Modern Mining July 2020

POLYMERIC REPAIR COMPOSITES AND COATINGS

turning to cold-curing polymer technologies to repair and protect their equipment. Misalignment of machinery Finally, due to the severe impact and vibration within the mining and quarrying industry, misalign- ment of machinery and equipment can occur quite frequently. These shifts in alignment can lead to potential losses in efficiency and damage of the equipment, particularly in relation to bearing pin and bush housings and incorrectly fitting components. Typically, shimming applications can be carried out in these instances, often associated with bearings, housings and foundations or bases. Used to either align components and founda- tions, or fill gaps (irregular shims), shims can be created using many types of material, including met- als. However, in order to provide 100% contact and avoid future damage, shimming can be completed using polymer composites. In the mining industry in particular, surfaces are often uneven or difficult to access without dismantling equipment, therefore fluid shimming materials can be poured or injected around irregular components, before curing to ensure maximum support. Overall, shims borne from polymer composites can be customised to each specific application,

with high costs and lead times of weeks or even months. Hot work including welding and weld over- lay, on the other hand, can induce heat stresses into the equipment and create problems with galvanic corrosion. More importantly, however, neither solu- tion will address the underlying problem. For this reason, an increasing number of pump operators are

A rebuilt and coated pump.

34  MODERN MINING  July 2020