Wear resistance of materials used for slurry transport

Yongsong Xie n, Jiaren (Jimmy) Jiang, Kidus Yoseph Tufa, Sing YickMining Wear and Corrosion National Research Council Canada, 4250 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1W5

a r t i c l e i n f o

Article history:Received 15 September 2014Received in revised form2 January 2015Accepted 3 January 2015

Keywords:Slurry erosionSlurry abrasionWear testingMining, mineral processing

a b s t r a c t

More and more slurry transport systems are used in mining operations to efficiently and cost-effectivelytransport ores and tailings. The materials used for slurry transport are often subjected to severe wearattack. In this study, the wear modes and wear resistance of materials commonly used for slurrytransport are discussed. Slurry jet erosion, Coriolis slurry scouring erosion and slurry sliding abrasiontests are used to simulate these wear modes and to characterize the wear resistance of the materials. Thewear resistance of selected materials from each material category commonly used for slurry transport,including steels, high chromium white cast irons, chrome carbide-based and tungsten carbide-basedoverlays, elastomers, plastics, ceramics and cermets, are reported. The relationships of the wearresistance of these materials with their mechanical properties are also briefly discussed.

Crown Copyright & 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

A growing number of short- and long-distance slurry transportsystems are used for the transport of ores and tailings in various miningoperations in the world. Slurry transport has a number of handlingadvantages including low cost, minimum maintenance and smallenvironmental impact [1–4]. In slurry transport, the concentrate ofore or tailing is mixed with water and then pumped over a distancethrough pipeline. The mechanical interactions between the ore/tailingand the surface of the components of the slurry transport equipmentresult in the wear damage of the equipment. Examples of the criticalwear components include pump impeller, pump suction side liner,pump casing, pipe elbow and bend. Fig. 1 shows some worn compo-nents of slurry pumps and pipes. To reduce the maintenance costsincurred for replacing and/or repairing worn components andminimizethe losses in production during related equipment down-time, themostcost-effective wear-resistant materials should be identified and applied.

The equipment and components used in slurry transport areexposed to a multiplicity of wear modes. Among them, the mostsignificant and most common wear modes are as follows [6]:

� Erosion caused by directional impact of particles. Examples: pipeelbows (Fig. 1(c)) and bends, leading edge of pump impeller vanes.

� Erosion caused by random impact of particles. Examples: pumpimpeller shroud and trailing edge of pumping vanes.

� Abrasion caused by sliding and rolling particles. Example:straight pipes.

In addition, tribocorrosion, a material degradation process due tothe combined effect of corrosion and wear, plays a role in the weardamage in some operations. Tribocorrosion is not addressed in thispaper so that the focuses of this paper are erosion and abrasion.

Althoughmany materials have been used for slurry transport, littlesystematic studies were reported on their wear resistance and wearmechanisms. This paper reviews wear-resistant materials commonlyused for slurry transport, introduces the laboratory wear test methodsused at the National Research Council Canada for characterizing wear-resistant materials for slurry transport applications, and presentssome typical wear resistance data of commonly used materials forslurry transport. The relationships of the wear resistance of thesematerials with their mechanical properties are also briefly discussed.

2. Wear-resistant materials commonly used for slurrytransport

2.1. Steels

ASTM A53, ASME SA 106 Grade B, API 5L Grade B, X42 and X65steels are used in certain areas/sections of the slurry transport systemas a mediocre low cost selection. They have low carbon content (0.3%max.) and low hardness (130 HB min.) and their wear properties aregenerally poor. There are a variety of “wear-resistant” products andaccessories that have come onto the market to replace mild steel pipein high wear areas, including internally induction hardened steel,flame hardened dual phase steel, etc. Fedur is the product name for awear-resistant composite steel made up of two layers inseparablybonded by a special roll bonding method. One layer has a tough, high

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wear.2015.01.0050043-1648/Crown Copyright & 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

n Corresponding author. Tel.: þ1 6042213074.E-mail address: yongsong.xie@nrc.gc.ca (Y. Xie).

