COMPOSITE LINERS FOR LARGE SAG MILLS
As the mining industry moves to larger semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mills for higher productivity, Multotec is developing and applying innovative liner designs to optimise liner performance, mill efficiency and liner wear life.
“Our strong analysis capabilities in the design process – including discrete element analysis (DEM) and finite element analysis (FEA) – allow us to continuously evolve the application of our composite liners,” says Sam Hearn, global sales and business development manager, Multotec.
Emphasising that no two mill liner applications are identical, Hearn says that this simulation can guide very specific refinements in the liner design for each customer. A detailed understanding of the operating conditions is vital to ensure that the final solution delivers optimal results.
He notes that the traditional use of steel liners in large SAG mills presents a number of challenges. For instance, there may be bending stress inside the steel liner due to inexact fitting on the mill’s curved surface, and the higher rigidity of steel compared to rubber makes it less than optimal for absorbing the energy of rock material inside the mill.
