Although this industry has enormous potential, it faces numerous challenges both in terms of labour requirements and the maintenance of infrastructures and manufacturing equipment. Mining requires materials adapted to extreme environments that can improve not only overall productivity, but also the service life of the equipment.
1. Corrosion:
Mines are particularly demanding environments: heavy loads, frequent impacts, presence of highly corrosive chemicals, dust, dirt and humidity. Metal structures and platforms are therefore subject to constraints that can reduce their service life, among other things. Conditions such as high humidity levels and high temperatures are factors that contribute to the appearance of rust and that accentuate the degradation of metal structures. Moreover, corrosion affects the mechanical properties of metal structures, walkways and ladders, reducing their strength and increasing the risks of workplace injuries.
Solution:
Choose structures made of materials that are highly resistant to corrosion and therefore do not rust. Gratings made of fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP), a composite material known for its versatility and impressive ability to adapt to various environments, require little maintenance, do not need to be painted and have excellent chemical resistance.
2. System clogging:
Clogging is a serious issue that can impact overall productivity by causing maintenance delays. For example, materials can easily stick to equipment such as stainless steel chutes, impeding flow and eventually clogging the system. This problem requires a shutdown to perform maintenance, which affects production costs.
Solution:
UHMW liners attached directly onto the metal walls of the chute are an easy and efficient solution preventing the costly replacement of existing infrastructures and equipment. For bulk materials, consider using TIVAR 88-2, a plastic with a low coefficient of friction and impressive wear resistance. It will prevent materials from sticking to chute walls by facilitating sliding.
3. Noise:
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n the mining industry, noise can reach extremely high levels and significantly impact the safety of personnel. For example, the transportation of materials on conveyors, the impact caused by bulk materials hitting metal surfaces and the friction of metal on metal can generate a lot of noise. Although workers are required to wear earplugs or noise-cancelling earmuffs, the effects of noise remain an issue. Workplace noise is indeed a significant problem for many industries.
Solution :
Although protection such as noise-cancelling earmuffs and earplugs are effective tools to prevent hearing loss, noise abatement at the source remains more efficient. In the case of a metal conveyor, liners made of TIVAR 88-2 will absorb impacts and automatically reduce the noise generated by the fall of bulk materials. In addition to protecting the surface of the conveyor, high-performance plastic liners also reduce noise by 20 dBA. To learn more about noise reduction, click here.
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