https://www.miningweekly.com

Polymer bushings find favour in mining

QUALITY BUSHINGS The Hitemp 150 bushings have to be replaced only three to four times a year

ROBUST ROCK DRILL Failure in rock-drill bushings can negatively affect mining efficiency and productivity

Photo by Bloomberg

23rd March 2018

By: Jessica Oosthuizen

Creamer Media Reporter

     

Font size: - +

Specialised polymer manufacturer Vesconite Bearings has been supplying bushings made from the polymer Hitemp 150 for use in rock drills, significantly improving their wear life, and reducing their replacement intervals.

Hitemp 150 was developed about 20 years ago and is an internally lubricated bushing material with low friction designed to operate continuously in dry conditions of up to 150 ºC, and intermittently up to 170 ºC, and in wet or immersed conditions up to 120 ºC, Vesconite Bearings technical sales consultant Marius van Zyl explains.

“As such, the material is suitable for mining conditions, which are characterised by heat, water, dust and grime.”

The polymer bushings, with an outside diameter of 53.2 mm, an inside diameter of 42 mm and a length of 74 mm, are produced using injection moulding to reduce waste.

Van Zyl says, while Hitemp 150 applications are most successfully used in the sugar industry where it is valued for its ability to withstand high temperatures and high abrasive wear, the polymer has had success in the mining industry.

A global company specialising in pumping equipment has been manufacturing rock drills for the past ten years and continues to use Vesconite Bearings’ Hitemp 150 bushings in the rock drills. Vesconite Bearings has been supplying the bushings to the company for more than ten years.

Rock drills are designed to be robust because of the high impact, heat, dust and water exposure. Van Zyl says it is important that all components on a rock drill be robust too, since a failure of any component can lead to a lack of equipment availability and a higher cost per hour over the life of the machine.

“Therefore, careful attention needs to be paid to the rock drill bushings, since failure in this small component can have a tremendous influence on mining efficiency and productivity.”

Prior to the use of Hitemp 150 bushings, the bushings in the rock drills, in general, were replaced every two weeks, compared with the Hitemp 150 bushings only having to be replaced three to four times a year.

Product Demand
Van Zyl says the drilling and tunnelling sector is influenced by exploration activity, capital projects and production in the global mining industry. “With the uptick in many commodity prices, there seems to be a cautious optimism about mining globally that is likely to lead to investment in exploration and capital projects.”

Subsequently, this is likely to lead to an increase in activity in the drilling and tunnelling sector, and increases the demand for the bushings, in general, and Hitemp 150 bushings in particular, he says.

Edited by Mia Breytenbach
Creamer Media Deputy Editor: Features

Comments

Showroom

Alcohol Breathalysers
Alcohol Breathalysers

Supplier & Distributor of the Widest Range of Accurate & Easy-to-Use Alcohol Breathalysers

VISIT SHOWROOM 
M and J Mining
M and J Mining

M and J Mining are leading suppliers of physical support systems as used by the underground mining industry. Our selection of products are not...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Magazine round up | 06 December 2024
Magazine round up | 06 December 2024
6th December 2024

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.113 0.155s - 366pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now