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.
A screw conveyor wears where the material is forced against steel
The flight pushes the material along the trough, so the bottom of the trough under the flight tips, the inlet where material drops in, and the discharge where it is pushed out take most of the wear. The flights wear at their outer edge and on the pushing face. Each of these zones needs its own answer; lining the whole trough with one material rarely matches the wear.
Map the trough before choosing a liner
Measure the remaining thickness along the bottom and up the sides at intervals, and note where the wear peaks: usually under the inlet, in the first flights after it, and in the bottom arc where the flight clearance is smallest. Hanger bearings and intermediate supports create local turbulence and wear too. The method is in the wear audit checklist; record the material, fill level and speed alongside it.
The trough bottom and inlet are where ceramic pays
Curved alumina tiles or shaped segments bonded or welded into the trough bottom resist the sliding abrasion under the flight, and a lined inlet box takes the drop. Tiles in IC TILE suit large flat or gently curved areas; curved segments made to the trough radius in IC CUSTOM keep the profile true. The lining thickness must be taken out of the clearance or the trough enlarged, so the flight diameter and clearance must be checked first.
Clearance and fixing decide whether the lining survives
If the flight runs too close to the lining, lumps wedge between them and break tiles; too far, and a layer of material slides along the bottom and slows the conveyor. The adhesive or weld fixing must hold under the vibration and the occasional jam of a screw, and suit the temperature of the material; see choosing an adhesive for ceramic tiles and bonded versus weldable fixing.
The flights themselves need a separate decision
Ceramic is rarely practical on a rotating flight because of impact and flexing; hardfacing the flight edge or fitting replaceable hardened or overlay flight segments is the usual answer. The wear rate of the flights and of the trough should be balanced so that both reach the end of their life at the same shutdown. The trade-off between overlay and ceramic is in chromium carbide overlay or ceramic.
What to send for a screw conveyor liner quote
Send the trough type and radius, length, flight diameter and pitch, speed, the material with lump size, temperature and moisture, the measured wear profile, and how the trough can be opened for installation. Induscoat then proposes the trough and inlet lining; the approach for the transfers feeding and leaving the screw is on our page on ceramic linings for chutes and hoppers, and the data list is in what to send for a wear lining quote.