WEAR PARTS
Wear to spare
Metso’s new mega-size compress press in
Trelleborg, Sweden, will expand the company’s
range of consumables for the mining market,
being able to create mill lining wear parts
weighing up to 8 t
The use of more energy efficient and long-lasting wear parts
plays directly into the sustainability theme the mining industry
is currently guided by, Dan Gleeson discovers
It is hard to exaggerate the importance of wear
parts in mining operations.
Without them, the milling process would be a
lot less continuous, maintenance procedures
would be riskier and the costs associated with
equipment downtime would be higher.
The same is the case on the mobile equipment
side of the market, with stop and start loading
and haulage operations becoming commonplace
and shovel and truck utilisation being that much
lower.
The higher the throughput, the more important
these products – robust, high strength steels,
composite linings or durable rubber compounds
– are to the mining sector.
Sustainable protection
According to Brent Stokes, Global Director of
Wear Parts and Consumables for FLSmidth’s
mining business, the three main criteria
customers demand from the OEM when it comes
to wear parts are decreased maintenance time,
increased longevity and higher productivity.
“These, in combination, create a lower total
cost of ownership (TCO) for our customers and
improve sustainability,” he told IM.
In recent years, a TCO and sustainability focus
has become more prevalent in the mining space,
Stokes added, which is leading to a new breed of
wear parts.
“Over the past several years, a primary focus
for our research and development has been a
partnership with raw material providers to
incorporate the valuable properties of polymers
and ceramics into our product design and
manufacturing,” Stokes said. “This has created a
new generation of composite wear parts and
consumables including our mill liners, flotation
offerings, FerroCer ® Impact wear panels and Wear
MAX materials.”
The credentials of this new generation of
composite wear parts has recently been on show
at one of Peru's largest copper mines.
The mine in question had seen severe wear
problems resulting in frequent maintenance
shutdowns, with FLSmidth’s Aftermarket team
suggesting the FerroCer Impact wear panels
could improve operations.
To maintain a production rate of 400,000 t/d of
copper, the mine needed to ensure high
availability and high throughput from the plant in
all phases of the process, according to FLSmidth.
It also needed to do this safely and cost
effectively.
A significant challenge was how to reduce the
high wear and tear in the material transfer
chutes, FLSmidth said. “There were more stops
than expected and it was becoming clear that a
new solution would be needed to extend
intervals between maintenance, which would
increase reliability, availability and operating
time.”
To resolve this critical issue, the mine opted to
carry out a test with the FerroCer Impact panels.
Using a unique matrix design, FerroCer impact
wear panels combine the strength and
malleability of steel with the superior abrasion
resistance of ceramics to extend the availability
of crusher chutes and hoppers, according to the
company. These modular panels are designed to
offer the longest possible wear life, extending
production cycles and bringing down cost per
tonne at hard-mineral mining operations. Their
use will reduce maintenance shutdowns,
operational downtime and operating costs,
according to the company.
In Peru, the manganese steel coatings on the
mine’s side walls of the transfer chute, located in
the primary crushing area, had been exhibiting
accelerated wear due to the high abrasion of the
feed material. This required a stop every 30 days
to maintain the equipment, according to
FLSmidth, with the inactivity affecting the
performance of the plant and generating
economic losses for the operation.
“The mine supervisors knew that if they
wanted to significantly decrease the time lost
due to the replacement process, an innovative
product would be required,” FLSmidth said.
A complete analysis of wear patterns and
rates, as well as the equipment's operating
conditions, provided FLSmidth with the relevant
data to decide on FerroCer Impact as the best
alternative, according to Project lead and
FLSmidth Product Support Engineer, Luis Mejía
Beltrán.
“We were sure this would solve the customer’s
problem,” he said. “After previous meetings to
plan the installation details, as well as the
conditions and criteria of the evaluation, the
objectives and goals of the test were defined.
“The objective was for FerroCer Impact to
exceed 30 days of operation with a constant
tonnage of feed received from the FLSmidth
Fuller 60 x113 rotary crusher, the plant’s primary
crushing station.”
Each FerroCer Impact liner weighs only 5 kg
and comprises a set of abrasion resistant ceramic
inserts enclosed in a malleable steel matrix. This
ensures only the top surface of the inserts is
exposed to the impact of the material, according
to FLSmidth. The sides of the inserts are tapered
within the panel, which holds them in place and
prevents material particles and fluids from
damaging the coverage.
In comparison, the manganese steel linings
previously used in the chute have an approximate
weight of 60 kg and an extremely complex fixing
JUNE 2020 | International Mining 43