WEAR PROTECTION

I A special job kiln tyre repair

by Welding Alloys, UK

kiln can be immobilised by

the failure of a highly-costly
component, such as a tyre
or roller, which may not be quickly
replaceable. This is notably the case for
cracks revealed during maintenance.
Problems in weld repair are frequent and
can be caused by a number of factors,
including limited knowledge of the
steel to be welded and its mechanical
properties, poorly defined service
conditions, very limited time allocated to
the repair, restraint, difficulty in carrying
out non-destructive inspection and
difficulty in preheating or impossibility of
heat treatment.

A kiln tyre is one of the most critical components in a cement plant. If

a crack occurs, time to repair becomes the most important parameter.
Dedicated stick electrodes have been used for many years all around
the world, although they do not offer the optimum solution. This article
describes an example of a kiln tyre repair using GAMMA 182 and its
advantages over stick electrodes, especially when welded using Welding
Alloys automated welding machines with the expertise of the WA
Integra engineers.

Significant damage a kiln tyre in need of repair

Kiln tyre cracks can be spotted during routine

maintenance checks

During the welding of heavy items in

steel or high-carbon equivalent, the main
risk is of cold cracking or weakening of
the heat-affected zone. With this in mind,
austenitic/nickel-containing filler metals
tend to be the preferred solution. The use
of stainless steels is now superseded by
nickel-based alloys. Stainless steels have
the disadvantage of a 50 per cent greater
coefficient of expansion than highcarbon steels needing repair. This results
in a considerable increase in stress and
deformation.
Welding Alloys GAMMA 182 nickelbased cored wire does not suffer from
this problem. Its coefficient of expansion
is almost the same as steel, its elongation
exceeds 40 per cent and its elastic limit is
far greater than the contraction stresses
occurring in the weld, thereby exploiting
the materials ductile characteristics. The
basic flux and the manganese enriched
composition considerably improve
resistance to hot cracking, tolerance of

incorporated phosphorus and in particular

sulphur, which may come from the base
material.
WA GAMMA 182 nickel-based cored
wire has been successfully used to
join matching and non-matching base
materials for low temperature steels
and for difficult repair jobs requiring
specially designed filler metals. The most
common GAMMA 182 applications in
a cement plant are kiln tyre and roller
repairs, kiln shell repair, ball mill shell and
trunnion repairs.
The technical advantages of GAMMA
182 nickel-based cored welding wire are
well known. Among these advantages
are the following:
increased productivity
pleasing bead appearance requiring less
finishing and repair work
ability to use a single gas for mild,
low-alloyed and stainless steels
possibility to use unsophisticated
welding power sources and gas supplies
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WEAR PROTECTION

The WA Integra engineers

begin the repair procedure

Preparing the kiln tyre for repair

availability of special types of alloys

or possibility to customise according to
specifications.
extended parameter range and greater
tolerance of variations compared with
established procedures.
Along with using the optimum wire,
the procedure chosen to repair a kiln tyre
is also an important factor in minimising
kiln downtime and keeping costs to a
minimum.
Welding Alloys team of dedicated
engineers, dubbed Integra, use their
own automated equipment, together with
GAMMA 182 to complete these repairs, as
described below.
As soon as a crack is detected on the
kiln tyre, the kiln has to be cooled down
and the crack positioned at the top for
welding. A visual inspection, followed by
dye penetration and ultrasonic inspection
gives precise details on the crack.
After gouging and surface grinding,
additional inspection will guarantee the
reliability of the zone to be repaired.
Once the cavity is prepared for welding,
the WA Integra team offers a combination
of two solutions based on the working
environment of the kiln. These include the
use of:
automated welding equipment
semi-automated welding equipment
(always used for the initial weld).
WA automated welding equipment is
able to weld up to 6.5kg/h, compared
ICR APRIL 2010

The WA Integra experts can offer automated

or semi-automated welding repairs

WEAR PROTECTON

to 0.5kg/h for stick electrodes. The

welding procedure needs to be followed
meticulously to ensure cooling stresses do
not build up within the deposited material.
A new generation of highly-alloyed
cored wires is now in use. The wellknown and attractive properties of
stainless steel cored wires have been
exploited and optimised for nickel-based
cored wire, thus completing the variety
of filler products available for welding,
surfacing and repair, in a context where
quality, productivity, innovation and
competitiveness are the keys to success.
WA GAMMA 182 cored welding wire
was specially developed for heavy casting
and forging repairs in a cement plant.
Compared to stick electrodes, it offers a
faster solution resulting in high savings
on a plants margins with a very good
physical and chemical result. Generally,
a kiln tyre repair with GAMMA 182
cored welding wire is 50 per cent faster
than with stick electrodes. On average,

Revealed the repaired kiln tyre after treatment

downtime has been reduced to 18 days

rather than the 60 days needed for
manual repair. At a clinker production
rate of 5500tpd, it represents a net gain of
231,000t of clinker production. Ultimately
for the end-user, it can represent savings
of several million euros.

Specialised in hardfacing, cladding and

repair by welding, the Welding Alloys
Integra Service Centres are located all over
the world. Experienced teams of welders,
with automated welding equipment, are
available for rapid intervention for cement
industry customers worldwide. ________ I

APRIL 2010 ICR