Wear and Erosion Studies for Industrial Equipment | Hamilton By Design
Wear and Erosion Studies for Industrial Plant and Equipment
Industrial equipment can continue operating even while substantial wear develops inside chutes, hoppers, pipes, tanks, ducts and processing equipment.
The first visible signs may be leakage, damaged liners, reduced equipment performance or an unexpected failure. By this stage, the maintenance team may have limited time to determine:
Where the most serious wear is located
How much material has been lost
Whether the damage is localised or widespread
Which liners or plates need replacement
Whether the supporting structure has been affected
What repairs should be completed during the next shutdown
A structured wear and erosion study can help turn these questions into measurable engineering information.
What Is a Wear and Erosion Study?
A wear and erosion study investigates the location, depth, pattern and likely causes of material loss from industrial equipment.
Wear may result from repeated impact, sliding contact, abrasion, vibration or movement between components. Erosion generally occurs when particles, liquids or gases strike or travel across a surface.
In mining, materials handling and process plants, several wear mechanisms may occur at the same time. For example, a transfer chute may experience direct impact near its loading point and sliding abrasion further along the material path.
The investigation may consider:
Abrasive wear from bulk materials
Impact damage at loading and transfer points
Sliding wear along chute walls and liners
Particle erosion inside pipes and ducts
Erosion-corrosion in process equipment
Cavitation near pumps and valves
Corrosion beneath liners or coatings
Reduction in plate or pipe-wall thickness
Deformation caused by uneven material loss
Premature failure of wear liners
The study can be completed as a focused equipment investigation or as part of a broader engineering study and assessment.
Where Can Wear Studies Be Applied?
Wear and erosion studies can support a wide range of fixed and mobile equipment.
Chutes and Transfer Stations
Chutes and transfer points are exposed to repeated particle impact, abrasion and sliding contact.
Typical inspection areas include:
Chute walls
Hood-and-spoon arrangements
Impact plates
Rock boxes
Deflector plates
Dead boxes
Diverter gates
Loading zones
Discharge transitions
Wear liners and skirt systems
Where the wear pattern indicates poor material flow, the investigation may also support improvements to the chute or transfer-point design.
Hoppers, Bins and Silos
Hoppers and bins may experience concentrated wear where material repeatedly impacts or follows the same flow channel.
Critical areas can include hopper transitions, discharge openings, internal corners, liner joints and high-impact loading zones.
Pipes and Slurry Systems
Piping systems can experience concentrated erosion where the material changes direction, velocity or cross-sectional area.
Common problem locations include:
Pipe bends and elbows
Tees and branch connections
Reducers
Valves
Slurry lines
Pump suction and discharge pipes
Nozzles
High-velocity sections
Pumps and Process Equipment
Wear and erosion assessments may also be completed on:
Pump casings
Impellers
Volutes
Hydrocyclones
Launders
Agitators
Mixing vessels
Fan blades
Ductwork
Dust-extraction equipment
Mobile Mining Equipment
The same principles can be applied to haul-truck trays, excavator buckets, loader buckets, dozer blades, crusher components, wear plates and mobile-equipment liners.
How Can Equipment Wear Be Measured?
No single inspection tool is suitable for every wear problem. The best method depends on the equipment size, required accuracy, surface access, operating conditions and the engineering decision that must be made.
3D Laser Scanning
Engineering-grade 3D laser scanning can capture millions of measurement points across large equipment surfaces and surrounding plant.
It can be particularly useful for:
Large chutes and hoppers
Transfer stations
Conveyor loading zones
Tanks and vessels
Ductwork
Brownfield plant installations
Equipment with complex internal geometry
The resulting point cloud provides a measurable record of the equipment’s existing condition.
It can also capture surrounding structures, access platforms, pipework and equipment interfaces that may affect a repair, refurbishment or replacement project.
Handheld 3D Scanning
A higher-resolution handheld scanner may be more suitable for smaller components, shallow wear patterns or detailed local surfaces.
Applications may include pump casings, impellers, pipe bends, wear plates, bucket teeth and replacement machine components.
Ultrasonic Thickness Testing
A surface scan records visible geometry, but it does not directly measure the remaining thickness of a closed plate or pipe wall.
Ultrasonic thickness testing can complement 3D scanning by measuring the remaining wall thickness of accessible pipes, tanks, hoppers, ducts and platework.
Manual Measurements and Visual Inspection
Traditional measurements, photographs and visual observations remain important parts of an equipment assessment.
They can be used to verify critical dimensions, document damaged liners, identify cracks or loose components and record areas requiring additional testing.
Comparing the Worn Surface with Its Original Geometry
Measuring wear requires a suitable reference or baseline.
The existing condition may be compared with:
An original CAD model
Manufacturer’s drawings
A previous 3D scan
An unworn replacement component
Known original plate thickness
A symmetrical unworn surface
A newly manufactured liner
Reconstructed nominal geometry
Where reliable drawings are unavailable, reverse engineering may be used to recreate the likely original geometry.
The captured surface can then be compared with the reference to produce:
Colour-coded deviation maps
Wear-depth maps
Cross-sections
Surface profiles
Material-loss estimates
Missing-volume calculations
Minimum-thickness locations
Areas of deformation
Locations requiring further testing
This allows maintenance teams to see how wear is distributed across the equipment rather than relying only on isolated measurements.
