Unlike competitive solutions, the Thayer Scale Bridge Breaker® flow aid vibrates only the material contained within a vessel—it does not transmit vibrations to the vessel’s walls.
The Bridge Breaker flow aid ensures reliable discharge of materials that tend to bridge or cake due to compaction or cohesion, preventing free and consistent material flow. Its design solves one of the biggest problems encountered in highly automated process industries: the reliable removal of bulk solids from storage bins or hoppers. The Bridge Breaker Flow Aid is typically used with dry bulk solids that are prone to compaction, bridging, or inconsistent discharge.
Thayer Scale’s whisper-quiet Bridge Breaker flow aid gently shakes the material—not the bin—eliminating arching and bridging in hoppers and chutes of all sizes. It can be installed in existing bins, hoppers, and chutes and adapts to square or circular bins to maximize your existing investment and save time. Its simple bolt-to-bin installation makes it easy to get up and running. With many alternate designs, vibration of the hopper walls can cause material to further compact, increasing the likelihood of bridging above the discharge opening.
Thayer Scale’s Bridge Breaker Flow Aid works by applying mechanical agitation directly to the material within the hopper through one or more internally mounted screens. The screens can be constructed from expanded metal or solid bars and can be sized and configured for each specific application. They are connected to externally mounted vibrators through sealed isolation mounts and are positioned at critical locations within the bin to eliminate bridging and reestablish consistent discharge. The system can be supplied with a programmable controller for automatic operation to maintain a steady, consistent feed rate, enabling more reliable weighing, batching, or process control.
Benefits of Bridge Breaker
- Shakes the material, not the bin – Rapid vibrating motion applied to internally mounted, isolated screens, reduces stress and damage to the bin or hopper.
- Whisper-quiet operation – Vibration isolated, internal screens for less audible noise compared to other typical vibrator, knocker or air solutions.
- Adapts to square or circular bins – Configurable to fit a wide range of bin, hopper, and chute sizes and shapes.
- Simple bolt-to-bin installation – Easily installs on existing equipment with minimal modification.
- Lower cost to buy and install – Simple, lightweight components installed on existing vessels reduce both upfront cost and installation time.
