Recently, GIW commissioned a brand-new research and development (R&D) foundry to stay on the cutting edge of alloy innovation. Our world-class facility is led by KSB’s Director of Metallurgy and Materials R&D, Dr. Harry Tian. Dr. Tian is a well-respected researcher with numerous national and international publication credits to his name. In addition to his research and teaching experience, Dr. Tian recently celebrated 30 years with KSB.
Investment in R&D has served GIW well in the past. We developed and tuned the Gasite® family of proprietary white iron alloys — trademarked in the 1940s — especially for slurry pumps. Company legend has it that GIW fixture Tom Hagler came up with the term “Gasite®” by combining “Ga” — for Georgia — with “site” because he thought the result “sounded like hard metal.” And it is hard metal — Gasite® alloy properties include tensile strength and resistance to abrasion/erosion, corrosion, and impact — by design.
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GIW’s state-of-the-art Metallurgical Lab is loaded with sophisticated technology for developing, observing, and testing new materials. Our new coreless induction melting system — featuring three separate melting furnaces — means faster, more efficient alloy development at greater capacity. With this equipment in place, the lab can run multiple experiments on materials with tight control over chemical composition and thermal conditions (e.g., pour temperature). It can also mimic manufacturing conditions — reducing the transition time from R&D to production.
GIW is committed to innovation and improvement. From the beginning, we have actively sought to perfect the quality, and extend the life cycle, of mining equipment. Gasite® is still the primary alloy family used in the manufacture of slurry pumps, impellers, and wear liners. But we didn’t stop there.
The Endurasite™ white iron alloy family requires less maintenance and can up to double the life of wear parts. Our Enduraclad™ material bonds to white iron — in a process developed by Dr. Tian and his team — to further harden and enhance the surface, increasing wear-resistance for a wear life up to three times longer than other materials. GIW’s elastomers — including Gathane, our custom-cast urethanes, and proprietary natural and synthetic rubber grades — wear better in various conditions than many available metal, plastic, or other rubber compounds. We’ve also developed products and processes, such as Solid/Fluid Flow Technology (SFT), thickened shrouds and vanes, and a precision molded rubber impeller completely interchangeable with our metal model.
As you can tell, GIW knows the value of R&D, and with Dr. Tian’s expertise — and the GIW Metallurgical Lab engineering team — we’ll keep forging ahead!