Tag Archives: Wear parts

FLSmidth FerroCer wear panels increase uptime at Hindustan Zinc operation

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining services, , , , , , , ,

FLSmidth’s FerroCer® Impact wear panels have proven their worth in the mineral processing circuit at Hindustan Zinc’s Rampura Agucha operations in Rajasthan, India, having significantly outlasted the previous manganese liners the lead-zinc mine was using.

By the end of 2018, the mine couldn’t say exactly just how good FerroCer wear panels were as they were still in place over a year since installation.

However, by March 2019, it was confirmed the FerroCer liners had completed about 480 days (16 months approximately) in operation and had withstood some 2.45 Mt of lead-zinc ore conveyed through the U-13 tripper chute, located after the primary crusher at the mine.

This is a significant improvement on the previous 40 mm-thick manganese steel liners, which had a life span of only 23-25 days, according to FLSmidth.

The constant wear on these liners meant the material handling system needed to be frequently shutdown so the worn-out liners could be replaced with new manganese steel liners, which weighed about 50 kg each.

“Because of the elevated location of several chutes, replacement of the liners required safety preparations (such as scaffolding and other access and handling arrangements), with five to six workers required to get inside the chutes to handle the liners,” FLSmidth said.

FLSmidth visited officials at the Rampura Agucha mines in June 2017 and recommended FerroCer wear panels to address the high wear issues in the material handling chutes.

“Each panel comprises a set of abrasion-resistant ceramic inserts enclosed in a matrix of malleable steel, which ensures only the top surface of the insert is exposed to material impact,” FLSmidth said. “The sides of the inserts are tapered within the matrix, keeping them in place and preventing material particles and fluids from damaging the panels.”

Some in-situ results from the 220-day mark showed the wear on the panels measured only 8-10 mm and had withstood around 1.5 Mt of lead-zinc ore conveyed through the U-13 tripper chute.

“This means FerroCer outlasted the previous panels by over 10 times, meaning a much longer replacement cycle,” FLSmidth said.

Clearly delighted with this outcome, Hindustan Zinc is now looking to use FerroCer impact wear panels across its high-impact wear locations, according to FLSmidth.

Praveen Bhardwaj, Assistant General Manager (Mechanical), HZL – RA Mines, Rajasthan, said: “FerroCer has reduced maintenance time due to the much longer replacement cycle, eliminated possible damage to the mother plate and spillage of material due to the highly abrasive nature of ore, and significantly reduced safety hazards. HZL intends to install FerroCer impact wear panels in all the high impact wear locations.”

The results at the Hindustan Zinc site follow on from results from two mines in Australia. One mine operated for more than a year without replacing its wear liners and the other site is on the same track, approaching its first year without the need for liner replacement.

Meanwhile, in a Peruvian copper mine, 24 smaller and lighter FerroCer panels, each made of steel plates with ceramic inserts, replaced six generic liners. After a total of 12.6 Mt passed, with a feed of 7,500 t/h, wear was no more than 3%, FLSmidth said.

“At that rate, FerroCer lasts at least 10 times longer than the most expensive and recognised wear liner on the market.”

Weir Minerals Africa underlines benefits of Linacure wear parts

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining maintenance, Mining services, ,

Weir Minerals Africa says its Linacure® 40 natural rubber compound is engineered to provide superior wear performance to counter fine slurry abrasion.

Locally manufactured by the company, this uncured compound is suitable for applications where hot bonding is the preferred method of installation, the company said.

Using the same formulation principles employed in Weir Minerals standard Linatex premium rubber, Linacure 40 was created to provide a differentiated wear performance when compared with competitor uncured natural rubber products, according to Weir.

“Worldwide tests have confirmed the performance of this wear lining which is rated at 40 IRHD against the ISO 48-2010 standard,” Weir says.

It offers a tensile strength of 215 bar (3,118 psi) and is suitable for use in operating temperatures from -40 degrees centigrade to +70 degrees centigrade, the company added.