Please cite this article as: Y. Xie, et al., Wear resistance of materials used for slurry transport, Wear (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wear.2015.01.005i

Wear ∎ (∎∎∎∎) ∎∎∎–∎∎∎

weldability quality consisting of low carbon steel. The other consists ofan alloyed carbon steel having a high hardness. Standard stainlessgrades are higher cost options available in piping form. They are usedwhen wear attack is relatively low while corrosion concerns are high.They can be austenitic, ferritic, martensitic or duplex stainless steelsfrom the AISI 200, 300 and 400 series and also in proprietary alloycompositions [7].

Typical applications of steels in slurry transport are slurry pipespools, bends and elbows, and pump shaft sleeves.

2.2. Chromium white cast irons

Chromium white cast irons are recognized as the cast alloy groupwhich offers excellent resistance to abrasion, erosion and corrosion[8]. In general, they have microstructures containing 20–60 vol% hard

(1350–2000 HV) metallic carbides in a matrix consisting of variousferrous phases. Macro-hardness is generally in excess of 550 HB (afterheat treatment). Extensive distributions of hard micro-constituentsresult in their widespread application in severe abrasion, erosion andlow to moderate impact wear situations.

Typical applications are slurry pump impellers, casings, sideplates, slurry pipe elbows and reducers.

2.3. Elastomers

According to an ASTM definition, elastomers are any rubber-likecompounds (natural or synthetic) which can be stretched repeatedlyat room temperature to at least twice their length but return quicklyto their approximate original dimensions when the applied stress isreleased. Because of their general similarity to rubbers, polyur-ethanes and polyureas are also classified as elastomers. The cap-ability of polyurethanes and polyureas to be spray coated is a verysignificant attribute which increases the range of their application.

General advantages of elastomers over other wear protectionoptions occur in the areas of resilience, toughness, corrosion resistance,ease of fabrication, non-stick and self-lubricating qualities, noise/vibration damping capabilities and light weight. In wear situations,they rely mainly on their elastic properties to absorb the deformationinduced by the abrasive or erosive medium elastically with minimalplastic deformation. However, they have clear limitations in the areasof tearing and gouging resistance, strength and ability to withstandelevated temperatures.

Natural rubbers have excellent abrasion and erosion resistancewhen hydrocarbon and weathering resistance are not required.Neoprene rubbers are good materials where resistance to hydro-carbons and wear are needed. The properties of polyurethanes andpolyureas vary depending on the base polymers. They can exhibitoutstanding mechanical properties, wear resistance and chemicalresistance at moderate temperatures [9].

Elastomers are widely used as the materials of hoses and hosebends, linings of pipes, pump casings and side liners.

2.4. Plastics

The use of plastics for wear protection is limited compared toelastomers. Polyethylenes, including high density polyethylenes(HDPEs), high molecular weight polyethylenes (HMWPEs) andultra-high molecular weight polyethylenes (UHMWPEs) are themost used wear-resistant plastics for slurry transport. They havegood chemical resistance and their properties increase withmolecular weight. UHMWPE exhibits extremely low coefficientof friction thus has non-stick and self-lubricating properties [7].

The main uses of polyethylenes in slurry transport are pipelinings, pump impellers, and ball check valves. Most liners areattached mechanically.

2.5. Ceramics

Ceramics are inorganic non-metallic compounds usually pro-duced at high temperatures from both naturally occurring orsynthetic feedstocks. Typically, they are extremely hard at lowand elevated temperatures and have high wear resistance. Theyare chemically inert and exhibit thermal stability and insulationqualities. Their main deficiency is their brittleness. The mostimportant and widely used wear-resistant ceramics are variousgrades of alumina, silicon carbide and partially stabilized zirconia.

Their main uses in slurry transport are hydrocyclone linings,nozzles, orifice plates, valves, slurry launders and mechanical seals.

Fig. 1. Examples of worn components in slurry transport systems: (a) 1 mdiameter, high Cr white cast iron impeller after 3 months' use in an oil sandsslurry pump, (b) slurry pump suction side liner with 40 mm of material removed(from reference [5]) and (c) oil sands slurry pipe elbow in which 8 mm thick CrCoverlay and 6 mm thick base steel were worn through.

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2.6. Cermets

Cermet is a term used to designate a heterogeneous combinationof metals with one or more ceramic phases which can constitutemore than 90% of its volume. The solubility between the metallicand ceramic phases at processing temperature is relatively limited.Cemented tungsten carbides are the main cermets used for wearapplications because they have excellent combination of hardnessand toughness. They usually consist of hard (1400–2500 HV) tungstencarbide grains bonded together with cobalt in a pressing operationfollowed by a high temperature, liquid phase sintering process. Otherbinder metals are used to enhance properties for certain applications,e.g. nickel, to improve corrosion resistance which is a generallimitation of tungsten carbide cermets [10].

