the descending side of the flight. A detailed trial was
done to show the cyclic nature at each side of the screw during
a 360 ° rotation. It was clearly observed that in the first pitch
the volume withdrawn on the rising side was larger than that
withdrawn on the descending side. This observation was pre-
viously described by Bates [ 1 ]. In subsequent pitches, how-
ever, the situation was different. In the downstream pitches
the volume withdrawn on the descending side was larger than ~o-I • 6
that withdrawn on the rising side for all four screws, with the
exception of the last or exit pitch. Figs. 9-12 show the hopper
flow patterns with the four screws. The results presented in 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
the figures were the mean values for both sides. The upper Ratio xlL
boundary line in all the figures is used as the starting or datum Fig. 12. Flow pattt;~nwith screw No. 4.
level of the material.
Fig. 9 shows clearly that at the first pitch of a group of limit the volume withdrawn in the first pitch. The voiume
three equal pitches the volume is withdrawn incrementally, withdrawn at the front side or e:~it end :s greatly increased.
b~:t.~nch an increment is insufficient to pr~luce an even flow The reason for this is that the front vertical wall is beyond
pattern. It can be seen from Fig. 10 that screw No. 2 gives the length of the tapered shaft and located in the pitch with
better results because the ratios d I/D ~ 0.87 and P ~ / D = 0.3 larger length. Although screw No. 3 has variable-width rib-
bon flights and stepped pitch, for the tested material the ribbon
flights seem not to have had the desired effect in increasing
the withdrawn volume in the feed direction. The flow p a t t e r
(Fig. 11) is similar to a screw with full flights and stepped
pitch. Fig. 12 gives a good comparison of the effect on the
J:-7 - B 2 flow pattern between a screw with stepped pitch and a screw
with stepped shaft diameter. In this instance, stepping the
,~ :,oo.'1 "6
I, t O I • , - , • ,
*
:l'0
-
8

, •
shaft provides a more significant increment in withdrawn
volume. Strategies for deciding optimal shaft steps are being
considered.
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 Experiments without the grid in the hopper were also per-
Ratio x/L formed. Flow patterns with screw No. I and screw No. 2 are
Fig. 9. Flow patternwithscrew No.l. shown in Figs. 13 and 14, respectively. Compared with Figs.
 E Yu. P.C Arnold~PowderTechnology 88 (1996) 81-87

A occurred between the dividing plates. Even though this could

modify the hopper flow pattern, the measurements obtained
showed good consistency with those of the theoretical
approach.

6. Conclusions
. , . . . .,0
Based on the discussion of the limitations of several design
0.0 0.2
0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 methods and the results from experiments, some conclusions
Ratio x/L
can be made.
Fig. 13. Flow patternwithoutgrid for screw No. I.
(i) For a screw feeder with stepped pitch, there is no
continuous function for expressing the volume withdrawn

~ e00 r. .= ~ _-_- _ along the whole feed length. The pitch characteristic of a
screw feeder is introduced to aid in the consideration of the
resulting hopper flow pattern.

J,oo] :2 (ii) The volume withdrawn in the first pitch of a screw has
a great effect on the flow pattern. With the practical limits on
~ 200-1 • 6 pitch ( P I / D at the beginning and PL/D at the end) it is
impossible to achieve uniform withdrawal for screws with
,00t only variable pitch
0! - , - , - , - , -

r~ 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 (iii) Techniques such as stepped pitch and/or tapered shaft
can increase the capacity of a screw feeder to provide uniform
Ratiox/L
Fig.14.Flow patternwithoutgridforscrewNo. 2. withdrawal in the feed direction, but these methods have their
limits in application, especially in a wedge hopper with a long
slotted outlet.
(iv) Ribbon flights may be good for sticky or cohesive
o
materials where the gap between the screw and the shaft
prevents material build-up, but, from the experiments, this
No. 3
type of screw is not effective in increasing the capacity of the
~ o \~* ,~_..,___o . ~ screw in the flow direction when used with coarse free-flow-
ing materials.
~o (v) Because of cross-flow of material, the actual condi-
tions in a bin or hopper without a grid are modified. For some
[ l'~n No.l
very free-flowing materials such modification may be sub-
• i - i . i • i •
stantial. This phenomenon is receiving further consideration.
0.0 0.2
0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Ratio x/L
Fig. 15. Comparisonof pr,)filecoefficients: , theoreticalpredictions; 7. List of symbols

I-I,measurements.
A cross-sectional area of screw (m 2)
9 and 10, it can be seen that the profile of the material in the A~ average effective area of transportation (m 2)
hopper was modified significantly. Comparing Figs. 9 and d core or shaft diameter (m)
13, the fluctuations in the profile indicated in Fig. 9 have been D screw diameter (m)
eliminated, while comparing Figs. 10 and 14, an almost com- fp profile coefficient
pletely uniform draw-down has been achieved. This is con- L feed length (m)
sidered an interesting result which warrants further P pitch length (m)
investigation. V volume withdrawn per revolution (m 3)
Fig. 15 shows the results from the experiments and theo- Vt maximum theoretical volume withdrawn per
retical predictions of the profile coefficients of the four revolution (m 3)
screws. For screw No. 3 the comparison was made for a screw
having full flights and the same stepped pitches. It can be Greek letter~
seen that the variable-width ribbon flight did not have a strong
influence on decreasing the effective cross-sectional area of a¢ equivalent helix angle of flight (deg)
the screw. Because the bottom of the grid was set 30 mm over /3c equivalent helix angle of element motion (deg)
the top of the screw flights, some cross-flow may h~ve qSr angle of frction of material on flight surface (deg)
 Y. Yu. P.C. Arnold~Powder Technology 88 (1996) 81--87
r/v volumetric efficiency
pf coefficient o f friction o f material on flight surface
References
[ I l L. Ba~.es,Trans. ASME, J. Eng. Ind., 91 (1969) 295-302,
[2] L. Bates, Bulk Solids Handl., 6 ( I ) (1986) 65-78.
131 L. Bates, Powder Handl. Process., 6 (2) (1994) 215-221.
[4l J. Carson, Powder Balk Eng., (Dec.) (1987) 32-36, 41-42.
[5] A.W. Roberts, Proc. Bulk 2000 Conf., Oct. 1991, Institution of
Mechanical Engineers, London, 1991, pp. I I 1-116.
[6] A.W Roberts, K.S. Manjunath and W. McBride, Trans. Mech. Eng.
(Inst. Eng. Aust.). ME-18 ( I ) (1993) 67-73.
[ 7 ] K.S Manjunath and A.W. Roberts, Proc. PawderandBulk Solids Conf.,
Chicago, IL~ USA, May 1994, pp. 171-188.
[ 8] G. Hanker, M.P. Poppelen. M.P. Jongejana and J.H. Bekhuis, Proc. Int.
Syrup. Reliable Flow of Particulate Solids !1. Oslo. Norway, Aug. 1993,
pp. 551-561.
[9] Y. Yu. Interim Res. Rep. 1. Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Wollongong. Australia, Feb. 1994.