Chromium carbide (CrC) liner plate expert Rio-Carb has successfully supplied its R-C700 liner plates to be fitted on South African crushing specialist Danoher Construction’s R3.9-million Volvo 30 t dump truck, currently being used on a silica sand mine in Lydenburg, Mpumalanga.

The R-C700 CrC liners were installed in May to prolong the life of the original truck bin – extending its about 10 000-hour working life sixfold, depending on the type of material being unloaded.

Rio-Carb product development manager Luis Garcia explains that, during unloading, the rear section of a dump truck bin takes the greatest amount of wear from severe sliding abrasion. The R-C700 CrC liner plates, with a hardness of between 56 and 58 Rockwell C, act as a barrier to protect the truck bin from corrosion and wear, owing to the abrasive silica they carry. Silica sand is used for various industrial processes, such as creating moulds and casts, glass manufacturing, water filtration or producing concrete.

Garcia tells Mining Weekly that Danoher Construction acquired the dump truck from the original-equipment manufacturer and wanted to keep its bin in good condition for as long as possible.

Many companies elect to discard the bin once it has corroded, which is a costly exercise, he highlights. Rio-Carb’s R-C700 CrC liner plates are “extremely wear resistant”, compared with its competitors’ liner plates. To test this theory, Danoher Construction has one truck at the mine in Lydenburg that has been fitted with Rio-Carb liner plates and another truck lined with a competitor’s product. Each truck will undergo a durability test to determine which liner lasts longest. The trucks will be put through the same level of harshness and unload the same material during testing.

“After three months, we will conduct a wear survey on the liners to calculate how long they will last. Should they last more than six months, it will be a 100% gain for the customer, from a financial point of view,” Garcia says.

He points out that, once the test proves that the R-C700 liner is superior, Rio-Carb will be awarded contracts to line more of Danoher Construction’s earthmoving equipment. “The company has other trucks that require lining, so it’s a great opportunity for us.”

Challenges experienced during the installation of the liners included delays due to unexpected weather conditions and having to find shelter large enough for the trucks so that work could continue. “Working outdoors was a challenge, but everything went well, thanks to our experience and expertise,” Garcia adds.

The design and installation of the R-C700 CrC liner plates took about three weeks, because this was the first time Rio-Carb had designed and manufactured liners to be fitted to a dump truck bin. Garcia notes that Rio-Carb designed, manufactured and installed the liners to specifically fit the 30 t Volvo dump truck. “We had to take measurements for sizes, make drawings and suggest how the liner could be laid out and fitted.”

He points out that, as a result of the liners being retrofitted, the design of the liners took longer than the installation, which took less than a week. He adds that, now that the company has the design computerised, the process of fitting the CrC liners on truck bins in future will be significantly faster, as it does not have to take new measurements for design purposes.

Rio-Carb prides itself on following international welding standards. Its liner plates are also etched at the back with a unique identification number, which is recorded in the company’s database.

Rio-Carb has over 30 years’ experience, with the company’s long-life CrC liners having 8 to 10 times the wear life of industry-standard steel materials of 400 and 500 Brinell hardness. This dramatically reduces operational costs, as a result of less downtime and fewer change-outs.

“Rio-Carb has a deep-rooted history in mining and is able to swiftly respond to customers’ needs in providing cost-effective solutions. We want to change the mindset of being a product supplier to being a solutions provider,” concludes Garcia.