Typical applications in slurry transport include pump seals andbushings, valve components, and nozzles.

2.7. Overlays

2.7.1. Chromium carbide-based overlays (CCOs)The product is usually manufactured as overlaid plates which can

then be fabricated into desired shapes. However, some systemsdeposit the overlays directly onto the internal surfaces of steel pipe.The manufacturing involves the controlled metering of a highlyalloyed powder/wire onto the workpiece surface ahead of a welddeposited pool of mild steel or as the melting electrode. Dissolution ofthe powder/wire results in the desired high chromium and carbonalloy cladding. Open and submerged arc processes are usually used.The deposit thicknesses can exceed 11mm although they are typicallyin the 6–8mm range. The overlays tend to contain transversecracking resulting from the contraction of the weld pool upon cooling(i.e., often called “relief” or “check” cracking) [11]. Hardfacing appliedsuch that minimal dilution occurs providing tough and weldablestructural support from the backing plate.

The compositions of CCOs are essentially based on highchromium white cast irons. Typically, the grades of alloy willcontain in the range of 25–32 wt% Cr and up to 5 wt% of C [7].

Typical applications of CCOs include slurry piping, elbows, andshaft sleeves. In oil sands mining operations, chromium carbideoverlaid piping has been used as the workhorse in high wear areasof slurry piping which includes elbows and straight piping afterelbows. Chromium carbide overlaid piping is well liked by main-tenance as it can be easily field repairable [4].

2.7.2. Tungsten carbide-based metal matrix composite (WC-MMC)overlays

The WC-MMC contains a distribution of hard tungsten carbideparticles suspended in a tough, ductile metal matrix alloy. Plasmatransferred arc welding (PTAW) is the most common method fordepositing WC-MMC overlays; however for specific components orin-field repairs gas metal arc welding techniques are employed [10].PTAW process can produce relatively thick deposits (3–6 mm in asingle pass), with low dilution ratios while maintaining the integrityof the composite materials. Commercial WC-MMC overlay powderfeedstocks tend to contain a blend of 60–65 wt%WC combined with aNi-based matrix alloy. Two major types of tungsten carbides are used,macro-crystalline WC and cast eutectic WC/W2C carbides. To reducecarbide degradation during the welding deposition process, eutecticWC/W2C carbides coated with a thin layer of macro-crystalline WChave also been developed. The carbide shapes can be either angular orspherical. Spherical fused tungsten carbides produced from angularcarbides by a tightly controlled melting process can be fully densewith increased toughness and hardness [11].

Typical applications of WC-MMC overlays include slurry pumpsuction side plates, hydrotransport screens and valves.

3. Laboratory slurry wear tests

Wear testing is necessary to help in selecting the most suitablematerials and to predict the wear performance of the components inslurry transport equipment. Field wear tests are performed atrealistic condition but there are several disadvantages including highcost, long test time, non-controllable test parameters and non-repeatable test results [3,5]. Pilot scale slurry loop tests can havegood control on the test parameters and generate repeatable testresults but the tests are still very costly and time-consuming [12–14].In addition, a major disadvantage of conducting tests in a slurry looptest is the decrease in slurry abrasivity with time due to particledegradation. The ability to assess the wear resistance of materials forslurry transport by means of laboratory testing would thus be veryvaluable. Laboratory testing is also indispensable for screening andranking of a large number of candidate materials for certain applica-tions and for materials development.

The National Research Council Canada (NRC) has been working onlaboratory wear testing for slurry transport applications since the1980s and has developed and constructed several slurry wear test rigswhich have been used for the selection and development of wear-resistant materials for industrial applications. These slurry wear testrigs include two slurry jet erosion testers, a Coriolis slurry scouringerosion tester, a slurry sliding abrasion tester and a slurry pot erosion–corrosion tester. The below section will present the results of selectedmaterials from each material category tested using these wear rigs.

3.1. Tested materials

Table 1 lists some materials assessed using the NRC laboratoryslurry wear test rigs and their hardness values. These materialswere selected from each material category introduced in theprevious section.

