BHP Billiton Iron Ore

BHP Billiton Iron Ore is in the process of selecting wear liners for installation in their transfer chutes. Wear liners are chosen to maximise service life, while minimising maintenance costs and downtime. Since there are many types available, it is desirable to obtain empirical evidence from preliminary wear tests prior to making final selections for site trials. The purpose of this project was to develop laboratory tests that could be applied to full sized wear liner samples to compare their abrasion and impact resistance. A large scale Dry Sand Rubber Wheel abrasion test was designed and constructed at UWA, accommodating the large samples whilst simulating the required abrasion mechanism. Furthermore, a new method for quantifying abrasive wear using surface replication techniques was attempted. This showed that the need to weigh samples could be eliminated if the abrasion test produces a clearly defined wear scar. A drop-weight impact test rig was also constructed, to investigate impact resistance. Preliminary tests and surface examination indicated that forces required to cause observable microcracking were greater than those able to be created using this test rig