Evidence-first editorial standard
This guide separates observed facts, engineering assumptions and data that still require confirmation. It does not promise a universal service life or replace the exact product data and project specification.
In a mine and concentrator, wear concentrates in a handful of predictable places
It follows the ore: wherever material drops, turns, accelerates or is classified, it removes metal from the equipment. Mapping those points circuit by circuit — crushing, conveying, grinding and classification, slurry transport, tailings — shows where a lining upgrade changes the maintenance calendar and where plain steel remains the economic choice. That map, rather than a product catalogue, is the right starting point for a wear protection programme.
Crushing and primary handling call for impact resistance first
Run-of-mine and primary-crushed ore arrive as large, heavy lumps, so dump pockets, chutes under crushers and feeder skirts see impact energy that would fracture thin ceramic. Thick abrasion-resistant steel, zirconia-toughened alumina blocks such as IC IMPACT or rubber-ceramic panels are the usual answers, often behind a dead box that lets a bed of ore take the first blow. The article on crusher discharge hotspots shows where that energy lands.
Conveying and transfer points wear mostly by sliding
Once the ore is crushed finer, transfer chutes, skirts and hoppers lose material mainly by sliding abrasion, which is where hard alumina tiles perform best. The impact zone at each transfer still needs a tougher construction, and the discharge lip needs edge protection, so one chute usually carries two or three constructions. Impact and transfer point linings combine them zone by zone.
Grinding and classification put fine slurry under pressure
Mill discharge, pump boxes, cyclone feed lines and the cyclones themselves carry fine abrasive slurry at velocity. Cyclone inlets, lower cones and apexes wear fastest, and wear there shifts the cut size as well as the maintenance cost, which makes it a metallurgical problem too. The guide to ceramic-lined hydrocyclones goes through each section and the material suited to it.
Slurry and tailings lines fail first at bends, tees and the spools after pumps
Concentrate and tailings pipelines wear fastest at elbows, tees, reducers and immediately downstream of pumps and valves, where the flow is disturbed. Straight runs at moderate velocity can often stay in rubber or steel while those fittings are upgraded to ceramic. The comparison of ceramic-lined, Ni-Hard and wearback pipe covers the choice fitting by fitting, and IC PIPE covers the lined spools and fittings.
The programme is built around planned shutdowns
Mines change linings during shutdowns, so the lining choice has to fit the outage window as much as the wear rate. Rank wear points by how often they force an unplanned stop, measure each at every shutdown, and upgrade the worst first — one circuit at a time, with a baseline that shows whether the change worked. The wear audit checklist and the mining sector page set out how that survey is organised.