Bauxite is a sharp-edged aluminium ore that causes considerable wear to equipment during transportation and loading/unloading. That is why impact baffle plates are used to decelerate the flow of material to the next handover point and thus lessen the abrasive force of the ore. To make sure these last as long as possible, we fitted the steel components with additional lining consisting of oxide ceramic KALOCER moulded sections.

The project was implemented in cooperation with a leading supplier of equipment and com­ponents to the bulk goods industry. Among these are ship loading and unloading systems, crushers, screening systems, filter systems and entire cement production plants.

The company commissioned Kalenborn to manufacture steel baffle plates with special wear protection for use with a ship loading sys­temfor bauxite in Guinea/West Africa. We manu­factured the 3 tonne steel structure at our Delma plant in Poland; the highly effective wear pro­tection elements were fitted by hand at the plant in Vettelschoss. The KALOCER moulded parts with thicknesses of 25 -50 mm now ensure that the baffle plates that were formerly made of steel alone last much longer. The oxide ceramic material KALOCER is capable of with­standing extreme abrasion and high tempera­tures (up to 1000°C). Lining with KALOCER not only reduces the previ­ously high cost associated with the frequent replacement of these components but also ensures long-lasting and trouble-free plant opera­tion.

Also supplied is a repair kit that can be used to rectify any minor damage to the lining components directly on site. Kalenborn has thus managed to provide a sustainable and cost-effective solution for loading and unloading bauxite.

Photo: The 3 tonne system com­ponent at the Kalenborn plant