Choosing the right wear protection for the mechanism that is actually destroying the part
Six current Induscoat ranges cover different failure modes, not different price points. This page explains how to read a worn asset, match the dominant wear mechanism to a construction, and reach a shortlist before requesting a data sheet.
01 · Method
Four questions that decide the range, in order
Most wear-lining specifications fail because the material was chosen before the duty was described. Answering these four questions in sequence narrows six ranges to one or two candidates without opening a single data sheet.
01
What is destroying the surface — sliding, striking or a fluid carrying solids?
This single answer eliminates more ranges than any other. A material that excels against sliding abrasion can fracture under repeated heavy impact, and a resilient composite that absorbs impact wears faster under pure sliding.
Look for polished grooves aligned with flow (sliding), cracked or dished areas at a drop point (impact), or wear concentrated on the outside of a bend (erosion).
02
Is the surface flat and accessible, curved, or a confined internal bore?
Geometry decides the format long before it decides the material. A flat chute wall, a small-radius transition and a pipe bore each accept a different construction, and a format that cannot physically be installed is not a candidate regardless of its wear data.
Measure the tightest radius and the smallest access opening. Note whether the work is overhead, in a confined space, or reachable from outside the asset.
03
How will the lining be held — bonded, welded, or mechanically retained?
Attachment fails more often than ceramic does. Vibration, thermal cycling, a substrate that flexes, moisture during installation or an overhead position all reduce the confidence that adhesive alone should carry, and push the choice toward a weldable or mechanically retained format.
Check the shell condition and thickness, whether hot work is permitted during the outage, and whether the surface can be prepared to the standard the bonding system requires.
04
What are the temperature, chemistry and maintenance window?
These three constraints usually decide between two otherwise equivalent candidates. The bonding system, not the ceramic, is normally the temperature-limiting element, and a shutdown too short for a full cure cycle changes the specification entirely.
Record the normal and upset operating temperature, pH or known chemical attack, and the realistic number of hours the asset can be out of service.
If question 1 cannot be answered from observation, no material choice downstream is defensible. Start with the worn part, not the catalogue.
02 · Diagnosis
What the wear pattern tells you about the construction you need
Abrasion, impact and erosion leave different signatures. Reading the signature is what separates a lining that lasts a campaign from one that is replaced at the next shutdown.
Sliding abrasion
Typical signature
Smooth, polished loss aligned with the direction of flow, usually uniform across a wide area, with the steel thinning evenly rather than punching through at one spot.
Ranges to shortlist
IC TILE for accessible flat and gently curved surfaces; IC CUSTOM where the geometry is specific to the asset.
Where this goes wrong
Specifying a rigid tile on a surface that also takes occasional heavy lumps. The tile will survive the abrasion and fail on the impact nobody recorded.
Impact
Typical signature
Cracking, spalling or dishing concentrated at a drop point or a direction change, often with intact material only centimetres away.
Ranges to shortlist
IC IMPACT where the energy is high and localised; IC FLEX where the impact is repeated but moderate and the substrate can flex.
Where this goes wrong
Lining the whole asset for the worst impact zone. Impact is almost always localised; a single blanket specification is expensive and often still wrong at the edges.
Erosion in a carrier fluid
Typical signature
Loss concentrated on the outside of bends, downstream of restrictions, or opposite an inlet — wherever the solids cannot follow the change in direction.
Ranges to shortlist
IC PIPE for lined pipework, elbows and fittings; IC CUSTOM for cyclone and classifier internals.
Where this goes wrong
Lining only the bend that failed. The next failure usually appears immediately downstream, where the disturbed flow re-attaches to the wall.
Mixed duty with movement or vibration
Typical signature
Joints opening, edges chipped, tiles detached with the bond line still intact on the ceramic — evidence that the substrate moved, not that the material was too soft.
Ranges to shortlist
IC FLEX for compliance against a moving substrate; IC BOND where the fixing system itself is the variable to correct.
Where this goes wrong
Upgrading the ceramic grade after a detachment. If the bond line failed and the ceramic did not, a harder ceramic changes nothing.
03 · Comparison
The six current ranges side by side
This table compares the engineering role of each range, not its performance. Performance depends on the grade, the attachment and the duty, and is confirmed per project.
The attachment system that makes every other range hold
Bonded installations, repairs, and correcting a fixing method that has already failed
Treating it as an accessory. Bonding limits usually set the temperature ceiling of the whole lining
04 · Honest scope
What is available today and what is not
Induscoat publishes what it can supply now. Product families that appear in the group roadmap but are not yet available are named as such rather than presented as catalogue items.
Available now — wear-resistant ceramics
The six ranges below are supplied today. Grade, format, thickness and attachment are confirmed per application, and the corresponding data sheet is issued with the quotation.
Planned — polymers and polyurethane
Polymer and polyurethane wear products are part of the group roadmap but are not yet available from Induscoat. They are listed on this site for completeness of the family map only; do not specify them on a current project.
6 ranges available
Wear-resistant ceramics
The current Induscoat catalogue: six ranges of ceramic wear-protection solutions and supporting installation systems for abrasive industrial service.
Two additional material families are visible for roadmap clarity, without presenting unavailable products.
Polymers
Products not yet available
A future family of engineered polymer solutions. Its product catalogue is not yet available.
Polyurethane
Products not yet available
A future family of engineered polyurethane solutions. Its product catalogue is not yet available.
05 · Selection FAQ
Questions engineers ask before shortlisting
Answers reflect what can be stated without knowing your duty. Anything grade-specific is confirmed on the data sheet.
Which range is the hardest?
Hardness alone does not predict service life, so Induscoat does not publish a hardness ranking across ranges. A harder surface can be the wrong answer where impact or substrate movement controls the failure. The useful question is which mechanism dominates in each zone; the grade is then confirmed on the data sheet for the selected product.
Can several ranges be used on the same asset?
Yes, and on most assets that is the correct answer. A transfer chute commonly needs a tough construction at the impact zone and a hard, economical surface over the sliding area. Zoning the asset first is usually cheaper than lining everything to the worst case.
Do you supply polymer or polyurethane wear products?
Not yet. Those families appear in the group product map because they are planned, but nothing in them is currently available from Induscoat. If your application genuinely needs a polymer or polyurethane solution rather than a ceramic one, say so at the enquiry stage and we will tell you plainly rather than substituting a ceramic that does not fit.
Why are no hardness or thickness figures shown on this page?
Because those values depend on the grade, the test method and the construction, and a number quoted without them is not verifiable. Induscoat governs published technical values through an evidence register: a figure appears only once its source, test method and validation status are recorded. Grade-specific data is issued on the product data sheet with the quotation.
