Any industry that handles highly abrasive materials knows the high cost of abrasive wear on parts, the cost of repair and replacement of these parts, and the associated downtime related to these activities that adds additional expense. In fact, the amount of material removed from mining equipment by various types of wear is the major factor limiting the life of that equipment. Factors such as high throughput rates and conveying velocities in numerous hydraulic and pneumatic systems also result in significant wear.

Machine component wear is one of the costliest problems in aggregate and mining industries. Some estimates place wear costs at 25% of turnover, or approximately $1 billion. However, design and/or material changes can potentially reduce this cost by 50% or more!

When equipment wear items must be replaced, it involves both a material and a manpower cost and, if it requires production to be stopped, costs can skyrocket. Mine managers seem to agree that the costs and difficulties associated with repair and replacement of slurry piping and equipment is a big headache.

Experience the benefits of urethane wear liners

Polymers offer a number of distinct advantages over metals. Polymer sheets generally cost less to produce, are lighter than steel thus easier to handle, resist corrosion, and cushion the load – thus resisting wear more effectively than metals because they have better elastic deformation properties under contact pressure. Polyurethane sheets are also easier to cut and form into place than steel – reducing downtime and labor costs.

For example, data shows the wear-and-tear of pumps and piping used to move water and slurries in many mines is responsible for a significant fraction of the entire cost of the mining industry. However, this cost can be significantly reduced by changes in lining materials used in these and other high wear points of abrasive and corrosive wear. It’s widely believed that the harder the material, the better its wear resistance. This is true in a general sense, but wear effects can also be significantly reduced by lining steel pipes and other wear points with various polyurethane products.

Ideal applications for polyurethane liners include:

• Round and square spouts
• Hoppers, bins, surge tanks
• Chutes, ducts, flumes
• Conveyor troughs
• Elbows, pipe bends
• Cyclones
• Belt scrapers, skirtboards
• Distributors, turnheads
• Truck beds
• Lining pipes
• Material transition/transfer points
• Mixer troughs
• Scrubbers
• Dissolving tanks
• Washing drums
• Vibrating troughs
• Tailing lines

In addition, thanks to the patented process of embedding ceramic chips into polyurethane sheets developed at the Rhino Hyde division at Tandem Products, the wear resistance, strength, and cost savings of ceramic chip polyurethane sheets are significantly enhanced.

Unlike other urethane sheeting, Rhino Hyde is custom formulated to address wear problems specifically in material handling applications, such as abrasion from sliding, impact, and impingement. And, Rhino Hyde sheets are cast in specially designed vertical molds that ensure uniform sheet thickness and minimize surface blemishing. Sheet components such as ceramic chips are precisely integrated in the vertical mold casting process. No other urethane sheet manufacturer has this specialized equipment and has this level of expertise in formulating and casting wearable urethanes for specific applications.

The Rhino Hyde formulations were derived as a result of extensive field testing programs initiated by Cargill engineers, a process that continues in some of the most severe wear applications found in the world.

Ceramic Rhino Hyde sheeting is a tough elastomeric polyurethane embedded with ceramic chips. This combination offers the outstanding abrasion resistance of alumina ceramic, one of the hardest substances known to man, with the resiliency and impact resistance of Rhino Hyde polyurethane. Ceramic Rhino Hyde is designed for critical abrasion and impact areas where a longer wear life is desired, particularly high throughput areas. These ceramic polyurethane sheets are available with a 13-gauge expanded metal backing in thicknesses of 5/16”, 3/8”, and ½” overall and are produced in standard 4’ x 10’ sheets.

The ease of installation of regular and ceramic Rhino Hyde polyurethane sheets saves time and money, too. The polyurethane sheets can be cut to any desired size and shape using a ¼” metal shear, power jig saw or hand-operated nibbling tools. Use of high-speed saws such as circular saws is not recommended because the heat generated by the saw can cause decomposition of the urethane and emission of potentially toxic gases. For the highly abrasion resistant ceramic Rhino Hyde polyurethane, a carbide grit blade is recommended for use.

Rhino Hyde polyurethane sheeting can be formed to many complex shapes by simply hand-forming, with the use of breakpresses or rolls, or using bolts to draw and form the sheet into place. The manufacturer recommends that 18 gauge expanded metal-backed sheets be used in round spouts and areas where substantial forming is required. It is more flexible than 13 gauge expanded metal sheets, which are recommended for square or rectangular spouts and other flat areas. Fabric-backed and plain sheets have the greatest flexibility of all the Rhino Hyde line of sheeting and are the easiest sheets to form.

Solving one of the most critical problem in the mining of highly abrasive materials is the extension of wear life of your core components. Ceramic embedded polyurethane is an economical approach to address these critical wear areas in your facility. Not only is this option economical, it is a labor-saving tool – easy in and easy out – easily replaced and easily installed.

For more information or a free quote on ceramic embedded polyurethane and other Urethane Wear Products such as Rhino-Screen, belt wipers, mixer liners, and more, contact your Rhino Hyde dealer, Gulf Atlantic Industrial Equipment, at (800) 792-7427 or Info@GulfAtlanticEquipment.com.