Wear-Resistant Alumina Linings
Ceramic tiles, bricks and lined pipe that protect chutes, hoppers, cyclones and slurry lines from abrasive wear.
A ceramic lining is not a purchase of tiles — it is a design decision about where the wear actually happens, how the tiles are held to the steel, and what happens at the joints. Get those three right and the lining outlives two or three sets of steel.
Where the failure really occurs
Most ceramic lining failures we are called to look at are not caused by the tile wearing out. They are caused by one of four things:
- Corner spalling at the entry point. Particles strike the leading edge of the first tile. If the leading tile is not protected or chamfered, the whole bond line opens up.
- Wear through the joints. A straight bond line lets a particle track straight down a gap. A staggered bond interrupts it.
- Fixing failure, not tile failure. Adhesive that was not specified for the temperature; studs welded to a shell that was not clean; bolt heads worn proud of the tile surface.
- Wrong grade for the impact. AL-99 tiles in a high-impact chute chip and break up far faster than AL-95, even though AL-99 is harder.
Four ways to hold a tile to steel
| Method | Best for | Limits | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weld-in studs | Sections over 20 mm, high impact, temperature above 150 °C | Requires a clean carbon-steel shell and welding access | Low |
| Bolt-on plates | Areas that need periodic replacement, access panels | Bolt heads must be sunk below the tile face | Medium |
| Epoxy adhesive | Thin tiles, complex geometry, low temperature (under 100 °C) | Not suitable for hot duty; surface preparation is critical | Low |
| Ceramic-lined steel pipe | Pipework, elbows and bends of any diameter | Made as a composite unit, not field-installed | Medium–high |
What we supply
- AL-92 / 95 / 99 mosaic and hexagonal tiles, 10–50 mm, in weld-in, bolt-on and adhesive versions
- Lining bricks for mill shells, cyclone cones and thick-wall duty, mechanically keyed and curved to the shell
- Ceramic-lined pipe, elbows, tees and reducers, DN50–DN600, backfilled into a steel body
- ZTA tiles where edge chipping on a sharp installation is the limiting factor
- Cutting, laying templates and installation guidance — our engineers will review your relining plan
Send us photographs of the worn surface and the shell dimensions. In most cases we can specify the tile layout and the fixing method without a site visit, and we will tell you whether the shell is reusable.
Get a lining specified for your equipment
Tell us what the equipment handles, the particle size and the temperature, and we will propose a layout, grade and thickness.
In this section
Alumina Ceramic Lining Tiles
The workhorse of abrasive wear protection. Tiles are pressed to a nominal size and thickness, fired, and then fixed to a steel…
Alumina Lining Bricks
When the lining has to be thick — 40 mm and up — thin tiles stop being practical. Bricks give you mass,…
Ceramic Lined Pipe & Elbows
Pipework is where abrasion is most concentrated and least visible. A straight run may last years while an elbow fails in weeks,…
Send us your drawing — get a quotation with a firm lead time
PDF, DWG, STEP, IGES or a photo with the critical dimensions marked. Engineering review within one working day.