Ceramic Lined Falcon Concentrator Lid

Background

St Ives Gold Mine in Western Australia had experienced major wear issues with Falcon concentrator lids to the point where the 25mm thick rubber lining required replacing every 6-8 weeks. Keramos were asked to provide a better solution.

Investigation

The main wear area was located in one zone. The slurry causing the wear was a very abrasive sulphide ore with a particle size less than 1mm. Some previous attempts at installing ceramic tiles had failed due to poor design whereby slurry had been able to penetrate joins in the ceramic, resulting in premature failure.

Solution

Keramos installed a series of siliconised silicon carbide ceramic tiles to the main wear area. The tiles were custom engineered with stepped joints to prevent ingress of material behind the joins. The wear life of the lid was extended from 6-8 weeks to an amazing 182 weeks!!!! This is over twenty times the wear life of the original rubber lid.

Benefits

Direct savings achieved totalled $130,000 or approximately $40,000 per year.