HEAVY ENGINEERING & WEAR PARTS materials for repairs was a challenge . With the rubber lining failing after two months , the operation was experiencing excess downtime , along with associated equipment hire and specialised personnel costs .
The Weir Minerals team was tasked with specifying a rubber lining solution that would exceed the incumbent product ’ s two-month wear life .
The team came up with a double layered rubber lining solution . The bottom layer , Linatex ® 30 mm premium rubber , was selected to improve impact absorption due to its resilient properties . Linard ® 60 was selected for the top layer due to its cutting and tearing resistance to the product reporting to the discharge chute .
Weir Minerals Africa ’ s Technical Lining Manager ensured the order was delivered to the customer site on time , with the re-lining taking place during a planned plant shutdown .
“ The combination of Linatex 30 mm premium rubber and Linard 60 25 mm has lasted for one year with little to no signs of wear ,” the company said . “ This is a 250 % wear life improvement when compared to the competitor product .
“ Sentinel has experienced reduced downtime and costs , with increased plant availability and maintenance staff free to focus on other areas in the plant .”
Steel pipe protection
Kalenborn is celebrating its 100th year anniversary this year , and its industrial wear protection products and services continue to gain references across the mining sector , helping line loading buckets , stationary and mobile conveyors , feeder chutes , crushers , mills , cyclones and sorters .
The world ’ s largest producer of iron ore pellets recently turned to Kalenborn looking for a lining solution that could protect the piping with an average diameter of 0.4 mm that transports 2,500 cu . m / h of material under 3 bars of pressure .
With the iron ore pellet producer ’ s old solution , the pipework needed to be replaced after three years due to wear .
Kalenborn designed completely new steel pipes for the pellet producer in its production hall and lined them with KALOCER , a high alumina ceramic composed of more than 90 % aluminium oxide . Manufactured as plates , KALOCER can be specially shaped for components and cylinders , making it suitable for plant components subject to extreme amounts of abrasive wear .
All the adapter sections – whether concentric or eccentric – were reinforced with ABRESIST , fused cast basalt and KALCOR , and zirconium corundum , Kalenborn explained . The combination of these materials ensured high
Kalenborn designed completely new steel pipes for an iron pellet producer in Brazil and lined them with KALOCER , a high alumina ceramic composed of more than 90 % aluminium oxide
resistance to abrasion and , thanks to its properties , a flow of materials well suited to pipeline transport .
Kalenborn ’ s lined piping system can withstand the described environment at the site six times longer than the previous plastic-lined solution , according to the company .
Having , in 2011 , used this wear protection solution for the first time , the company has since installed over 280 t of ceramic lining in this way .
Getting the GoldLine
It is wet abrasive slurries that Trelleborg had in mind with the development of its GoldLine ® Premium 38 product .
This unique natural abrasion-resistant rubber sheeting product protects mine owners ’ investments in mineral processing plants from wear caused by such wet abrasive slurries , the company says .
This has been proven with a new test designed by the Sweden-based company .
Recognising that limitations in testing of sheeting makes it difficult for engineers to rank , specify and select premium natural rubber compounds , Trelleborg developed SETAT™ – Submerged Elevated Temperature Abrasion Test .
This advanced , rigorous test and performance ranking tool demonstrated that GoldLine Premium 38 offered significantly lower rubber loss than alternative products , maximising sheeting life and , thereby , lowering total cost of ownership for mine operators .
Keith Jones , Business Development Manager
for the product , said : “ In a two-year development program to perfect the sheet rubber ’ s formulation , extensive inhouse SETAT verified the product outranks alternatives in terms of rubber loss .”
Jones said the sheeting , with its distinctive gold colour , represents a significant milestone for Trelleborg in the premium natural abrasion sheet rubber market .
“ A dedicated and collaborative product development effort across multiple Trelleborg operations has culminated in an offering that will help mining and mineral processing operations across Australia manage wear caused by abrasive process slurries ,” he said .
The sheeting is easily applied to steel surfaces using Trelleborg ’ s contact adhesives . It also has excellent workability and flexibility , in particular when applied under tension and compression , the company said . Custom-manufactured roll widths and lengths additionally minimise yield loss or offcuts when lining equipment and pipe spools .
Comprehensive mill relining
“ Replacing steel lining systems inside the confined space of grinding mills is a timeconsuming and demanding job , requiring strict safety measures and highly reliable equipment ,” Jared Le Cras , Director , Mill Reline Equipment at Metso Outotec , says .
The OEM has recently extended its mill reline equipment offering with a high-capacity Mill Reline Machine ( MRM ) to aid the process .
The new robust MRM has a capacity of 4,000 kg , enabling easy and safe replacement of steel lining systems inside even the largest grinding mills , according to the company .
“ With the addition of the high-capacity MRM , Metso Outotec now provides a comprehensive range of MRMs designed to ISO and IEC standards ,” Le Cras said . “ The new MRM is designed for heavy-duty lining replacement tasks , with safety and efficiency as our top priorities .”
Benefits of the Metso Outotec MRM include efficient mill relining enabled by unique mechanical design features ; maximised reliability , thanks to easy data access and wears and spares replacement ; minimised risk , thanks to important safety features ; and comprehensive service support via Metso Outotec ’ s global service network .
In addition to MRMs , Metso Outotec ’ s mill reline equipment offering includes feed chute transporters , Tube MRMs and bolt hammers .
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JUNE 2021 | International Mining 67