En masse bulk material conveyor apparatus

A conveyor apparatus construction for moving a free-flowing bulk material en masse, and comprising:

• an enclosure lower section having an open top;
• a length of formed trough supported by said enclosure lower section at the open top and having a cross-section provided with a horizontal intermediate section joined at each edge with an integral upwardly-sloping side wall;
• an endless flexible bulk material-moving conveyor belt in-part frictionally supported by and substantially conforming to said length of trough cross-section and in-part housed in space located between said length of formed trough and said enclosure lower section;
• conveyor apparatus head roller and tail roller means co-operating with said endless flexible bulk material-moving conveyor belt and being housed in space located between said length of formed trough and said enclosure lower section;
• motor means movably powering said endless flexible bulk material-moving conveyor belt through said conveyor apparatus head roller and tail roller means;
• and
• an enclosure upper section supported by said enclosure lower section at the open top and having opposed side walls extending upwardly along the length of said length of formed trough to thereby increase the volume of bulk conveyed material above the angle of repose of the material, said enclosure upper section side walls each having a lower edge which is positioned above and in spaced-apart relation to one of said length of formed trough integral upwardly-sloping side walls and spaced above and inwardly of the outer edge of said conveyor belt.