Materials Mill Circuit

University

Materials Basics Course

Draft 5-Mar-2018
Overview

Introduction to Weir Materials

Alloys
• Introduction to Weir Alloys
• WCI basics
• Weir Cast Irons Roadmap
• Foundry process & common defects
• Typical field wear patterns - alloys
Elastomers
• Introduction to Natural Rubber
• Synthetic elastomers
• Elastomer Chemical Resistance Charts
• Common rubber defects, wear patterns & failures
Introduction to Wear & Materials Selection

Hard Rock Mill Circuit Selection Guide

Weir Alloys
Introduction to Common Weir Alloys - Nomenclature

A series: Abrasion-resistant alloys

Wear parts in pumps, cyclones, crushers, mills.

C series:Stainless steels
Structural applications & niche wear parts
(corrosive duties)

D series:Ductile irons
Slurry pump outer casings – non-wear material
E series:Engineering steels
Shafts, sleeves, impeller release collars,
structural but non-wearing components

N series: Nickel alloys

Used only in very corrosive environments, poor
wear properties
Alloy Identification

Weir alloys can be easily identified by paint colour

Colour List for Wet End
Spares and SG Iron Parts

Material Code Primer Colour

A04, A05, A06,

A07, A14, A08

A12

A25

A49, A48

A51, A53
A55, A52

A61, A62, A63

A64, A65, A68

N02, N04, C02, C03

C23, C25, C26,
C61, Z02, N22

3 Digit Experimental Alloys

eg: A218, A225, A228
A073, A217, A214, A055

D20, D21, G01

All Fabrications
White Cast Iron Basics

A-series alloys – Abrasion resistant alloys

• Predominantly White Cast Irons (WCIs)

• White cast irons are the main materials cast in Weir foundries
• Used in centrifugal pump wear parts, some GEHO pumps, hydrocyclones
Grey iron
• They are called “white” irons because the colour of a brittle fracture is
white in colour
• Compared to a “grey” iron

• White irons have been used for many years in mining wear applications

• Weir has a wide selection of A series white irons designed for specific
applications White iron
White Cast Iron Basics

• White cast irons have a structure that consists of

• A very hard carbide phase – provide wear resistance
• In a hard ferrous matrix – the “glue” holding the carbides

Ferrous matrix; 600-800 HV

Hard carbides; 1500 HV

• The carbides in white irons are much harder than
steels
• Carbides the white iron more wear resistant than steels, even though
bulk hardness might be similar

• Key factor – the carbides are harder than most mineral 250µm silica
erodents,
particle
• Eg, silica = 1200HV
Weir White Cast Iron Roadmap

Resistance
Corrosion
A53

A49 A238

A14 A05 A62 A68

A61 A63
A152
A31

Toughness Wear Resistance

Weir Casting Process

Pattern Fill with resin-coated sand Position core in mould

& cure

Break-out & fettle Assemble & clamp

Pour metal mould halves
Heat treatment
Common Casting Defects 10

Blown defect – Break in – poor Burn in – sand quality, pouring

impurities in mould breaker/runner design temperature, metallurgy,
refractory coating

Cold fold / cold lap – cold Sand inclusions – dirty Shrinkage – sub-optimal
metal during pouring moulds casting method
Shrinkage 11

• Shrinkage is caused by contraction of the metal as it

transforms from liquid to solid state
• The feeders on a casting are designed to minimise this by remaining
liquid until the body of the casting has frozen

• This is the most common defect to see in a worn

component
• Shrinkage forms in the last areas to solidify – the centreline of the
casting

• Some alloys are more susceptible

• When you see this in the field it should be reported
back
• It can be fixed on future castings, but isn’t a warranty issues except in
severe cases
Metal Wear – Examples of Typical Wear Patterns 12

Mill discharge slurry wear

Fine particle wear worse at feeder pads,

coarser microstructure is normal here
Metal Wear – Examples of Typical Wear Patterns 13

