What is wear?

It might seem like a simple question, but before we look at the impact of wear it’s worth making sure we have a clear understanding of what it is.

Wear, in the context of rock and mineral processing, is the gradual deterioration and loss of material from the surfaces of equipment components. This can happen to crushers, screens, and material handling systems like chutes and conveyors.

Wear protection

It’s caused by continuous exposure to abrasive forces and impact forces from particles during processing and transportation. Wear can significantly affect the efficiency and reliability of processing equipment, making wear protection and the use of wear-resistant materials critical in maintaining operational performance.

Causes of wear

Wear is primarily driven by the intrinsic stress forces in rock processing operations, and is influenced by several key factors.

Types of wear

There are two primary types of wear that affect mining equipment, both with distinct characteristics and contributing factors.

Consequences of wear

Consequently, wear elevates operating costs, shortens the lifespan of mining plants, and contributes to work-related injuries. On top of that, the need for frequent part replacements and repairs due to wear can lead to operational downtime, further escalating costs and impacting productivity.

Solutions to prevent wear

Wear protection plates act as sacrificial layers of wear-resistant surfaces in mining operations. These plates are typically made from materials such as steel, rubber, ceramics, polyurethane, or composites (a combination of these materials).

These plates are designed to protect equipment from wear and damage, ensuring optimal efficiency and the highest availability of the equipment.

By utilizing wear protection in mineral mining equipment, wear losses could potentially be reduced by 15% in the short term (10 years) and by 30% in the long term (20 years).