Linacure 40 is manufactured in sheet form of varying thicknesses, allowing it to be cut or configured into any shape the application may require, according to Weir, adding it is lighter and more flexible than other wear liner materials such as steel and ceramics. The latter trait makes it easier to handle and install, Weir said.

Typical applications for the product would be to line pipelines, chutes, tanks and hoses.

Baco mining trucks feeling the benefits of SSAB Hardox steels

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , ,

The use of SSAB’s Hardox® 500 Tuf wear plate in Argentina-based Industrias Baco’s tipper truck bodies has extended the product lifespan by around 30%, according to the Nordic-based steelmaker.

Industrias Baco, the first company in Argentina to use SSAB’s specialist steel wear plate in tipper truck bodies, was so impressed by these results that 90% of its tipper bodies are now made with Hardox wear plate.

The switch to Hardox steels from traditional steel has been a fundamental part of the company’s increased sales, according to Patricia Meers, Financial Manager at Industrias Baco. “I believe Hardox steel has been a great part of our sales success. SSAB has helped us a great deal with marketing over these past years, and sales of our tippers have increased greatly with the help of Hardox wear plate. Our clients are very satisfied because the Hardox material is much more hard-wearing and versatile.”

Industrias Baco is mainly focused on producing heavy duty tippers for the mining industry.

Sales Coordinator, Nelson Bacolla, said the addition of Hardox 500 Tuf has led to the creation of new truck model with a design that helps improve the unloading process – reducing the unload time and, therefore, increasing productivity and the bottom line.

“It has been very successful,” Bacolla says. “When it comes to the distribution of the load, the truck functions much better with the new bodywork made from the new wear plate. It is the perfect combination.”

Meers witnessed first-hand the positive change that came when the company started to include Hardox material in the tipper bodies about 10 years ago. The company has also been a member of the Hardox In My Body customer program for two years.

“By having the sign on our products, it shows the customer what material we use. Nowadays customers know about Hardox wear plate and are asking for it. They know it means stronger, more lightweight and more hard-wearing tipper trucks that can carry heavier loads,” she said.

Industrias Baco uses Hardox wear plate for three different tipper truck models. They all take advantage of the same conical shape facilitated by the wear plates, accelerating the unloading process. Hardox 500 Tuf wear plate is used in its newest released tipper body model, while Hardox 450 wear plate is used in two tipper body models – one with cutaways on the side and one half-piped version. Hardox wear plate is also used in the sides and floors of the truck bodies.

Metso to keep its crushers working for longer with O-Series liners

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , , , , ,

Metso says it is expanding its crusher wear part offering by launching a new range of OEM crusher liners.

Available for selected markets from September, the new Metso O-Series offers the right balance between performance, affordability and reliability, the company said.

Olli Heinonen, Head of O-Series development at Metso, said: “The Metso O-Series offers a value-priced alternative that is ideal when you need to focus on optimising daily operations, while our premium crusher wears range ensures additional durability, performance and maximum return on investment.”

The Metso O-Series range is now available for Metso Nordberg® HP Series™ and GP Series™ cone crushers as well as C Series™ jaw crushers, Metso said. In the first phase, the new range will be sold through Metso sales offices, and the accredited Metso distributors in China, Mexico, Central America, and Asia Pacific.

Heinonen concluded: “The Metso O-Series was created in close cooperation and dialogue with our customers to especially meet the business requirements in rapidly developing markets. We are excited about this new range and the new opportunities to help our customers get better control of their operations without compromising on quality. Going forward, we’re looking into bringing further crusher models to the range as well as introducing it to additional markets.”

Metso places rubber, poly-met wear parts facilities under review

Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, , ,

Metso, as part of its Minerals Consumables business area review of manufacturing capabilities in the EMEA region, says it is starting “personnel negotiations” to review the implications at rubber and poly-met wear part production units in Ersmark and Trelleborg, Sweden.

The negotiations concern the potential closure of the factory in Ersmark and the restructuring of the manufacturing operation in Trelleborg, according to the company, and could affect manufacturing related functions and some 150 positions.

