UHMW has a continuous service temperature ceiling around 180°F (82°C). For hot material (hot clinker, asphalt, hot foundry sand), switch to AR plate, ceramic, or high-temp urethane.

Chute Liners, Impact Bars & Wear Strips | A&K Machine & Fabrication

Why A&K for Wear Liners

The Cheapest Steel in Your Plant

Every load point, transfer chute, and impact zone needs sacrificial wear material between the product and the structural steel. The whole point is that the liner wears so the chute doesn't. Skip it, and you're cutting and welding new chute walls every 6 months.

A&K cuts and drills UHMW, AR400, AR500, and ceramic-faced wear panels to your chute geometry. Counterbored bolt holes for flush flat-head bolts. Pre-finished edges. Labeled by location so install crews don't have to think.

UHMW polyethylene (incl. TIVAR 88 anti-static and TIVAR 1000 grades) for low-friction sliding service

AR400 (360–444 HBW) and AR500 (477–534 HBW) abrasion plate; Hardox 450/500/600 on request

Alumina-ceramic panels (92%, 95%, 99% Al₂O₃) for extreme abrasion

Tungsten-carbide tile and chrome carbide overlay (CCO) for the worst wear zones

Rubber-topped impact bars and impact beds (LD, MD, HD duty ratings)

Magnetic-backed wear panels for fast installation in difficult-access chutes

Pre-counterbored holes for flush flat-head bolts

Pre-labeled by chute location for fast install

UHMW polyethylene bushings and wear components in the A&K shop — A&K Machine & Fabrication, Jacksonville FL

Wear Liner Types

The Right Liner for the Wear Mode

UHMW Chute Liners

Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene cut, drilled, and counterbored to chute geometry. Lowest coefficient of friction of any liner material — sticky material slides instead of building up. Standard grade, TIVAR 88 anti-static (for combustible dust), TIVAR 1000 (higher impact strength), and FDA-compliant white grades for food.

AR400 & AR500 Abrasion Plate

Through-hardened steel plate for high-impact and abrasive load points. AR400 (360–444 HBW) for general aggregate, AR500 (477–534 HBW) for severe-duty mining and quarry chutes. Hardox 450/500/600 supplied on request. Plasma- or water-jet cut, counterbored for flush flat-head bolts.

Impact Bars & Beds

Rubber-topped impact bars and full impact beds under load points to absorb drop energy and protect the belt. Standard 4" and 6" bar widths, custom-length beds. Three duty grades: Light Duty (under 50 ft-lb impact), Medium Duty (50–250 ft-lb), Heavy Duty (250+ ft-lb).

Alumina Ceramic Panels

Ceramic tiles (92%, 95%, or 99% Al₂O₃ purity) bonded onto AR-plate or rubber backing. Mohs ~9 surface hardness — multiple times the life of AR500 in glass, slag, taconite, and abrasive ash. Drop-in replacement for plate-only liners.

Tungsten Carbide & CCO

Tungsten-carbide brazed-tile inserts for the worst single-point impact zones; chrome carbide overlay (CCO) plate — a carbide-rich weld overlay on a steel backing — for large-area severe-abrasion service in coal, ore, and slurry chutes. Routinely outlasts AR500 by 5–10×.

Magnetic-Backed Wear Panels

Wear-resistant panels with embedded permanent magnets — install in minutes without bolts, drilling, or welding. Standard for ferrous-material chutes where downtime is the dominant cost; the magnet field holds them against the steel chute wall.

Skirtboard & Skirt Rubber

Steel skirtboard frames with replaceable rubber or urethane skirt seal at the belt edge. Seals the load zone against dust and fines without dragging on the belt. SBR for standard service, urethane for abrasive, FDA white for food.

Wear Strips & Bolt-On Pads

Sacrificial bar-stock and plate wear strips for high-wear edges — chute lips, transition corners, throat guides. Bolt-on so replacement doesn't require welding. AR400, AR500, or carbide-faced depending on the wear pattern.

Machined white UHMW polyethylene cylinder — A&K Machine & Fabrication, Jacksonville FL

Material Selection

Match the Liner to the Material

Picking the right liner is mostly about understanding the dominant wear mode — sliding-abrasion, impact, or a combination — and the temperature ceiling. Pick wrong, and the liner wears out faster than the steel chute did.

UHMW (standard): Sticky, wet, fine, or fibrous material. Low impact. Coefficient of friction ~0.10–0.20. Service temp ceiling ~180°F (82°C). FDA white grades for food.
UHMW TIVAR 88 / 88-2: Anti-static, MSHA-compliant UHMW for coal handling and combustible-dust chutes. Same low-friction surface, surface resistivity under 10⁹ Ω.
UHMW TIVAR 1000: Higher impact strength than standard UHMW. Used where the sliding face also sees significant impact (transfer chute back walls under heavy product flow).
AR400 (360–444 HBW): General-purpose abrasion plate. Moderate impact, moderate abrasion — coal, sand, aggregate, scrap, foundry sand.
AR500 (477–534 HBW): Severe-duty abrasion. High impact, hard ore, taconite, primary-crusher discharge. Through-hardened, weldable with low-hydrogen process.
Hardox 450 / 500 / 600: SSAB premium quench-and-tempered abrasion plate — tighter chemistry and weldability than commodity AR. Specified by Brinell (450 ≈ 425–475 HBW, 500 ≈ 470–530 HBW, 600 ≈ 570–640 HBW).
Alumina ceramic (92% / 95% / 99%): Mohs ~9 surface hardness. 92% is most economical, 99% is highest hardness for the worst abrasives (slag, glass cullet, abrasive ash). Multiple times the life of AR500 in those services.
Tungsten carbide / CCO: Brazed tungsten-carbide tiles for the worst single-point impact wear; chrome carbide overlay for large-area severe-abrasion service.
Rubber-topped impact bar: Vertical drop zones at load points. SBR or natural rubber on a steel back. Absorbs drop energy before it reaches the belt.
Urethane: Moderate abrasion combined with sticky/wet material. 85–95 Shore A; better wear life than rubber against fine abrasive.

