How Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites Can Help Increase Safety in Mining Operations

By Dino Peluso, Eastern Canada Area Manager, Creative Composites Group

Mining forms a significant portion of our economy and, from gold to potash, this industry adds billions to Canada’s annual GDP. With a core priority of keeping workers safe, while remaining profitable, the mining and mineral processing industries must consider how the material they process impacts the very facilities they build.

The corrosive environment common to mining operations tends to quickly corrode metal wall cladding, roofing, platforms and other structures inside mining facilities. Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) offers the industry a way to decrease costs and increase safety, while extending the service life of the facility.

Safety concerns in mining and mineral processing

Corrosion is the root of some of the costliest and most unsafe issues in a mining operation. Some minerals common to Canadian mining, like potash, are naturally corrosive. Other mined materials like lithium, gold, iron and copper are not corrosive themselves, but the acids needed to refine them are often highly corrosive. Corroded materials negatively impact business operations in three ways:

• Workers may be harmed if corrosion causes a pipe or tank to fail. This can also mean product loss.
• Corroded materials may break away from the main structure, presenting trip hazards, falling object risks and other unsafe working conditions.
• The plant will have unplanned downtime to complete repairs and planned downtime to complete maintenance, which equates to lost revenue.

Imagine a worker who needs to perform maintenance and must cross grating to access the roof. Normally a step-safe material, the worker steps onto the grating – not realizing that corrosion has weakened the structure. The worker’s leg crashes through the corroded grating, and he is lucky that he did not fall completely through. The same issue can happen with corroded roof panels if periodic rooftop equipment inspections are required.

Two other characteristics of metal can also introduce safety concerns. Metal is opaque, sacrificing access to natural light in favor of strength. Mining facilities must then rely on strong electric lights or sporadic, non-metallic, non-step-safe panels on the roof to provide adequate light for safe working conditions. Metal structure members are also very heavy and must be joined via hot work, like welding, which creates opportunities for worker injury and even fire. All this on top of the fact that metals often have only a three- to five-year service life in the corrosive environment of a mining operation.

Mining and mineral processing plants can eliminate many of these safety and productivity problems by integrating a corrosion-resistant material into appropriate parts of the facility.

How FRP can increase safety

The top material quality that makes FRP so popular in mining and mineral processing is its inherent corrosion resistance. Because it does not corrode, corrosion-based failures or falling objects are virtually eliminated. Integrating FRP into process areas can deliver a longer service life with far less maintenance and fewer safety risks compared to metals and other corrosion-prone materials.

FRP is also broadly applicable in many industrial applications, and as a manmade, engineered material, it can be made into an effective solution to meet many different needs. FRP materials you may integrate into your mining and mineral processing facility include but are not limited to:

• Beams
• Wall cladding (single-skin and insulated sandwich panels)
• Ceiling panels (opaque or translucent), with options suitable for personnel foot traffic
• Non-metallic tanks
• Access structures (platforms, ladders)
• Structural shapes
• Cable management support systems

FRP composites can reduce opportunities for safety problems. It is very strong but a lighter weight than metal, which can reduce lift-type injuries and requires no hot work. The material can also be produced in a translucent profile, delivering natural light without sacrificing desired performance characteristics, such as an excellent strength-to-weight ratio and step-safety.

In fact, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducted a study, ‘Demonstration of Three Corrosion-Resistant Sustainable Roofing Systems,’ for the Department of Defense, which proved that translucent FRP industrial roofing provided the highest return on investment. They provide a well-lit work area that is cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

From the report: “An FRP panel roof can provide significant benefits, including better indoor lighting, improved thermal comfort, and lower energy bills when used on buildings such as craft shops, warehouses, and industrial facilities.”

Some FRP brands, like TuffSpan™ by Creative Composites Group, also provide fire retardancy. TuffSpan panels meet FM 4881 Exterior Wall System standards and have earned FM 4880 Corner Fire Test approval without sprinkler requirements or height limits. They also have an ASTM E-84 flame spread rating of Class 1: 15 or less and an ASTM E-84 smoke development rating of less than 300. Testing was conducted in accordance with the requirements of CAN/ULC S134-92, Standard Method of Fire Test of Exterior Wall Assemblies, and installation of the Enduro insulated panel test assembly was conducted at the NRC. Many TuffSpan panel installations in Canadian mining facilities that were installed in the early 1990s are still in use today, even after over 30 years of continuous use.

FRP in action

Mining is essential to Nunavut’s economy, but Nunavut’s geography presents special challenges. Not only are temperatures much colder than much of Canada, but the coastal, salt air introduces additional complications. One gold mining operation in the area was losing metal building components to corrosion each year. They were incurring significant costs as well as higher safety risks from corroded materials and from frequent maintenance and replacement in temperatures often well under -15°C. The facility partnered with Enduro Composites, a member of Creative Composites Group, to upgrade its facility to FRP roofing and siding. Maintenance costs have plummeted; replacement costs are nearly eliminated and fire- and corrosion-resistance have significantly increased.

Conclusion

Although the upfront cost may be higher, FRP composite materials have a far longer life in corrosive environments, particularly when compared to the five- to seven-year lifespan of metals in most corrosive mining environments. FRP reduces building costs as well as the costs to remove existing corroded walls, upgrade the structure and replace the new walls or roofs. In the corrosive environment of mining and mineral processing facilities, FRP is the long-lasting, economical solution to maximize safety in this essential industry.

Learn more about Creative Composites Group at https://youtu.be/A5aZAB4E26M.