Metso confirmed other operations in Sweden are not in the scope of these negotiations.

The Ersmark and Trelleborg units produce rubber and poly-met wear parts used in the mining industry. Today, Metso is a leading player in the rubber and poly-met mill lining business, with a strong service network in all the main mining markets, it said. In addition to Ersmark and Trelleborg, Metso operates nine factories manufacturing synthetic solutions globally.

Sami Takaluoma, President, Minerals Consumables business area, said: “Our target is to utilise the full potential of the most efficient manufacturing methods and optimise sourcing opportunities and logistics. By developing our supply capabilities at the regional and global levels, we are actively responding to changes in the competitive environment, as well as improving our flexibility in fulfilling customers’ needs.”

FLSmidth FerroCer wear panels ready to be proven in Africa mines

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining safety, Mining services, , , , ,

FLSmidth says it is gearing up for trials of its new FerroCer® modular impact wear panels in Africa, following successful tests in countries such as Australia, Peru and India.

The trials, to be conducted on sites in Zambia and Mozambique, are intended to demonstrate significant increases in wear life, a trait seen during other previous tests.

According to Zwerus Voges, Ceramic & Wear Solutions Specialist at FLSmidth, the innovative FerroCer panels represent a significant breakthrough in materials technology.

“The cost effective solution provides much better wear life than conventional panels and also delivers safety benefits to mine operators,” FLSmidth says.

Voges said: “The design of the panel takes advantage of the wear characteristics of multiple materials, and its matrix combines the strength and malleability of steel with the abrasion resistance of ceramics.”

Each panel weighs only 5 kg and can easily be handled by one person, meeting all the safety regulations for size and weight. The compact shape also makes the panels safe and easy to install using standard hand tools.

Voges says the panels have delivered longer wear life in various applications which has meant increased uptime for customer operations.

“FerroCer impact wear panels are particularly suited to high impact wear locations in a process plant, and these include chutes, hoppers, bins, feed boxes and vibrating screen boxes as well as reclaimer and loader buckets,” the company said.

The panels have excelled in nickel, gold, copper and zinc applications, according to FLSmidth, and Voges cites an example where FerroCer impact wear panels provided a solution in a tripper chute application. At this mining operation, the previous panels in use were having to be replaced every three to four weeks, resulting in increased unplanned shutdowns with associated costs.

“Since the FerroCer panels were installed over a year ago, not a single panel has had to be replaced in that application,” he says.

Based on the success of the original FerroCer panel design, FLSmidth recently developed the FerroCer 22 product for lighter applications where the material size is smaller. The larger ceramic surface area coverage on the panel reduces wear on the steel matrix. These panels weight only 2.8 kg.

“All panels are secured by just one bolt and nut, and no scaffolding or cranage is required,” the company said. “This enhances the safety and health of workers during installation, while speeding up the process.”

The compact size of the FerroCer panels also makes it easier to replace just the worn panels. This is a major advantage, especially where wear patterns are uneven and not all the panels in an installation require replacement, according to FLSmidth.

Voges highlights that the cone shape of the ceramic inserts enhances their resilience. It also means the panel wears more slowly over time, as the surface area of ceramic insert widens as it wears.

“The much longer wear life being achieved by the FerroCer panels translates into reduced total cost of ownership, which is a primary driver across all commodity sectors,” Voges concludes.

Miners able to pick ‘n’ mix with latest FLSmidth mill lining components

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining safety, Mining services, , , , , , ,

FLSmidth says it has launched redesigned mill lining components engineered to suit the specific functions and differing operating environments of the mining industry with its.

The new PulpMax™ mill liners are designed to increase the throughput of semi-autogenous (SAG) mills and substantially boost the wear life of liners, the company said.

FLSmidth said: “Delivering on a promise to provide increased productivity to the mining industry, the composite design incorporated in FLSmidth’s new PulpMax mill liners ensure that users enjoy reduced downtime and maintenance, increased throughput and improved worker safety.”

