What a Support Bar Does on a Wedge Wire Screen | ERQI WIRE

Ask most buyers what sets the slot on a wedge wire screen and they will say the V-wire. That is half the answer. The other half is the support bar — the flat or profiled rod the wire is welded onto.

The bar does three jobs

• It carries the load. The V-wire is thin; the bar is what stops the panel bowing when pressure or a heavy bed of solids pushes on it.
• It holds the pitch. Wrap pitch decides the slot, but the bar is what the wire lands on. If the bar spacing is uneven, the slot opens and closes across the screen.
• It takes the weld. Every wrap is welded to the bar. That weld is where the slot is actually fixed, so the bar face has to be clean and flat.

Why the profile matters

A round bar is cheap and strong but it blocks more open area where it meets the wire. A rectangular or trapezoidal bar puts a flat face under the weld and leaves more of the screen open. An I-beam bar is for wide panels that need stiffness without weight. None of these is “best” — the right one depends on panel width, pressure and how much open area you can afford to lose.

The mistake we see

Specifying the wire in detail and leaving the bar to whoever builds the screen. Then the panel flexes, the slot drifts and the screen blinds in the middle. If you are ordering wire and bar together, send the screen drawing and let us match the two. Start from our support bar range or send the drawing.