An excavator bucket is an attachment for heavy equipment which is designed to be used in site excavation. Buckets can be attached to excavators, tractors, cranes, and similar types of equipment. They come in a range of sizes and shapes. A similar tool known as a scoop looks much like an excavator bucket, but carries a lesser volume of material.
Typically a material such as steel is used to make an excavator bucket, because the attachment needs to be durable and very strong. Classically, one side is toothed, with the teeth acting to break up material as the bucket is dragged through it, loosening the material so that it will be easy for the bucket to scoop up. The teeth also absorb impact, sparing the bucket itself from damage and reducing long term wear and tear.
Excavator buckets are used in a wide variety of settings where people want to perform an excavation. At mines, they can be used to clear the ground to set explosive charges, and they can also be used to scoop up material of monetary interest, such as ore-bearing rocks. An excavator bucket can also be used in construction and demolition to break and remove soil and other materials, or for large trenching applications. While not designed for the purpose of transporting material, excavator buckets are sometimes used to move materials around on a construction or demolition site.
The size of an excavator bucket dictates what kind of equipment it can be used with, and what sorts of jobs it is appropriate for. A typical bucket is very strong and sturdy so that it can withstand heavy loads of materials like wet soil and rock. The attachment point is usually designed to allow the bucket to flex and swivel slightly while it is in use, so that the operator can more precisely control it.
As with any tool, an excavator bucket needs to be maintained properly to work effectively. It is important to regularly inspect buckets for signs of mechanical fatigue such as cracks, and to identify weak points along the point of attachment. These attachments are typically warehoused when not in use, although they may also be stored on site. It is important to avoid exposing an excavator bucket to corrosive or salty conditions which could fatigue or stress the metal, resulting in a catastrophic equipment failure which could expose people to the risk of injury.