Wear prediction for a DRI pellet silo

A silo of this type, 18 m in diameter with an inclined bottom, had not been built before for this material. There was no experience to select liner material and thickness from.

We tested four liner materials in a purpose-built wear tester under the load conditions and sliding velocities that occur in the silo. The test was reproduced in the model, and wear was calculated from the contact history during discharge.

The work provided an engineering estimate of wear life, as a basis for plate selection, planned maintenance and cost.