3.2. Slurry jet erosion testing

The NRC slurry jet erosion (SJE) test assesses material resistanceto slurry attack at various impingement angles and has been shownto provide a convenient and reproducible technique [15,16]. In theSJE testing, as shown schematically in Fig. 2, the slurry is pumped byan air-operated pump from the slurry reservoir. The slurry exitingfrom the nozzle impacts the surface of the sample clamped in a testholder and then returns to the reservoir. The specimen holder can beadjusted to provide a selected slurry impingement angle. The slurryflow rate is maintained by a computer controlled electronic valve tocontrol the compressive air.

Table 1Materials assessed using the NRC slurry wear rigs.

Category Material Hardness

Steels Low alloy pipe steel 231 HB (2.6 GPa)AISI 1018 mild steel 254 HB (2.9 GPa)Martensitic stainless steel 308 HB (3.5 GPa)Abrasion resistant plate AR400 357 HB (4.1 GPa)Abrasion resistant plate AR600 580 HB (6.6 GPa)

Cr white cast irons 27% Cr 3% C white iron 58.4 HRC (7.2 GPa)25% Cr 4% C white iron 64.8 HRC (8.9 GPa)35% Cr 5% C white iron 65.3 HRC (9.1 GPa)

Elastomers Natural rubber 40 Shore A (0.62 MPaa)Polyurethane 90 Shore A (6.58 MPaa)

Plastic UHMWPE 3.6 HV (40 MPa)Ceramic (sintered) Alumina 2125 KHN (22.9 GPa)Cermet (sintered) WC/Co 2300 HV (24.8 GPa)Overlays Weld CCO 52.0 HRC (5.9 GPa)

PTWA WC/NiBSi overlay 60.2 HRC (7.6 GPa)

a Measured by instrumented indentation.

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Fig. 3 presents the volume losses of selected materials from the SJEtesting. For steels, the volume losses were determined by the weightlosses and densities of the samples. The density values were obtainedusing the gravimetric method based on the Archimedean principle.For other materials, the volume losses were measured directly using alaser profilometer. To minimize any potential effects from waterabsorption and swelling on elastomeric and plastic specimens, thetested specimens were dried in a vacuum furnace for more than tenhours before measuring the wear volume losses. In the testing, slurrycontaining 1.2 kg erodent and 12 kg water was used. The nozzle had adiameter of 5 mm and the nozzle to sample distance was 100 mm.The jet velocity was 16 m/s and the test duration was 2 h. Threeimpingement angles, 201, 451 and 901were used. The erodent used inthe tests, AFS 50–70 silica sand, is natural silica sand having a semi-rounded shape and a size range of 212–300 μm (see Fig. 4). AFS 50–70 silica was used in all the slurry wear tests reported in this paperbecause silica is the most common naturally occurring abrasive/erosive particles and mesh 50–70 is the size which has the highestpercentage in the particles size distributions of most Canadian naturalsilica sands. Fig. 5 shows the typical SJE wear scars generated on a lowcarbon steel and a WC-MMC overlay specimens.

3.3. Coriolis slurry scouring erosion testing

The Coriolis erosion tester was introduced in 1984 [17] in an effortto develop a test method that simulated the motion of slurries andtheir interaction with container surfaces, such as slurry pumps or

pipelines. The method utilizes the combination of centrifugal andCoriolis accelerations in a revolving rotor to pass slurry rapidly across atest surface such that the solid particles are forced against the surface,producing wear during their passage. A similar erosion test methodhas been used for ranking erosion resistant materials of slurry pumpcomponents [18]. NRC has developed the Coriolis erosion testerfurther [19–21], allowing the use of flat plate specimens and theaccurate measurement of the cross-sectional area of the eroded track.The Coriolis erosion method is particularly suitable for evaluatingmaterials involved in handling slurries at locations where solidparticles tend to impact a wear surface at a very low impingementangle. The data obtained from Coriolis erosion testing have correlatedwell with field trials [22,5].

