Development and field applications of steel, polymer and ceramic hybrid wear liners for mining industry

In this study, hybrid wear liners were designed as alternatives to steel-based wear plates used in the mining sector. Hardox 450 and Hardox 500 materials were selected as the reference wear liners. These steel plates were combined with alumina and alumina-modified neoprene materials to develop hybrid wear liners. Impact abrasive wear tests were conducted in laboratory and field conditions to compare the wear performance of the wear plates. Natural gravel and copper-zinc ore were used as abrasive materials in the laboratory tests, while raw meal material, copper, and copper-zinc ore were used in the field tests. According to the laboratory test results, it was determined that Hardox 500 and Hardox 450 + alumina-modified neoprene wear liners were suitable for natural gravel and copper-zinc ore in transfer elements, respectively. According to the field test results, it was found that Hardox 450 + alumina wear liners were suitable for raw meal material and copper ore in transfer elements, while Hardox 450 + alumina + neoprene wear liners were suitable for copper-zinc ore. Laboratory and field tests showed that each material exhibited different types and degrees of wear. The results obtained were explained based on material properties and observations.