Large particle slurry wear

Elastomers
Rubber & Polyurethane
Contents 15

• What is Natural Rubber

• Natural Rubber Manufacturing Process

• Conventional vs. Linatex ® Process

• Compression Moulding Process

• Synthetic Rubber

• Chemical Resistance of Rubbers

• Rubber Manufacturing Defects

• Rubber Wear and Failure

What is Natural Rubber? 16

• Columbus was the first European to see

rubber
• Encountered South American natives
playing with balls made of coagulated
rubber gum
• 230 years later Charles Goodyear discovered
and named “vulcanisation” in 1839
• His invention: Heating rubber gum & sulfur on a stove to
make an industrially useful material

• Rubber is now a multibillion dollar industry,

touching all our lives
What is Natural Rubber? 17

• Natural rubber is derived from the sap of the

Hevea Brasiliensis tree.

• This sap is called “latex “

• When dried, displays strain induced

crystallization property i.e. high strength
without need of reinforcing agent.
What is Natural Rubber?
What is Natural Rubber? 19

Natural rubber is a ……

• high molecular weight,

• long chain,
• Stereo-regular polymer (the chemical structure
repeats in a consistent manner)

CH3

~~~ CH2 C CH CH2 ~~~

Natural Rubber Manufacturing Process 20

Two common natural rubber manufacturing

processes:

1. Conventional Dry Rubber Process

Raw material: Coagulated rubber, curatives,

reinforcements, other additives

Machinery: 2-roll mill or Internal Mixer

2. Latex Phase Compounding Process

Raw material: Latex liquid, curatives, other

additives
Machinery : Compounding or mixing tanks,
dipping or wet extrusion

The raw end product is called the “compound”

Wet vs Dry Compounding of Natural Rubber 21
What is Vulcanisation? 22

Vulcanisation is the process that turns rubber into a useful engineering material

Rubber gum Crosslinked

Sulfur
(1,4-polyisoprene) rubber
Manufacturing Process (Compression Moulding) 23

Typical Compression Moulding Process

Synthetic Rubbers 24

Synthetic Rubbers
▪ Synthetic rubbers were seriously developed in WW2, when
the Allies had restricted access to NR plantations of South
East Asia

▪ Today, synthetic elastomers are used in applications where

the environment exceeds the limitations of Natural rubber.

▪ Typical Applications:
Polychloroprene
▪ Oil resistance

▪ Fuels

▪ Chemicals

▪ High Temperature

▪ Ozone

▪ Gas Permeation Resistance

Synthetic Rubbers 25

Oil & Solvent Resistant Rubbers

▪ Neoprene™ (CR)

▪ Nitrile Rubber (NBR)

▪ Hydrogenated Nitrile Rubber (HNBR)

Synthetic Rubbers 26

Heat & Chemical Resistant Rubbers

▪ Fluoro- & Perfluoro- elastomers

▪ Hydrogen substituted for fluorine in chemical structure

▪ Extreme heat & chemical resistance

▪ Butyl (IIR), Halobutyl (CIIR) & Hypalon™ (CSM)

▪ Silicone Elastomers

Sealing Rubbers
▪ Ethylene Propylene Diene Rubber (EPDM)
Synthetic Rubber – The Trade-off 27

Relative Erosive Wear Rate of Elastomers

10

7
Reltaive Wear Rate

0
NR CR IIR CSM

R55 S42 S21 S31

Chemical Resistance and Application of Rubber 28
Chemical Resistance and Application of Rubber 29
Chemical Resistance and Application of Rubber 30
Chemical Resistance and Application of Rubber 31
Chemical Resistance and Application of Rubber 32
Chemical Resistance and Application of Rubber 33
Common Rubber Component Defects 34

Splits Air Traps

Undercure Bonding Fault Punctures

Exposed Reo
Rubber Wear – Examples of Common Rubber Wear 35

Typical smooth rubber liner wear

Rubber Wear – Examples of Rubber Failure 36

Typical worn rubber components

