A newly launched manganese impact liner plate was officially introduced to the Botswana industrial sector by chrome carbide plate manufacturer Rio-Carb at the 2015 Electra Mining Botswana Exhibition, which took place in Gaborone, earlier this month.

The testing phase for the manganese impact liner plate began at the end of July, with the test results to date having been positive, Rio-Carb product development manager Luis Garcia tells Mining Weekly.

The product’s comprising 14% manganese steel results in it becoming harder the more it is work-hardened. It will be exported to Botswana from Rio-Carb’s manufacturing facility in Alrode, Alberton.

Garcia states that the impact liner is ideally suited to crushing and earthmoving equipment, owing to its unique properties, adding that the liner plate will be “a first for South Africa”.

“Impact resistance on liner plates is essential for the platinum, diamond and gold industries, and this new product will give us an opportunity to attract more clients in Botswana by exposing them to our ever-increasing and innovative product range,” he explains.

Rio-Carb also exhibited its tried-and-tested range of cold roller carbon (CrC) steel- clad liner plates and pipes that are used in chutes and hoppers for heavy materials handling applications in the mining and allied resources industries at Electra Mining Botswana.

Using the company’s exclusive and patented maximum carbide saturation, or MaxCS, technology, Rio-Carb can take the properties of CrC and cast it through a welding process onto a mild steel backing plate, which gives it an enhanced hardness of 58 RC, and additional flexibility for moulding and shaping.

The CrC plates have been proven in laboratory testing to provide up to eight to ten times the wear-resistance against abrasion than industry-standard 400 Brinell Hardness Number (BHN) and 500 BHN steels, which are also susceptible to annealing when heated to 350 °C or more.

Rio-Carb’s CrC products also boast a wear life that is eight times longer than industry-standard steels, do not lose their hardness at higher temperatures and are unaffected by heating and cooling cycles.

This was the first time that Rio-Carb exhibited at Electra Mining Botswana, with the company stating that its decision to do so was based on the high interest in the show and strong recommendation from its regional clients.

“We have a strong presence in Botswana and recently completed a large project for one of the major diamond companies in the country. This event served as an ideal opportunity to interact with our wide variety of customers by bringing them centrally in one venue,” adds Garcia.

Endorsed by the Botswana Chamber of Mines and the Ministry of Minerals and Energy, Electra Mining Botswana is one of the biggest and most reputable trade shows in Africa. It was held from September 1 to 3 and provided exposure to preselected companies that are experts in their respective fields.