Lining of working wheels
The process of pumping slurry, which is a suspension of fine soil particles and liquid in the mining industry, used in the beneficiation of ore minerals and other technological processes, is successfully implemented by using dredge or slurry pumps. Counteracting the high abrasiveness of such an environment is an extremely challenging task, as the equipment that interacts with the pumped slurry is subjected to intense wear.
Materials and Protection of Components
The most vulnerable components of slurry pumps are made of wear-resistant materials, and additionally, components that have failed can be easily replaced. The working components of the pump are protected by special armor disks, ensuring a prolonged service life of the equipment. Moreover, such pumps can be equipped with flushing systems that prevent possible clogs and ensure continuous operation.
Types of Wear
- Hydroabrasive wear: the greatest threat to pump components that interact with slurry.
- Cavitation wear: caused by the formation and collapse of gas bubbles in the liquid.
- Mechanical wear: due to the friction of particles in the liquid against the surface of the pump components.
Increasing Wear Resistance
Typically, the components of slurry pumps are made with the use of alloy steel and its subsequent heat treatment to increase the mechanical strength of the parts. Chromium, nickel, vanadium, tungsten, silicon, and manganese are used as alloying additives to improve the properties of steels. The use of cast iron for these purposes is limited due to its low wear resistance. Rubberizing certain parts of the pump is sometimes an effective means of combating wear, but it is not recommended when pumping slurry with large soil particles.
Weartech Lining Technology
Relying on its many years of experience in protecting equipment subjected to critical wear, Weartech offers its customers a lining technology with superhard compounds that has proven highly effective in maintaining the operability of slurry and dredge pumps under the harshest production conditions. Lining based on silicon and zirconium oxides has extremely high resistance, especially in the hydraulic transport of abrasive rocks in saturated solutions of various chemical compounds. This type of lining has proven itself well in terms of reliability, durability, and ease of maintenance. Silicon oxide-based lining is actively used by our company to protect shut-off valves, pump flow parts, and other areas with high abrasive wear.
