Nepean Rubber’s composite aperture screen panels have ceramic or Hardox inserts lining the apertures, enhancing life expectancy in high impact abrasive applications.
The composite aperture screen panel allows the abrasion resistant aperture inserts to float in a bed of shock-absorbing rubber, protecting the insert from impact damage.
Nepean Rubber conducted a trial in partnership with a South32 manganese processor. While the feed rate was high, the material screened was dense and abrasive.
Competitor rubber panels typically lasted for only 21,000 tonnes before they had to be replaced due to apertures wearing. Even though the thickness variance was not significant, the apertures increased in width and length, allowing oversize materials to pass through, causing specification issues and significant commercial penalties.
After analysing the nature of the wear, Nepean Rubber developed a trial set of three screen panel types: ceramic aperture inserts on all aperture faces (Panel #1); a partial ceramic aperture insert on one face only; and Hardox 400 aperture inserts on all faces.
The trial was conducted with frequent measuring of the apertures and panel thickness.
At 21,000 tonnes of manganese processed, wear was negligible on all three panels.
After about 35,000 tonnes, Panel #1 with the full ceramic insert was dislodged.
At completion of the trial and 54,000 tonnes processed, both the partial ceramic and full Hardox lined panels still had significant wear life remaining.
All test panels were measured and evaluated.
The Hardox panels exhibited superior wear characteristics than the panels with the ceramics.
Source: Nepean Rubber