Apron Feeder Wear Plate Shimming

The challenge

An apron feeder's wear plates were seating unevenly against the structure behind them. With gaps under the plates, every load that dropped onto the feeder drove the plates down onto the steel and pounded it, working the bolts loose and hammering the seating surfaces out of shape. As the gaps grew, the plates shifted under load and the high-wear faces took the abrasion of the moving material on top of the impact. Left alone, the loose, pounding plates would keep chewing up the structure and pulling the feeder out of service for repeated repairs.

Our approach

We start by checking how each plate is sitting and finding where the gaps are that let it move and pound. We clean the seating surfaces and the back of the plates, then cast a conforming shim behind each plate with a 2000 Series material so it fills the gap exactly and the plate beds down on a full, even support instead of a few high spots. With the plates seated solid and re-tightened, we line the high-wear faces with a 1000 Series abrasion-resistant system so the surface that carries the material holds up. The plates stop hammering the structure and the wear faces last between repairs.

1. Assess and mapWe check how each wear plate is seating, find the gaps that let it move, and identify the faces taking the most abrasion.
2. Surface prepWe clean the seating surfaces behind the plates and the high-wear faces so both the shim and the lining bond and bed properly.
3. Cast conforming shimsWe cast a 2000 Series shim behind each plate so it fills the gap exactly and the plate seats on full, even support.
4. Re-seat and lineWe bed and re-tighten the plates on their shims, then line the high-wear faces with a 1000 Series abrasion-resistant system.
5. Return to serviceWe confirm the plates are seated solid and the lining is cured, then hand the feeder back ready to run.