When inspecting a screening process, the suggested improvements are always dependent on the customer specific processing conditions and exact application. Sometimes the solution is more complex than at other times. In the image below, taken at a customer site, the problem and solution were obvious to us. As the screening media apertures were located just above the cross beams, stones were easily getting stuck. The pegged stones resulted in unnecessary wear on the screen. By removing the troublesome apertures, a blank surface was created, thereby protecting the screen.
There is no universal solution to solve all screening media related challenges. A good start is to look at pegging, blinding and maintenance – three areas which greatly impact the screening process.
Pegging occurs when rocks get trapped in the openings of the screen surface. It can vary from minor pegging to the most challenging situation in which the entire cloth is clogged with rocks. Pegging limits screening capacity, and it can be difficult to know exactly what is the best solution for the problem. Initially, you should look at the size of the apertures to investigate why pegging occurs in your production.
In our follow up article How to reduce pegging and blinding you can find a few pointers to consider in your operation.
Maintenance and simple measures are often overlooked as factors that affect the performance of the screening media. In some cases when we are called to a customer site to optimize the set-up of screening media, we discover that the problem is actually related to other underlying issues. In the image below, premature damage was discovered due to the screen cloth support being worn down. The wear was so heavy that the screen cloth could not be tensioned, therefore leading to premature cloth damage.
Find out additional factors to consider in our final article in this series - Three ways to improve screening media performance by reviewing your installation.
Whether your issues come down to pegging, blinding or a service related issue, the key is to take a step back and look for the root cause to the issue before deciding on a quick fix. Bringing in a screening expert can also help you choose a solution that works for your specific site or screening operation.
To find the best tools for the job, screen media selection is a factor that should not be overlooked.
By Steve Fair
For more information, please visit Red Star Wire Mesh.
With increasing infrastructure developments on the horizon comes a growing demand for raw materials, making sure equipment is running efficiently is a top priority. However, it is also important to evaluate your screen media to ensure you are using the best tools for the job. Following are four things to keep in mind.
#1: Operational Requirements
Consider the types of materials going through the vibrating screen. Factors such as material size, weight, and abrasiveness all come into play during the selection process. Materials with top sizes as large as 10 inches require more durable screen media to handle heavy impact. Abrasive material typically requires screen media with higher wearability whereas higher open area plays a larger factor for softer material.
#2: Phases of Screening
Next, look at your screen deck. There are three phases of material that go through the screening process—from layered, to basic, to sharp. Equipping the screen deck with a single type of media overlooks the fact that each of these phases has very different needs. By recognizing and analyzing each phase, you can customize your vibrating screen’s deck with various types of screen media for the best combination of wear life and open area.
#3: Screening Costs
Using the wrong screen media can lead to increased maintenance costs and downtime. Start by looking in the boneyard at the discarded screen media. Problem areas, such as broken wires, wear areas, pegging or blinding, are often a sign of carryover or contamination, resulting in unwanted material in the screened material pile as well as the added cost of rescreening.
#4: Screen Media Selection
Engineered screen media used alone or blended with other options such as woven wire cloth or self-cleaning screens can provide the ultimate combination of wear life and open area. Polyurethane screen media offer extended wear life. The polyurethane is poured open cast, offering up to two times the wear life of injection-molded screen media. It is often ideal for handling impact at the feed end during the layered phase of screening.
Hybrid screens are an option that combines woven wire with polyurethane to provide a higher open area than polyurethane while extending wear life four to seven times beyond woven wire, which is often a good solution on that difficult-to-access second deck.
When screening large top sizes, look for rubber screen media. Rubber screen media is ideal for handling top sizes larger than 12 inches, or for an application requiring an opening larger than four inches.
To find the best tools for the job, screen media selection is a factor that should not be overlooked. Some of the top items for operations to keep top of mind when doing so are operational requirements, phases of screening, and screening costs. Additionally, operations should consider working with an OEM to thoroughly evaluate their operation and ensure they are equipped with the right screen media for their application. | WA
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