My first question is, how have you quantified the fines generation during transport?

Secondly, what will happen to the ore when it is unloaded? Will it be subject to several process steps and then be dropped 20 metres into the hold of a ship?

The thing about fines is; the more you have, the less you generate. Fines can have a cushioning effect.

You do not make it clear if rubber lining is the only option under consideration.

I cannot imagine that rubber lining of wagons will be effective, but the obvious first step is to line one wagon, and more importantly, work out how you are going to quantify the input and output fines levels. That would seem to me to be require significant effort. Then you need to figure out how it will behave further down the process line, if there is one.

In a case like this it is the same story. Newton worked out the basics of it a long time ago.

1)Observe,

2)devise a measurement tool,

3)measure,

4)analyse the data.

5) draw conclusions ■

I agree with peter, what are they thinking as iron ore dust is what is wanted for the smelter anyway.

If they have a housekeeping problem they need to address that instead trying to eliminate fines as any ore metal or non metal will generate fines!, yikes pour me a pint of bittters! ■

If the miner can afford to rail simple crushed ore 400km without first concentrating it then a bit of fines generation surely won't hurt his pocket.

Rubber lined railcars would be as much use as a chocolate teapot. The disturbances come through the cart spring suspensions of the rolling stock and their amplitude at source is at least the same as any reasonable lining thickness, no matter how soft. The rubber lining would have to support the weight imposed & yet be soft enough to yield under the deflections encountered i.e. unreasonably thick.

Fortunately the wind isn't blowing all the fines away. Or is it, and there's just a keen weighbridge operator at the delivery point? ■

A large proportion of the workforce along St George's Terrace in Perth is, as I type, variously engaged in designing concentrating plant for various ores. Most iron ore imported into Europe is pelletised, somewhere, before shipping space is dedicated to carting gangue halfway round the globe. This thread is simply about transport not export. ■