With lighter weight mill liners, installation is faster and safer as each liner is easier to manipulate, according to the company. There are also fewer parts, and, hence, fewer movements are required to perform a reline, resulting in a significant decrease in scheduled downtime.

The composite nature of the liner reduces its weight by almost 50%, according to FLSmidth, which allows the plant to increase its ball charge level without increasing the total weight of the mill.

This higher ball charge further contributes to the higher throughput.

“The lighter weight of these liners has an important impact on size, design and installation time,” the company said. “Each liner can now be larger – subject to the size of the mill opening – and the mill can be lined with fewer of them, reducing the downtime required to conduct replacement.

A lighter liner means fewer bolts to hold it in place, a factor further reducing installation time, according to the company. This shorter downtime also means less time for contractors inside the mills, leading to a faster and safer liner changeout.

Another important benefit of the composite material used in many of FLSmidth’s redesigned liners is it is not necessary to torch the liners, as is sometimes required when removing old steel liners, the company said. “This torching process in the mill is best avoided, as it can cause costly damage to the mill shell,” FLSmidth explained.

Finally, there has also been the development of composite material shell liners bolted from the outside of the mill, once again, speeding up installation and reducing risk.

Jack Meegan, Product Line Manager for Comminution at FLSmidth, said: “As mines increasingly recognise the positive financial impact derived from just a few more percentage points in throughput improvement, many are looking beyond conventional steel cast liners for mills. FLSmidth’s innovations, based on combinations of steel, rubber and ceramic components, allow the liners to be thinner, resulting in a larger volume inside the mill, making higher charge levels possible.”

He continued: “Responding to the continuous assessment of customer needs, FLSmidth has launched a mill liner solution based on extensive data on mill operations, shutdowns, wear profiles and other factors. These have been used to develop a high-end technical and financial solution.”

Following installation, an ongoing measurement of actual wear, tonnage processed and estimated wear life is conducted so further recommendations can be made to improve performance, Meegan explained.

Element Six pits polycrystalline diamond against tungsten carbide at Bauma 2019

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining events, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , ,

Element Six is showcasing a live wear test using a grinding machine at the Bauma exhibition in Munich, this week.

The leader in supermaterials, and part of the De Beers Group, says this will demonstrate the difference in wear rate between polycrystalline diamond (PCD) and tungsten carbide, to showcase the extreme properties of synthetic diamond and the areas in which it can outperform tungsten carbide.

“The test will highlight the potential of PCD as a material to enhance the performance of tools and machines in the construction and mining industries,” the company said.

“The findings from the test will echo Bauma’s own key messages this year around efficiency and sustainability, by proving the ability to significantly improve the performance and safety of machinery.

“Synthetic diamond tools can exceed standard tungsten carbide tool life by 40 times for applications such as road milling, reducing downtime, fuel consumption and machining time, while improving quality and surface finish,” Element Six said.

Speaking at Bauma, Markus Bening, Global Sales Director, Road, Mining & Wear Parts at Element Six, said: “Based on our experience developing synthetic diamond tools for road milling and roof bolting applications, we see huge opportunities for original equipment manufacturers and toolmakers in construction and mining.

“Feedback from end-users in Sweden, where synthetic diamond is today’s standard for road milling jobs, has consistently shown that the benefits can be game-changing in terms of increased machining speeds and productivity.”

He added: “As companies look to embrace forward-thinking concepts like smart drilling and smart mining, longer-lasting tools are at the forefront of their minds. At our booth, we’ll be demonstrating how synthetic diamond and tungsten carbide tools can deliver incredible results in industries seeking the best performance.”

The Element Six booth is located in Hall C3, Booth 536.

Austin Engineering after safety and service life boost with two-piece excavator bucket

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, , , , ,

Austin Engineering has designed and manufactured a new two-piece excavator bucket that, it says, can both improve safety and service life.

The bucket assembly features well-defined reusable upper and consumable lower structures, designed for quick and safe bucket change-outs during scheduled maintenance intervals, the company said.