Finding the Cause of Premature Wear
Identifying a worn area does not necessarily explain why it is wearing.
Possible contributing factors include:
Concentrated material impact
Excessive particle velocity
An unfavourable impact angle
Poor material-flow direction
Turbulence or recirculation
Material build-up
Inadequate liner coverage
Gaps between liners
Loose or damaged liners
Incorrect liner material
Insufficient liner thickness
Equipment misalignment
Changed process conditions
Cavitation
Corrosion behind liners
Localised vibration
For bulk-material equipment, discrete element modelling may help investigate particle trajectories, impact zones, sliding zones, material velocity and possible geometry improvements.
Physical inspection remains essential. Simulation is most useful when it is compared with the wear patterns observed on the actual equipment.
Using Repeat Scanning to Monitor Wear
A single inspection creates a record of the asset’s current condition. Repeat scanning can show how that condition changes over time.
For meaningful comparisons, each dataset should be aligned using stable plant geometry, survey control or permanent reference targets.
Repeat inspections may help identify:
Increasing wear depth
Changes in material-loss volume
Progression of localised damage
Areas of accelerating wear
Approximate wear rates
Likely future repair locations
Operating conditions should also be reviewed because changes in throughput, particle size, moisture content or material properties can affect the apparent wear rate.
Possible Engineering Recommendations
Depending on the findings, a wear and erosion study may recommend:
Immediate local repairs
Partial or complete liner replacement
Increased liner thickness
Alternative liner materials
Replaceable wear panels
Hardfacing or protective coatings
Revised chute geometry
Repositioned impact plates
Improved access for inspection
Additional thickness-monitoring points
Revised maintenance intervals
Repeat scanning after an agreed operating period
Replacement-component design
Fabrication or installation drawings
The objective is not simply to collect measurement data. It is to provide practical information that can be used for maintenance planning, refurbishment, redesign and asset-life-extension decisions.
When Should a Wear Study Be Considered?
A study may be valuable:
Before a planned shutdown
Before ordering replacement liners
After repeated liner failures
When leakage or breakthrough is suspected
When equipment performance has declined
Before refurbishing an asset
Before modifying a chute or transfer point
When original drawings are unavailable
When manual measurements are inconsistent
After an unexpected failure
Before preparing fabrication drawings
When establishing a long-term monitoring program
Planning the inspection before the shutdown can help confirm access, isolation, cleaning and data requirements.
Engineering-Led Wear Assessments
Hamilton By Design combines site inspection, 3D laser scanning, mechanical engineering, CAD modelling, reverse engineering and practical fabrication knowledge.
This helps convert existing-condition data into usable outcomes such as wear maps, replacement models, repair priorities and fabrication drawings.
Wear and erosion studies can support mining, mineral processing, bulk-material handling, manufacturing, steelmaking, smelting, water, wastewater, power generation and port facilities across Australia.
Learn more about Hamilton By Design’s:
Discuss an Equipment Wear Problem
The appropriate assessment method depends on the equipment, access conditions, expected wear depth and the decisions that need to be made.
Photographs, drawings, equipment dimensions, shutdown dates and previous inspection records can help establish the initial scope.
Contact Hamilton By Design to discuss a wear or erosion problem affecting your plant or equipment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can 3D laser scanning measure equipment wear?
Yes. Where the worn surface is visible and a suitable reference is available, the scan can be compared with an original CAD model, an earlier scan, an unworn component or reconstructed nominal geometry.
Laser scanning does not directly measure the remaining thickness of a closed plate or pipe wall. Ultrasonic thickness testing may also be required.
Can wear be assessed without original drawings?
Yes. A baseline may be developed from an unworn replacement component, previous scan, known plate thickness, symmetrical surface, manufacturer’s information or reverse-engineered geometry.
The reliability of the result depends on the quality of the available reference.
Does equipment need to be cleaned before scanning?
Generally, yes. Product build-up, mud, loose corrosion and residual material can obscure the actual equipment surface.
Where the objective is to measure liner or plate wear, the relevant surface normally needs to be exposed.
Can scanning detect corrosion behind a liner?
Not directly while the liner remains installed.
Scanning may show visible deformation, liner gaps, missing sections or changes in exposed geometry. Hidden corrosion may require liner removal, ultrasonic thickness testing or another nondestructive inspection method.
Can two scans be compared to calculate wear?
Yes, provided both datasets contain suitable common reference geometry or survey control.
The equipment and surrounding reference points must not have moved in a way that could be mistaken for surface wear.
Can a wear study help redesign a chute?
Yes. Where the wear pattern is related to particle impact, material velocity or poor flow geometry, the findings may support revised chute angles, repositioned impact plates, improved liner coverage or modified hood-and-spoon geometry.
Complex flow problems may benefit from discrete element modelling.
Can the remaining service life be calculated?
A single inspection can establish the current condition, but it may not provide a reliable wear rate.
Estimating remaining service life generally requires repeat measurements, known original dimensions, stable operating conditions, appropriate acceptance criteria and an understanding of the failure mechanism.
What information is required for a proposal?
Useful initial information includes:
Equipment type and site location
Description of the wear problem
Photographs and available drawings
Approximate equipment dimensions
Known plate or liner thickness
Access and isolation limitations
Proposed shutdown dates
Previous inspection results
Required reports, models or drawings
A preliminary discussion or site visit may be recommended where the required scope has not yet been established.
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