Mining materials wear and corrosion

NRC works with industry partners along the value chain, connecting material and equipment suppliers to mining companies and oil sands producers with shared precompetitive cost containment goals. We let end users define research priorities, channeling the applied research efforts of NRC and Canadian suppliers towards the immediate operational needs of companies in the field.

Partnership opportunity

We are currently seeking new members to join the Mining Materials Wear and Corrosion Consortium. There are two membership levels:

1. Producers: Mining companies and oil sands producers are invited to serve on the Consortium Steering Committee, defining research priorities and level of effort devoted to each research task according to challenges faced in their open pit and in situ mining operations.
2. Suppliers: Developers of wear resistant materials and equipment manufacturers participate in biannual research planning and review meetings, working with NRC researchers to develop and implement technology solutions in mining operations.

The Consortium works to reduce the severe damage and huge costs incurred by clients in mining and mineral processing as a result of abrasion, erosion and erosion-corrosion attack. Current research priorities include advanced material development and optimization, material coatings and protection systems, and failure analysis and testing.

Member benefits

Maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) is a $15 billion per year problem for Canada’s mining sector. A significant proportion of these high costs can be attributed to equipment wear and corrosion damage. NRC’s Mining Materials Wear and Corrosion Consortium can help reduce these costs, extending the life of equipment and increasing energy efficiency and productivity of mining and mineral processing operations.

Consortium members realize the following benefits:

• High leveraging factor produces larger gains and faster progress with less investment. Members influence and benefit from a substantial research effort for a modest individual investment.
• Coordinated project management of multi-partner, multi-year collaborative research projects. Neutral third-party testing and evaluation gives members confidence in the relative costs/benefits of the latest materials and techniques.
• Access to a proprietary database of wear-related properties. Sixteen years of data produces more informed material selection decisions.
• Close working relationships with some of the biggest players along the value chain. Material suppliers and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs learn the current challenges of producers in the field, creating improved products and early user testing, and new business development opportunities.

Other services and facilities

NRC also offers a range of wear-related research services and facilities on an individual fee-for-service basis. Clients include Consortium members and companies in other industries that suffer severe wear problems, including pulp and paper, manufacturing, civil engineering and waste management.

Technical advisory services

NRC researchers bring a multi-disciplinary approach to their analysis of the relationship between microstructure/constitution, mechanical/chemical properties, and wear/corrosion mechanisms and service performance. We bring a strong track record of research and technology development and expertise in the following areas:

• Material characterization and analysis
• Modeling and simulation
• Systems engineering
• Predictive maintenance

Research facilities

Clients have access to a wide range of testers that simulate major wear and wear corrosion mechanisms that exist in resources industry operations, characterization facilities for wear and corrosion-resistant materials and coatings, and unique custom-designed tools for wear evaluation and prediction. The following facilities are available in NRC’s Vancouver labs:

• Abrasion testing
• Erosion-corrosion testing
• Corrosion evaluation and protection
• Modeling hardware and software
• Surface characterization