The bucket has been structurally verified for the nominated fatigue life using both ANSYS FEA software and EDEM simulation, according to Austin. This showed the new bucket assembly will achieve the theoretical target payload at the nominated fill factor. Meanwhile, the upper and lower sections of the new bucket are fabricated with combinations of high-strength steel for maximum fatigue resistance and durability, Austin said.

“The design is focused on safety with extensive consideration given to the potential for ‘stored energy’ safety hazards to exist and these have been eliminated from the design wherever practical,” Austin said.

The reusable upper section maintains overall structural integrity of the bucket assembly for a predetermined service life through multiple change-outs of the lower, consumable, section, according to the company.

The typical baseline service life for the upper section service will be in the vicinity of 30,000 hours; around four-to-five years based on industry expectations of conventional one-piece buckets of similar size and capacities, Austin said.

“Designed to be mine site and application-specific, the upper section offers scope for customisation and benefits proportionate to minimising costs over the assembly’s operational life,” the company said.

The bucket is available as fully-lined or liner-less, while the consumable lower section features a simplified design to improve the change-out time of a complete lower section or the removal and replacement of worn individual components.

For fully liner-less, lower bucket assemblies, the resulting structure uses alternative high strength and wear resistant materials in key areas along with increased thickness of identified structural components, according to Austin.

“Components subject to high wear and impact, such as the main shell and side plates, are designed as modular inserts which can be customised to customer specific operations,” Austin said, adding that these can be easily removed and replaced if required ahead of planned change-out.

Replaced lower sections provide an option for remanufacturing and can be returned to site for storage and direct replacement as required.

Dillinger to put steel under the microscope in new research pact

Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining software, Steel and iron ore, , , , ,

Dillinger has agreed to continue a partnership with two Germany-based research institutes as it looks to enhance the modelling of microstructures and properties of special steels through microstructure-based material design.

The heavy plate producer has, once again, committed €1 million ($1.14 million) of funding for a three-year programme with the University of Saarland and the Material Engineering Center Saarland. This follows the end of a previous three-year pact that started in 2015.

Dillinger said: “The three participating departments at the University of Saarland are working to develop innovative analysis techniques, simulation methods and material models aimed at continuously advancing this insight into the internal structures. They are integrating these methods and models with each other as well as with Dillinger’s application-oriented research activities.”

Simulations are used to link process phases with the product in order to model the microstructure and, thus, the desired product properties, Dillinger said.

“The simulation can be achieved much faster in plate production than with real laboratory tests and, most importantly, can be exactly reproduced accordingly,” the company added.

Already, the findings of previous research, together with knowledge collected over many years and new insights gained through modelling and simulation, have resulted in previously “unimaginable leaps in development that enable Dillinger to respond to increasing customer requirements more precisely, flexibly and innovatively than ever before,” the company said.

This research could lead to a totally different way of developing new steels, according to Dillinger.

“Dillinger will, in the future, be able to precisely define the way a special steel microstructure needs to look to remain optimally prepared for applications under Arctic operating conditions, for instance.”

And, in turn, this could influence the production of heavy plate steel to be used in the mining sector, according to Dillinger’s research and development department.

“The development of wear-resistant steels with higher hardness leads to an improvement in abrasion resistance (development of DILLIDUR 550 or DILLIDUR 600) and longer tool life in the mining sector,” the department told IM.

“With increasing hardness, the toughness of the steel decreases, which makes it more wear-resistant but also very sensitive to collisions with stones, for example. This is why Dillinger develops steels that not only have a high hardness but also a good toughness.

“Compared to Dillinger’s competitors, Dillinger can offer these properties for plate thicknesses of up to 150 mm (development of DILLIDUR 400 to 150 mm and DILLIDUR 550 to 100 mm), which makes it possible to produce tools and construction machinery with sufficient reserves and, thus, long service lives even under extremely abrasive operating conditions.”

Dillinger produced 2 Mt of heavy plate and 2.5 Mt of crude steel last year.