Bulk Thermal Breakdown Exposed Thermal Breakdown

Plus internal undercure pinholes
Rubber Wear – Examples of Rubber Failure 37

Typical worn rubber components

Foreign body (tramp) causing severe thermal

breakdown and gouging
Introduction to Wear &
Materials Selection
Outline 39

Introduction
Abrasion and Erosion
▪ Examples

Erosion characteristics
▪ Turbulent flow
▪ Surface properties
▪ Particle size
▪ Impingement angle

Wear mechanisms: metal vs rubber

Basic material selection: metal vs rubber
Introduction – what is wear? 40

Wear is “damage to a solid surface, generally involving progressive loss of material,

due to relative motion between that surface and a contacting substance or substances”
[ASTM G40 – 12]

Wear of solid bodies occurs due to mechanical interactions such as caused by

cavitation, impingement by liquid jets or drops or by solid particles, or relative motion
against contacting solid surfaces or fluids

Wear material loss can also be influenced by chemical action (e.g. corrosion) which
may impact synergistically with other mechanical processes
Abrasion and Erosion 41

Abrasive wear is the progressive loss of

material from solid surface due to hard
particles (held rigidly) or,
hard protuberances forced against and
moving along a solid surface
Abrasion=f(velocity) Erosion wear is the progressive loss of material
from a solid surface due to mechanical
interaction between that surface and a fluid
CRUSHERS, SHAFT containing hard solid particles
SLEEVES Erosion=f(velocity2~3)
PUMPS, PIPES, BALL
& SAG MILLS
Abrasion – examples 42

Pump Shaft Sleeve Jaw Crusher Plates

Gyratory & Cone Crusher Liners HPGR Tyres

Erosion – examples 43

Impeller Frame Plate Liner Insert Rubber-Metal throatbush

Volute or CP/FP liner Rubber hose

Erosion: Turbulent flow and particles 44
Erosion: Surface properties determine erosive wear 45
Erosion: Particle size determines impact type 46

a) d85 < 0.1mm

small normal impact e.g. fine
force tailings

b) 0.1 < d85 < 2mm

medium normal force e.g. beach
sand

c) d85 > 2mm

high normal force e.g. gravel
Erosion: Angle of impingement effect changes with material 47
Basic wear mechanisms: Metal 48
Basic wear mechanisms: Rubber 49

Elastomers deform under force transference from particles:

▪ If deformation is elastic, then wear is either chain-scission or “smearing” and/or fatigue crack propagation
▪ If deformation is plastic, then wear is by grooving or scratching

smearing

scratching
 Basic material selection: Metal or Rubber? 50

Metal Rubber
Large particles & rocks Small particles
▪ e.g. Oil sands hydro-transport pump impellers and volute ▪ e.g. Ball or Rod mill slurry discharge pump linings
linings
▪ E.g. Some ball and rod mill linings
Sharp particles ▪ e.g. Mill circuit pump throatbush (no adjustment)
▪ e.g. some mill circuit applications
Large rounded particles
▪ E.g. mil circuit pump throatbush (adjusted)
▪ e.g. River gravel pumping, dredges
High energy / high velocity of impact Lower energy / low velocity of impact
▪ e.g. SAG mill linings
▪ e.g. smaller slurry pump impellers / non-MC pump
High energy steep impact angles When cost is a factor
▪ e.g. Mill discharge slurry pump impeller
▪ Sometimes customer prefers frequent change-out, rather
than pay more for longer-life metal pump linings
Materials Selection by
Circuit
Circuit Materials Selection 52

Weir has a wide range of materials choices

▪ This section is intended to demonstrate where to best apply this range by customer
process

▪ An upgrade path is outlined, showing which materials to choose for better

