Wear resistance of materials used for slurry transport

More and more slurry transport systems are used in mining operations to efficiently and cost-effectively transport ores and tailings. The materials used for slurry transport are often subjected to severe wear attack. In this study, the wear modes and wear resistance of materials commonly used for slurry transport are discussed. Slurry jet erosion, Coriolis slurry scouring erosion and slurry sliding abrasion tests are used to simulate these wear modes and to characterize the wear resistance of the materials. The wear resistance of selected materials from each material category commonly used for slurry transport, including steels, high chromium white cast irons, chrome carbide-based and tungsten carbide-based overlays, elastomers, plastics, ceramics and cermets, are reported. The relationships of the wear resistance of these materials with their mechanical properties are also briefly discussed.