Smooth chromium carbide overlay (CCO) plate is particularly effective in mining applications where abrasive material continuously slides across the liner surface and efficient material flow is important.
While conventional CCO plate can provide excellent wear resistance, its pronounced weld bead profile may create additional resistance to material movement. A genuinely smooth surface can reduce this interference, making smooth CCO especially valuable in applications dominated by sliding abrasion.
When selecting wear plates for mining, it is important to consider both the dominant wear mechanism and how the plate’s surface profile may affect material flow.
1.Transfer Chutes
Transfer chutes are one of the most suitable applications for smooth CCO plate.
As ore moves from one conveyor or process stage to another, material frequently slides along chute walls and transition surfaces. These areas are exposed to continuous abrasive wear, particularly downstream of the initial impact zone.
A smooth liner surface allows material to move more freely through the chute, helping reduce hang-up, build-up and carryback while still providing protection against sliding abrasion.
2.Hoppers and Surge Bins
Hoppers and surge bins experience significant wear, particularly around inclined walls, cone sections and discharge zones.
Material pressure combined with constant sliding movement can create severe abrasion over time. In addition, wet or fine material may accumulate on rough or uneven liner surfaces.
Smooth CCO is especially useful in these areas because it combines abrasion resistance with improved material flow toward the discharge opening. This can help reduce bridging and material retention inside the bin.
Choosing a suitable liner plate for these zones requires consideration of the material’s abrasiveness, moisture content and tendency to build up along the discharge path.
3.Truck Trays and Dump Bodies
The floor and rear section of mining truck trays are exposed to intense sliding abrasion during unloading.
Carryback is rarely caused by one factor alone. Material type, moisture content, dump settings and truck body design can all affect how efficiently material discharges. Industry examples show that severe carryback can build up quickly when several of these factors combine.
A smooth liner cannot eliminate every cause of carryback, but it can reduce one source of resistance inside the tray. By helping material slide more freely, smooth CCO can support cleaner discharge while protecting high-wear areas against sliding abrasion.
This makes it particularly effective in the tray floor, rear section and other high-wear sliding zones.
4.Reclaim Feeders
Reclaim feeders continuously handle abrasive bulk material under high loading conditions.
Liner surfaces are exposed to repeated movement of ore and fines, creating sustained sliding abrasion. Side walls, transitions and selected feeder surfaces can benefit from smooth CCO where the primary objective is to control abrasion without unnecessarily restricting material flow.
The smoother surface can also make material movement more predictable through the feeder system.
5.Crusher and Screen Discharge Chutes
The highest-impact area inside a crusher may not always be the ideal location for CCO plate, but the downstream discharge zones often are.
Once material leaves the crusher or screen, it frequently travels along discharge chutes where sliding abrasion becomes the dominant wear mechanism.
Smooth CCO can be highly effective in these post-impact areas, providing strong abrasion resistance while allowing processed material to move efficiently through the discharge system.
But Not All Smooth CCO Plates Are the Same
A smooth surface alone does not determine wear performance.
For a smooth CCO plate to deliver reliable service life, the underlying metallurgical quality must also be consistent. Key factors include:
- Stable metallurgical structure– the overlay microstructure should remain consistent across the plate.
- Controlled carbide distribution– hard carbides should be evenly and reliably distributed throughout the wear layer.
- Consistent hardness profile– hardness should remain stable through the effective overlay thickness, rather than only achieving a high reading at isolated points.
- Consistent overlay chemistry and thickness– controlled composition and deposit thickness are essential for repeatable wear performance.
- Reliable fusion bond– the overlay must maintain a strong and consistent metallurgical bond with the base plate to minimise weak areas and premature failure.
In other words, a good smooth plate must first be a good wear plate.
At FuseTech, smooth CCO is not one product category among many—it is our core expertise. With more than 16 years of dedicated experience focused specifically on smooth CCO plate, we have built our manufacturing knowledge around the metallurgy, process control and consistency required to produce reliable smooth overlay.
Our smooth CCO is engineered around these fundamentals, combining controlled metallurgical structure, consistent hardness and dependable fusion quality with a genuinely smooth, non-directional surface.
This combination provides two important benefits: reliable wear resistance and improved material flow.
For mining applications dominated by sliding abrasion, the objective is not simply to install a smoother liner. It is to use a wear plate that combines proven metallurgical consistency with a surface engineered to help material move more efficiently.