Our Process

From Chute Drawing to Liner on Your Dock

Drawing or Field Measure

Send your chute drawing — or our crew comes out and field-measures. Liner panels mapped to chute zones; bolt-hole pattern captured.

Material & Quote

We recommend liner material per chute zone — different sections may need different materials. Fixed quote with real lead time.

Cut & Drill

Water-jet, plasma, or saw-cut to drawing. Holes drilled and counterbored for flush flat-head bolts. Edges deburred, labeled by chute location.

Ship or Install

Palletized by chute zone; install crews don't have to think. For customers in our service area, we install on-site during your scheduled outage.

Industries

Who We Supply Wear Liners To

Mining & Aggregates Agriculture Food & Beverage Wood, Pulp & Paper Recycling Wastewater Power & Utilities Construction & Roads Distribution & Warehouse Marine Pharmaceuticals Airports

Common Questions

Wear Liner FAQ

UHMW vs AR400 — how do I choose?

If material is sticking or building up on the chute, you want UHMW (the low-friction surface keeps product moving). If material is abrasive and high-energy, you want AR400 or AR500 (steel can take impact + abrasion that would tear UHMW apart). For "sticky AND abrasive" mixed-mode wear, mix them — UHMW on the sliding faces, AR on the impact zones.

How thick should my liner be?

Standard UHMW thickness is ½" to 1" depending on duty; AR plate is typically ¼" to ¾". The right thickness is "thick enough to last between your scheduled maintenance windows." If you're replacing more than once a year, go thicker; if you're over-replacing, go thinner.

Do you provide the bolts and hardware?

By default, the liners ship pre-drilled and counterbored — you supply your standard hex-head or flat-head bolts. If you want hardware included (often the case for food-grade or stainless installs), we'll match the material spec.

Can A&K liners drop into chutes built by another fabricator?

Yes — most of our liner work is retrofit, not new-build. Send us the chute drawing, OEM liner part number, or even a worn original. We match the hole pattern and panel dimensions exactly.

Can ceramic tiles really last that much longer than AR500?

In the right application, yes. Alumina ceramic surface hardness is ~9 on the Mohs scale; hardened AR500 is ~7–8. Against abrasives that are themselves Mohs 7+ (silica sand, glass cullet, taconite), that gap matters — ceramic-faced panels typically deliver 5–10× the life of AR500 in those services. Worth it on transfer chutes that see slag, glass, abrasive ore, or fly ash. Less compelling on softer materials like coal or limestone, where AR400/500 already lasts years.

How hot can UHMW go?

UHMW has a continuous service temperature ceiling around 180°F (82°C); short excursions to 200°F are OK but it starts to soften and creep above that. For hot material (hot clinker, asphalt, hot foundry sand), UHMW is the wrong call — switch to AR plate, ceramic, or high-temp urethane. If the chute is outdoor and sees ambient heat plus material, factor in both.

What's chrome carbide overlay (CCO) and when do I use it?

CCO is a thick layer of chromium-carbide-rich weld overlay (typically 1/8" to 1/2") deposited onto an AR-plate base. The overlay is ~60–65 HRC with embedded chromium carbides. It's the right call for large-area severe abrasion — coal chutes at power plants, ore-handling chutes, slurry pipe spools. Outlasts AR500 by 5–10× in those services, drops in on the same bolt pattern, and we can cut it to your drawing.

Other Conveyor Components

Adjacent to the Wear Zone

Belt Scrapers

The first line of defense at the head pulley — keeps carry-back out of the return-run zone where liners live.

Explore Scrapers

Idlers & Belt Tracking

Impact idlers paired with impact bars/beds give the belt cushion-on-cushion protection under load points.

Explore Idlers

All Conveyor Components

Back to the full overview — pulleys, bearings, sprockets, take-ups, auger flighting, and more.

Back to Overview

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Start Your Project

Send us your details — drawings, dimensions, or just a description. We'll get back to you within 48 hours on most quotes. For faster response or lead time questions on jobs, just call.

Fast Response

We respond to most quote requests within 48 hours. For faster responses or lead time questions on specific jobs, call us directly at 904-388-7772.

We Ship Anywhere

Based in Jacksonville, FL — we ship finished parts and components throughout Florida, the Southeast, and beyond.

Prefer to Call?

Reach us at 904-388-7772, Mon–Fri 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM (closed Sat–Sun).

Sacrificial Wear, So Your Structure Doesn't Become It.