MechChem Africa April 2020

⎪ Minerals processing and materials ⎪

Weir Minerals launches Linatex ® ceramic hose to meet global demand

Linatex ceramic hose is suitable for sites handling hard ores such as gold, coal, copper, lithium or iron ore. The ceramic hose has proven its ability to deliver exceptional wear life in the only labs that matter – real mining applications.

W eir Minerals’ newest offering in the slurry transportation space, the Linatex ® ceramic hose,combinesLinacure ® rub- ber with high-quality, 92% alumina ceramic tiles, to provide a robust option for operators dealing with abrasive minerals. “It’s the quality of our rubber that sets us apart from the competition; it provides supe- rior penetration of the tile layer and prevents tiles from dislodging during operation. To maximise resistance, Linatex ceramic hose also utilises hexagonal tiles, which are more resistant to dislodgment and wear than tra- ditional square patterns,” says Rod Dawson, regional rubber applications manager for Weir Minerals Australia. “For a newproduct to be able to fall under the Linatex brand, it must provide the very best inperformance.We’veput a lot of energy and resources into developing a hose that meets the demands facingminers around the world, and I can’t wait for more customers to see the results for themselves.” Through exhaustive testing, the tile size has been optimised, ensuring they’re large enough to withstand severe abrasion, but small enough to reduce cracking. The tiles are available in 3 mm, 6 mm and 12 mm thick configurations to suit a wide va - riety of applications, with half-tile options to ensure optimal resistance in high-wear areas around the flange. Both Linacure ® 40 and Linacure ® 60 rub- ber can be used with the new ceramic lining, which can be deployed to reinforce the high- wear outer edge of a bend. The Linatex ce - ramic hose also supports the Linatex ® Wear Indicator System, which can be connected wiredorwirelessly,where it can transmit hose data up to 1.5 km by radio. “We’ve been making hoses for 40 years. Over that time, the Linatex range of hoses has grown to include a variety of solutions that meet the most demanding slurry transport applications. Linatex ceramic hose comple- ments our industry-leading range of slurry hose liners, such as Linatex, Linagard OSR and bromobutyl,” says Mark Doyle, global product manager: rubber, spool and hose for Weir Minerals. We have seen successes in Africa where theLinatex ® andLinard ® rubber liningsbrands cut downtime on African mines.

After experiencing high wear on its pipe and launders, a mineral sands operation in Mozambique approachedWeir Minerals just over two years ago. The wear was leading to frequent maintenance, leaks and downtime. The Weir Minerals team observed that part of the challenge was worn out and corroded metal work on the mine’s wet concentrator plants because of proximity to the coast. Access to reline the existing launders was difficult and posed safety risks, necessitating a more effective solution. The solution was to replace the competi- tors’ products – chemically cured rubber – withLinatex ® premiumrubber andLinard ®  60 rubber. This was done during the mine’s monthly shutdowns. Whereas the competitors’ rubber lasted two to three months, the Linatex and Linard linings are still in operation after 25 months. The Linard 60 rubber lining solution was also applied at a gold mine in South Africa’s NorthWestprovince.Themine’smaintenance team had been replacing the rubber lining on mill feed hoppers and spouts every 10 days. The mechanical foreman was looking for a more resilient solution. The foremanwas not familiarwith Linatex rubber products, soa trial usingLinard60 rub- berwas arranged. The entire feedhopper and spout were lined with this silica-reinforced natural rubber. The results were convincing, with the wear life increasing to 12 weeks. With only the partially worn areas requiring relining, there was a reduction in relining costs. This

Yatheen Budhu, product manager rubber products and spools at Weir Minerals Africa.

Mill feed hopper lined with Linard 60 rubber.

has increased plant availability, resulting in fewer stoppages and reducedoperating costs. Linatex premium rubber is a proprietary vulcanised natural rubber, produced through auniqueprocess that useshighqualitynatural latex. It has outstanding strength, resilience and resistance to cutting and tearing – with highperformance inwet, abrasive conditions. Linard60 rubber, which is silica reinforced, retainsthenaturalstrengthandnerveoflatex, while combining the toughness needed for handling coarse materials. q

Concentrator tails bin being relined with Linatex premium rubber on site.

In addition to on-site rubber lining, Weir Mineral Africa’s Alrode facility offers in-house rubber lining.

April 2020 • MechChem Africa ¦ 23