Drum conveyor: a powered roller conveyor for upright 200-litre steel drums, sized by roller pitch and roller load

01

Roller pitch under a 571 mm drum base: always three rollers in contact

Interroll's conveyor roller planning guide sets the pitch so that at least three rollers are always in contact with the conveyed item, and says to keep the pitch as small as possible for tall loads. [1] The drum fixes the length available: Duttenhöfer's 216.5 L tight-head steel drums to ISO 15750-2 have an internal diameter of 571 mm and a total height of 882 mm. [2]

Editorial calculation: to keep three rollers under a base about 571 mm across in any position, the pitch can be no more than about 571 ÷ 3 ≈ 190 mm; the drum's outside diameter at the chime is somewhat larger than its internal diameter, so take the real figure from the drum supplier's drawing.

Interroll's load ratings assume the item rests along the whole useful length of the roller, and it asks for the application to be checked when an item touches less than 50% of that length. [1] Editorial note: a round drum base crosses the rollers near its edges only along short chords, so the outer rollers under a drum see that kind of short contact; this is a point to put to the roller supplier. Interroll also gives the useful roller length as the item width plus 50 mm, or plus 100 mm for heavier loads such as pallets. [1]

Send the conveyor supplier the drum drawing (outside diameter at chime and rolling hoops, height), the range of drum types (steel, plastic, fibre), and whether drums travel upright only or also on their sides.

02

Roller load against a full drum: relative density up to 1.5, 400 kg net, and 600 N rollers in the cold

The drum's filled weight depends on the product. Duttenhöfer lists approvals for its 216.5 L drums that include relative densities of 1.4 and 1.5 (at 250 or 300 kPa test pressure), and 49 CFR 178.504 caps a steel drum at 450 L capacity and 400 kg net mass. [2] [3] Interroll's 1700 heavy roller, which it lists for drums among other medium-to-heavy loads, is rated as follows between −5 and +40 °C: [1]

Interroll gives the same roller a 3,000 N maximum load, 2 m/s maximum speed and −28 to +40 °C range, but the static load between −28 and −6 °C is 600 N. [1] It warns that the more uneven the weight distribution, the less reliable the transport — if the weight is concentrated on the first rollers under the load, those under the far side carry little and the front ones can be overloaded — so more than three rollers may be needed under an item. [1]

Editorial calculation: 216.5 L at relative density 1.5 is about 325 kg of contents, or about 3,190 N before the drum's own weight; shared evenly by three rollers that is about 1,060 N each, and by four about 800 N. That is within the 3,000 N rating at 600 mm between frames, and within 1,760 N for a Ø50 × 1.5 tube at 800 mm, but above the 600 N allowed below −5 °C — a drum line in a cold store or unheated dock needs a different roller choice or closer pitch. At the 400 kg regulatory maximum the load is about 3,920 N.

State the heaviest filled drum (volume × relative density + tare), the frame width, the temperature range of the conveyor area, and whether drums are dropped or slid onto the rollers at loading points.

03

Turning and stopping an 882 mm drum: tapered rollers in curves, soft ramps, declines checked for tipping

Interroll recommends tapered rollers in curves, with their length calculated separately, and notes that the higher a load stands relative to its footprint the more it risks tipping during conveying. Its advice for tall loads: keep the pitch small, avoid hard acceleration and braking — with motorised rollers the start and stop ramps can be set — and on declining sections find the centre of gravity and check the tipping risk. [1]

Editorial calculation: an 882 mm tall drum on a 571 mm diameter base stands about 1.5 times as tall as it is wide, and its centre of gravity rises as it is filled; the stop and start ramps tested with empty drums will not be the ones that matter.

Interroll also points out that the conveyed material in contact with the rollers changes their resistance to turning, so a steel chime and a plastic drum base will not behave alike on the same section. [1]

Ask for curve radius and tapered-roller layout, the acceleration and deceleration set for full drums, and how drums are stopped at the filler, capper and scale (stops, gates, accumulation zones).

04

What the drum brings to the rollers: welded chimes, rolling hoops and an approval mark

49 CFR 178.504 requires steel drum chimes to be mechanically seamed or welded, allows separate reinforcing rings, and lets drums over 60 L carry at least two expanded or two separate rolling hoops, which must be fitted tightly and not spot-welded; 1A1 is the code for a non-removable-head drum and 1A2 for a removable-head drum. [3]

Duttenhöfer's 216.5 L range is listed as type-tested and approved packaging, with each variant's approval carrying its packing group, relative density and test pressure. [2] Editorial note: the chime is what the drum stands on and the rolling hoops are the widest point of the body, so the roller surface under the chime and the height and gap of the side guides should both be set from the drum drawing, for every drum type the line will run.

05

What to send for a drum conveyor

Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.

Drums: [types; outside diameter at chime and hoops; height; tare]
Load: [heaviest fill — volume × relative density; regulatory maximum]
Layout: [straights; curves and radii; inclines or declines; transfers to filler, capper, scale, palletiser]
Rollers: [frame width; pitch; tube size; powered or gravity; motorised zones]
Control: [stops, gates, accumulation; start and stop ramps]
Environment: [temperature range; washdown; hazardous area]

See manufacturer records Send an enquiry through CNFX