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[September 2004]
Lightweight Alumina Tube Linings
ETEC Ceramics (Lohmar, Germany) has been addressing the question of lightweight alumina tube linings for special applications. In the field of pneumatic conveying of abrasive bulk materials, its ALOTEC alumina linings for pipe bends are used for wear protection. However, the version embedded in mortar with a steel casing which has been used up until now is very large and heavy.
A weight reduction of up to 65% for critical applications can be achieved with an extremely lightweight GFK casing. This new version is easy to handle and is said to be mechanically as stable and resistant as the traditional version. Fields of application include fall-out pipes in concrete pump vehicles, suction pipes for silo filling and tube bends in ship loading and discharging plants.
ETEC has also worked on an impact panel for impact and abrasive wear protection in the bulk materials industry. ALOTEC alumina linings are said to have an excellent wear resistance to abrasive wear. Nevertheless, damage caused by handling of bulk materials is of frequent occurrence, e.g. at transfer hoppers which are usually exposed to a combination of impact and abrasive wear.
This type of wear can be remedied by means of impact panels consisting of massive ceramic blocks arranged edgewise and embedded into a flexible polyurethane matrix with sufficiently wide joints between the individual blocks. This solution combines the good wear resistance of ceramic materials with the excellent flexible properties of polymers.
www.etec-ceramics.com
ENDS