As can be seen in Fig. 6, the Coriolis rig consists of a diametricallygrooved rotor, which rotates at a preselected speed. The slurry is pre-mixed before being fed into the center of the rotor at a constant rate.The considerable centrifugal force (Fcent) subsequently causes theslurry to be expelled along two slurry grooves and the Coriolis force(Fcor) acts to force the slurry against the sample surfaces. The impactsand the rebounds of the erodent particles on the specimen surfacecause most of the particles “jump” along the specimen surface withlow impact angles (o51) during the Coriolis erosion testing. The otherparticles slide or roll along the specimen surface. The velocity withwhich the slurry traverses across the sample surface increasesdepending on the distance from the center of rotation, with thevelocity ranging from 14 to 24 m/s across the length of a standardspecimen at rotor speed of 5000 rpm.

Fig. 7 shows the wear rates obtained from the Corioilis erosiontests which were normalized with respect to the used erodentamount and erosion scar length to give values of mm3/kg/mm. Inthe testing, the rotor speed was 5000 rpm, the slurry was 10 wt%AFS 50–70 silica in water and the slurry fed rate was 60 ml/s. Theslurry was not re-used after exiting the rotor. The wear volumelosses of all specimens were measured using a laser profilometer.The same as in the slurry jet erosion testing, the tested elastomericand plastic specimens were completely dried in a vacuum furnacebefore measuring their wear volume losses.

3.4. Slurry sliding abrasion testing

A Miller tester (Fig. 8) constructed in conformity to the ASTMG75 standard [23] was used to measure the slurry abrasion response(SAR) numbers of the materials. In the testing, the wear specimen issliding reciprocatingly against a neoprene rubber lap in slurry. Theabrasive particles trapped between the rubber lap and the specimencause the abrasion of the specimen. Procedures stipulated in theASTM G75 standard were followed. Three consecutive 2 h tests wereconducted and mass loss after each 2 h test was measured. The

Fig. 2. Schematic of NRC slurry jet erosion rig.

Fig. 3. SJE volume loss of selected materials at impingement angles of 201, 451 and 901.

Fig. 4. SEM image of AFS 50–70 silica sand.

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variation of cumulative mass loss, M, as a function of testing time, t,was fitted to the following formula:

M¼ AtB ð1Þ

The values of A and B are calculated using the least square fittingmethod from the test data. The SAR number was then calculatedaccording to the following expression as defined in the ASTM G75standard:

SAR¼ 18:18dMdt

j t ¼ 2 h

� �7:58ρsample

!ð2Þ

where ρsample is the density of the material under investigation. Thehigher the SAR number of a material is, the more material hasbeen worn.

Fig. 9 shows the SAR numbers of selected materials from theslurry sliding abrasion testing. The testing was conducted using amixture of 50 wt% AFS 50–70 silica sand and de-ionized water as theslurry. The sliding speed was 48 rpm and the load was 22.5 N. Thereare no SAR data of elastomers in the figure because this method isnot suitable for testing elastomeric materials. When using this testprocedure to test an elastomer specimen, the surface of the soft andflexible specimen touches the neoprene lap thus the abrasiveparticles trapped between the rubber lap and the specimen isminimal. This results in a very small wear rate.

Fig. 5. Typical SJE wear scars using AFS 50–70 silica sand at impingement angles of 201, 451 and 901 on (a) a low carbon steel and (b) a WC-MMC overlay.

Fig. 6. Schematics of the Coriolis erosion rig, the forces acting on the erosiveparticle and a wear scar.

Fig. 7. Wear rates of selected materials from the Coriolis slurry erosion tests.

Fig. 8. Schematic of the slurry sliding abrasion rig.

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4. Discussion

The wear resistance data in Figs. 3, 7 and 9 revealed unsurpris-ingly that chromium white cast irons, WC-based cermet, chromiumcarbide overlay and WC-MMC overlay displayed wear resistancemuch better than steels although the hardness difference betweenthese materials and steels is not so significant. This is mainlybecause these materials contain carbides that are harder than thesilica particles (1350–2500 HV as compared with about 1000 HV)thus the silica particles cannot cut or plow the carbides. Fig. 10shows the SEM image of the worn surface of a high Cr white ironafter the Coriolis erosion test. This figure and Fig. 5(b) clearly showthe carbides stand out from the matrix with edge rounding andsome fracturing, with material removal primarily occurring in thesoft matrix locations. Among all these materials, the WC-basedcermet offered the highest wear resistance because of its highestcarbide content (490%) and the fine WC grains in the cermet,which had higher toughness than coarse WC grains and resulted inthe very small distances between the WC grains thus the softmatrix could be well protected.

