Effect of calcium carbonate on the abrasive wear of melt processing equipment in filled systems

Calcium‐carbonate‐loaded systems were tested for abrasive wear on extruder parts through a test that measures the weight of a bronze alloy screen placed in a supporting screen pack before and after 5500 g extrusion run. The effects of particle size and mineral identity were explored in this work as well as the effect of mineral loading level. It was found that the abrasiveness of calcium carbonate is, as expected, much lower than that of titanium dioxide and increases with increased loading levels. It was also shown that the larger the median of the particle size distribution (PSD), the greater the abrasive wear on the screen. Finally, it was shown that the degree of wear could be correlated with the level of impurities present in the natural mineral.