Abstract: Analyzed here in the paper are the working conditions and causes for and characteristics of failure of the steel pipe chain conveyor. It is pointed out that any failure of the conveying chain proper would seriously affect the production cycles and operation costs as well. Based on the conventional chain conveyor，and relevant operation experiences， a special steel pipe chain conveyor is designed，featuring a front-extending guide slide and a guide pressing plate as added，increased heights of both sides of the bottom guide rail，and the guide rail width adjustable as per the chain width. The actual operation shows that the newly-designed steel pipe chain conveyor is advantageous in tremendously prolonging the service life of the chain proper，and reducing failure rate of the conveying system.