In the meantime, the very soft elastomers displayed excellentwear resistance in the slurry wear tests. The laboratory test resultsare in agreement with field wear results. It has been reported thatpolyurethane lined pipes lasted 5–20 times longer than unlined steelpipes for slurry transport [24,25], and rubber suction side liner ofslurry pump lasted 6 times longer than 27% Cr white cast iron sideliner [6]. The excellent wear resistance of the elastomers attributesto their excellent resilience to absorb the deformation induced bythe erosive/abrasive particles elastically with minimal plastic defor-mation. This can be explained by the material parameter of the

“plasticity index” [26,27]. The plasticity index, ψ, is given by

ψ � EH� average slope of the asp erities on contacting surface ð3Þ

where E is Young's modulus and H is the hardness of the wearingsurface. The average slope of the asperities on contacting surface isequivalent to the average attack angle of the erosive/abrasiveparticles. The higher the ψ, the more severe the plastic contact is.The reciprocal of the material parameter of the plasticity index, H/E,is related to the maximum elastic strain to initiate plastic indenta-tion. Thus the ratio of E/H is a measure of the tendency of a materialfor plastic contact deformation. The steels, white cast irons andoverlays have E/H values ranging from 39 (300 GPa/7.6 GPa) to 77(200 GPa/2.6 GPa) but the two elastomers have much lower E/Hvalues of 5.3 (3.3 MPa/0.62 MPa for the rubber) and 6.6 (43.7 MPa/6.6 MPa for the polyurethane).

In the erosion testing, the UHMWPE displayed wear resistanceseveral times better than the steels although its hardness is muchlower. It is also because the UHMWPE has an E/H value of 24(941 MPa/40 MPa), several times lower than that of the steels.However, in the slurry sliding abrasion where the abrasive particleare embedded into the softer rubber lap thus are not free to moveand are forced against the sample surface, the UHMWPE displayedwear resistance close to that of the steels.

The sintered alumina, which has a high hardness of 22.9 GPa anda relatively low E/H value of 17, displayed very good wear resistancein the Coriolis erosion testing. However, in slurry jet erosion testing,it had higher wear volume loss than other materials except for thesteels. In addition, the wear volume loss increased with the increasein impingement angle. Such wear behavior of the alumina can beattributed to the brittle nature of the ceramic. In the Coriolis erosiontesting, the impact energy induced by the silica particles is smalland is several times lower than that in the slurry jet erosion testing[28] thus brittle fracture on the alumina surface is minimal. On theother hand, in the slurry jet erosion testing, especially at highimpingement angle, the much increased impact energy induced bythe silica particles resulted in significant brittle fracture on thealumina surface thus much higher wear.

5. Conclusions

Steels, chromium white cast irons, elastomers, plastics, cera-mics, cermets and overlays are commonly used materials for slurrytransport. They displayed different wear resistances in the slurrywear tests. The appropriate applications of these materials shouldbe determined by the service conditions.

� The most common wear modes of materials used for slurrytransport are erosion caused by directional and random impactof solid particles at different impingement angles, and abrasioncaused by sliding and rolling particles.

� The slurry jet erosion testing, Coriolis erosion testing and slurrysliding abrasion testing provide convenient techniques forassessing material performance under slurry impact erosion,scouring erosion and sliding abrasion conditions.

� For chromium white cast irons, cemented tungsten carbides,chromium carbide-based overlays and tungsten carbide-basedmetal matrix composite overlays, the extensive distributions ofhard carbides in a ductile matrix result in their excellent wearresistance.

� Elastomers have excellent wear resistance because of theirexcellent resilience to absorb the deformation induced by theabrasive or erosive medium elastically with minimal plasticdeformation.

Fig. 9. Slurry abrasion response (SAR) numbers of selected materials from theslurry sliding abrasion testing.

Fig. 10. SEM image of the worn surface of a high Cr white iron after the Corioliserosion test. Slurry flow direction was from right to left.

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Acknowledgment

The authors would like to express their thanks to the membersof the NRC/Industry Mining Materials Wear and Corrosion Exclu-sive Research Group for their support of this work.

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Please cite this article as: Y. Xie, et al., Wear resistance of materials used for slurry transport, Wear (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wear.2015.01.005i