GEAPS 543:
Grain Elevator Equipment Maintenance:
An Inside Look at Key Components

Course dates: Jan. 9-Feb. 10, 2012
Registration deadline: Dec. 30, 2011

Registration for this course is now closed.

Course goal: This course will familiarize participants with the proper and safe function, monitoring, adjustments, maintenance and repair of equipment used in everyday grain-facilities operations.

Target audience: This course is designed for people with responsibilities relating to maintenance and repair of grain-elevator equipment.  It is intended for grain-facility operators; people with day-to-day equipment responsibilities; elevator superintendents with physical-plant responsibilities; location or regional managers with equipment-oversight responsibilities; maintenance personnel or elevator workers with equipment-maintenance and repair duties; millwrights; equipment suppliers and salespeople; or anyone with a professional need to learn more about elevator-equipment operation, maintenance and safety.

Lead course developer: Gary Songeroth, president, PMI LLC

The Course of Study

Lecture 1 — An Overview
This lecture will provide an overview of the course, describe goals, discuss what equipment is being covered and what is not, provide a basic look of main grain-facility equipment and describe what it does.

Lecture 2 — Bucket Elevators
This lecture will provide an in-depth description of how bucket elevators function, describe their parts and components, discuss design capabilities and limitations and what can go wrong. It will also discuss troubleshooting, the main places to look for problems and how to fix them, and maintenance safety.

Lecture 3 — Drag conveyors
This lecture will provide an in-depth description of how drag conveyor function, describe their parts and components, discuss design capabilities and limitations and what can go wrong. It will also discuss troubleshooting, the main places to look for problems and how to fix them, and maintenance safety.

Lecture 4 — Belt conveyors
This lecture will provide an in-depth description of how belt conveyors function, describe their parts and components, discuss design capabilities and limitations and what can go wrong. It will also discuss troubleshooting, the main places to look for problems and how to fix them, and maintenance safety.

Lecture 5 — Screening/cleaning/scalping
This lecture will provide an in-depth description of screening, cleaning and scalping equipment, describe their parts and components, discuss design capabilities and limitations and what can go wrong. It will also discuss troubleshooting, the main places to look for problems and how to fix them, and maintenance safety.

Lecture 6 — Distributors/Valving/Gates
This lecture will provide an in-depth description of how distributor, valving and gating equipment functions, describe their parts and components, discuss design capabilities and limitations, and what can go wrong. It will also discuss troubleshooting, the main places to look for problems and how to fix them, and maintenance safety.

Lecture 7 — Dust suppression and dust collection
This lecture will provide an in-depth description of how dust-suppression and dust-collection equipment function, describe their parts and components, discuss design capabilities and limitations and what can go wrong. It will also discuss troubleshooting, the main places to look for problems and how to fix them, and maintenance safety.

Lecture 8 — Power drive transmissions
This lecture will provide an in-depth description of how power-drive transmissions function, describe their parts and components, discuss design capabilities and limitations and what can go wrong. It will also discuss troubleshooting, the main places to look for problems and how to fix them, and maintenance safety.

Lecture 9 — Screw conveyors and bin sweeps
This lecture will provide an in-depth description of how screw conveyors and bin sweeps function, describe their parts and components, discuss design capabilities and limitations and what can go wrong. It will also discuss troubleshooting, the main places to look for problems and how to fix them, and maintenance safety.

Lecture 10 — Maintenance methodology
This lecture will discuss baseline preventive-maintenance, including wear and lubrication issues, the importance of keeping equipment-maintenance records, different types of recordkeeping systems available, the benefits of regular maintenance, and maintenance safety.