Effect of test parameters on large particle high speed slurry erosion testing

A high speed slurry-pot wear tester was developed for close-to-reality heavy-duty wear testing of materials used in mineral applications. The samples are attached on four levels in a pin mill configuration. The tester and the developed sample rotation test method deliver reproducible results. This study focuses on the effects of testing parameters in large particle slurry testing. Parameters such as the speed, particle size and slurry concentration were varied. The effect of test duration was also examined. Round steel samples and slurry of water and granite gravel were used for testing. The test parameter variations were 4 to 10 mm for particle size, up to 23 wt-% for concentration and up to 20 ms(-1) for the sample tip speed. The relationships between the parameters are discussed. The kinetic energy of the large abrasive particles is also considered. Wear surfaces studied with optical and electron microscopy are also presented and discussed.