performance

▪ The recommendations are a guideline based on a view of many circuits

▪ Selecting materials for a specific application still requires checking slurry condition,
PSD etc & using the materials and pump selection tools
Hard Rock Mill Circuit Flowsheet 53
Hard Rock SABC Flowsheet – SAG / Ball Mill 54

Typical conditions
▪ Neutral pH, 30-70°C
▪ 250µm to 200mm particles (crushed ROM)

Material choices & wear

Wear part SAG Mill Ball Mill
Lining Lining
Baseline CrMo steel CrMo steel

Standard CrMo steel R63,

Composite
Improved Composite* R67

Caution Rubber
Hard Rock SABC – Mill Discharge Pump 55

Typical conditions
▪ Neutral pH, some dissolved solids, broad PSD
▪ 100µm to 10mm particles (ore, gangue, mill scats)

Typical Wear Patterns

Hard Rock SABC Flowsheet – Mill Discharge 56

Typical conditions
▪ Neutral pH, some dissolved solids, broad PSD
▪ 100µm to 10mm particles (ore, gangue, mill scats)

Material choices
Wear part Impeller Throatbush Liner FPLI Shaft
Sleeve
Baseline A05 A05 / R55 R55 A05 / R55 C60

Standard A61 A61 / R55 R55 A61 / R55 J31

Improved A68 A65, A68 / A68 / R55 A68 / R55 J221

R55

Note – Selection of rubber or metal for TB/Liner/FPLI is dependent on fraction

of large particles in slurry and impeller tip speed
Hard Rock SABC Flowsheet – Primary Hydrocyclones 57

Typical conditions
▪ Neutral pH, 30-70°C
▪ 250µm to 200mm particles (crushed ROM)

Material choices & wear

Wear part Feed chamber Cone Liner Spigot

Standard R55 R55 R55

Improved R55 R55 Y14 (ceramic)

Hard Rock SABC Flowsheet – Regrind Cyclone Feed 58

Typical conditions
▪ Neutral pH, some dissolved solids, narrower PSD
▪ 25µm to 150µm particles

Typical Wear Patterns

Hard Rock SABC Flowsheet – Regrind Cyclone Feed 59

Typical conditions
▪ Neutral pH, some dissolved solids, narrower PSD
▪ 100µm to 250µm particles (ore, gangue)

Material choices

Wear part Impeller Throatbush Liner FPLI Shaft

Sleeve
Baseline A05 / R55 A05 / R55 R55 R55 / A05 C19

Standard A61 / R55 A61 / R55 R55 R55 / A61 J31

Improved A63 / R55 A65 / R55 A68 / R55 R55 / A63 J221

Note – Due to fine particles, R55 is usually the best choice for liner, throatbush
& FPLI, provided impeller tip speeds are acceptable for rubber (<27.5m/s)
Hard Rock SABC Flowsheet – Tailings 60

Typical conditions
▪ Neutral pH, some dissolved solids, narrower PSD
▪ 25µm to 150µm particles (gangue)

Typical Wear Patterns

Hard Rock SABC Flowsheet – Tailings 61

Typical conditions
▪ Neutral pH, some dissolved solids, narrower PSD
▪ 25µm to 150µm particles (gangue)

Material choices

Wear part Impeller Throatbush Liner FPLI Shaft

Sleeve
Baseline R55/A05 R55 R55 R55 C19

Standard R55/A61 R55/A61 R55 R55/A61 J31

Improved R55/A63 R55/A63 R55 R55/A63 J221

Note – Very fine particles, R55 is the best choice for liner, throatbush & FPLI,
provided impeller tip speeds are acceptable for rubber (<27.5m/s)
Hard Rock SABC Flowsheet – Concentrate PD Pumps 62

Typical conditions
▪ Neutral pH, some dissolved solids, narrow PSD
▪ 25µm to 150µm particles (concentrate)
▪ Positive Displacement Pump – very high pressure (up to
10K bar) and lower flow (up to 100m3/min) than
centrifugals

Material choices
Wear part Valve Valve Diapraghm Liquid end*
Ring
Standard Carburized Steel PU NBR Carbon Steel / Ductile
Iron
Special • A49 (all-metal valve for - HNBR / • (super) duplex
autoclave feed only) EPDM • Coating (PU)
• AISI 431 (stainless • Ti (autoclave feed)
steel)

*= not considered as wear part (life > 5-10 years)

Questions?

A Warman® centrifugal slurry pump