Iron Ore Port Facility High Tension Bend Pulley – Elastotec Polyurethane Lagging
In November 2017 a major iron ore port facility in the Pilbara decided to replace the ceramic lagging on a high tension bend pulley – the ceramic lagging had suffered physical damage on one edge that had exposed the pulley shell. With a capacity of around 180 million tonnes/annum of iron ore the port operates 24/7 year round and so reliability of the conveyor system is critical to achieving the maximum ore through put.
Consequences of Catastrophic Failure with Cold Bonded Lagging for New Mining Projects
Catastrophic lagging failure due to debonding occurred within two weeks of installation and operation of the pulley, resulting in a shutdown of production, and necessitated a replacement of the pulley. Within only two weeks of service, this ceramic lagging was already experiencing loss of the ceramic tiles.
Vale’s Vargem Grande Iron Ore Conveyor Lagging Problem
Vale-operated Vargem Grande mine site is located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil and contains 2.53 billion tonnes of proven and probable iron ore reserves, making it the world’s fourth biggest iron ore mining operation. The Vargem Grande site comprises three open-pits: Tamandua, Capitao do Mato and Aboboras.