Impact and sliding wear are constant challenges when handling abrasive and corrosive materials, but Thejo Engineering’s RHINOCER-HD liners are changing the game.
Moulded with rubber or polyurethane, RHINOCER-HD impact- and wear-resistant ceramic liners offer heightened performance, extended lifespan, enhanced safety, and numerous environmental, social and governance (ESG) benefits.
Usage and application
Impact- and wear-resistant ceramic liners find wide applications across various industries, including mining, mineral processing, cement production, power generation and steel manufacturing.
They are used to line chutes, hoppers, conveyor systems, transfer points and other high-wear zones where bulk materials flow or encounter impact. These liners provide a high level of protection against abrasive and high-impact forces, helping to ensure extended equipment life and reduced maintenance downtime.
Mining is no doubt a demanding industry, but the wear resistance of RHINOCER-HD liners allows them to withstand even the most rugged operating conditions, ensuring prolonged service life and reduced replacement costs.
Combining ceramic tiles with rubber or polyurethane provides heightened impact resistance, absorbing and dissipating impact energy, preventing material degradation, and minimising the risk of equipment damage.
RHINOCER-HD liners are designed to last, with the ceramic block ensuring that five surfaces of ceramic elements are well bonded with the polymer, further ensuring a good chemical bond that allows the wear panel to stay intact through the entire lifespan.
The liners are also significantly lighter when compared to traditional steel liners, reducing equipment strain and enabling safe and easy installation and maintenance.
Holding the entire wear matrix in position, the steel back plate on the RHINOCER-HD liners ensures mining operations aren’t plagued by unnecessary replacements from cracking or breaking.
Safety and ESG benefits
The implementation of ceramic liners improves workplace safety by minimising the risk of equipment failure, unplanned downtime, and personnel injuries caused by material spillage and blockages.
The strong wear resistance and impact absorption capabilities enables RHINOCER-HD liners to contribute to a safer working environment by way of reducing inspection and maintenance intervals.
The combination of ceramic with rubber or polyurethane dampens noise and vibration levels, creating a quieter working environment for operators and nearby communities.
As the world transitions to net-zero, more miners are on the lookout for ways to meet their ESG targets. Ceramic liners reduce the consumption of natural resources, extending the product’s lifespan and reducing waste generation.
In addition, the lighter weight of the ceramic liners helps to minimise energy consumption during transportation and installation.
Controlled manufacturing process
Manufacturing ceramic liners moulded with rubber or polyurethane is a complex and precise process that requires specialised equipment and skills.
The process starts with the selection of high-quality ceramic tiles that are engineered to a specific size and shape for an application. The tiles are then bonded to a rubber or polyurethane matrix using a proprietary manufacturing system that ensures a strong and durable bond between the ceramic and matrix.
The resulting liner is then subjected to a quality-control process to ensure it meets the required standards before it is shipped to the customer.
RHINOCER-HD liners offer multiple benefits that go beyond safety and ESG concerns. For example, their long lifespan reduces maintenance costs and downtime associated with frequent liner replacements.
By reducing material build-up, the liners also improve material flow and minimise blockages, resulting in improved operational efficiency and increased throughput.
A consistent material flow translates to improved product quality, which allows a mine to get more for its hard work while preventing contamination or degradation during handling and transfers.
RHINOCER-HD liners can also be customised to suit specific equipment, ensuring mines can benefit from their use.
According to Thejo, the advent of its RHINOCER-HD ceramic liners marks a significant advancement in wear-protection technology.
“With their exceptional wear and impact resistance, reduced material build-up, enhanced safety features, and various ESG benefits, these liners provide superior performance and cost savings for industries handling abrasive materials,” the company said.
“By extending equipment life, enhancing efficiency, and promoting a safer and more sustainable work environment, these ceramic liners are revolutionising wear protection solutions across various industrial sectors, especially the mining industry.”
This feature appeared in the July 2023 issue of Australian Mining.
