Wear Plate Research Articles

Investigating Microstructure and Wear Characteristics of Alloy Steels Used as Wear Plates in Ballast Cleaning Operation in Railways

Abstract Ballast cleaning machines play a pivotal role in maintaining the stability and safety of railway tracks by transferring and redistributing ballast on the tracks. However, the wear plates used in these machines are subjected to extreme conditions, making the assessment of their wear performance crucial. This study scrutinizes the wear performance of two distinct 31Ni10Cr3Mo6 based alloy steels used as wear plates in the ballast cleaning machines. The study compares the initial microstructure and wear properties of German grade steel (Plasser) wear plate with an indigenous grade steel (RDSO) used as an alternative. The results indicate that the indigenous wear plate consistently exhibits higher weight loss across various loading conditions, whereas the Plasser wear plate demonstrates superior wear resistance, particularly at higher loads. This enhanced performance is attributed to relatively larger amount of high-angle grain boundaries, small grain size, and variations in micro-alloying elements. The compositional analysis indicates low carbon content in both wear plates. The microstructural analysis shows that both samples have a single body-centered cubic crystal structure, with a randomly distributed heterogeneous ferritic and cementite phases in a lath-bainitic microstructure. This comprehensive study provides valuable insights into the wear behavior of these alloy steels, contributing to the optimization of alloying materials and desired microstructure for the wear plates in ballast cleaning machines.

Effect of Silicon Carbide Particulates on Mechanical Behavior of Al5052 Alloy Metal Matrix Composites for Mining Applications

In particular, the impact of Silicon Carbide (SiC) particles on the mechanical properties of stir-cast Al5052 alloy Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) for rotor blade applications is examined in this work. The goal of integrating SiC particles is to improve mechanical characteristics including wear resistance, tensile strength, and hardness while preserving the ideal weight-tostrength ratio, which is essential for rotor blade performance. The Al5052 matrix was filled with SiC in a variety of compositions (0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% by weight), and the resultant composites underwent mechanical testing and microstructural examination. Due to the efficient load transfer and reinforcing processes, the results show a considerable improvement in tensile strength and hardness with the addition of SiC particles. Furthermore, microstructural analyses demonstrate a uniform dispersion of SiC in the matrix, which supports the improved performance attributes. Wear resistance of Al5052 alloy is greatly increased when Silicon Carbide (SiC) particles are added as reinforcement. This makes the composite material perfect for applications requiring great durability and longevity to survive hard mining conditions, such as wear plates, conveyor liners, and drill bits in mining machinery components.

Demonstration of a novel jaw crusher design at a lab scale

ABSTRACT A novel jaw crusher was designed, constructed and tested at a lab scale. Differences from a conventional jaw crusher include a swing plate that is supported at the outlet, rather than the inlet, wear plates with a corrugation pattern that are designed to break the ore in bending rather than compression, and a trapezoidal wear plate shape to allow for swelling of broken ore. The crusher was tested using an ore sample that was mainly composed of feldspar. The performance of the crusher was evaluated by measuring changes in the size distribution of the ore and the corresponding electrical energy consumed, as a function of ore feed rate. The results indicated that the crusher product size distribution was narrower than that of the feed and independent of ore feed rate, with relatively little generation of fines, demonstrating that the crusher performed as designed in terms of ore breakage mechanism. Though calculated breakage efficiencies suggest that the crusher may be more energy efficient than a conventional jaw crusher, the use of an undersized crusher motor and possible deficiencies in the design of the transmission mechanism, prevent any concrete conclusions from being drawn.

Optimization of braking noise caused by eccentric wear of friction plates based on response surface method

Optimization of braking noise caused by eccentric wear of friction plates based on response surface method

Analysis of remaining life assessment of three-phase gravity separator for oil rectification with the simultaneous usean RBI matrix

The paper presents a detailed description of the oil rectification process used in upstream oil and gas plants, including the significant equipment involved. One such equipment highlighted in the study is a pressure vessel utilized as a separator to separate the liquid and gas phases. This pressure vessel has been in operation for over two decades. A thorough examination of the mentioned pressure equipment was conducted during the process evaluation. It was discovered that the internal side of the vessel, particularly its back elliptical head, had suffered extensive damage due to erosion and corrosion, emerging as the most significant cause of the deterioration. The application of RBI-estimation revealed that the vessel falls under the category of highly risk equipment, and there is a significant risk of both environmental and financial consequences associated with its potential failure (leakage). Such failure is anticipated to occur promptly in the area below the wear plate of the vessel's nozzle.

Determination and prediction of surface and kerf properties in abrasive water jet machining of Fe-Cr-C based hardfacing wear plates

Improving and maintaining the sustainability, profitability and efficiency of sectors such as manufacturing, mining and agriculture are the most important goals for industries. It is therefore quite common to apply hardfacing method to products and equipment created to achieve these goals. However, machining of the workpiece is necessary to ensure dimensional accuracy as a result of hardfacing production. In the processing of hardfacing materials with traditional machining methods, negative factors such as tool wear and thermal effects occur. For this reason, the cutting performance of hardfacing wear plate with abrasive water jet, which is one of the unconventional manufacturing processes, was investigated in this study. Tests were realized in regard to the full factorial experimental design, which includes the changes in the levels of material alignment direction, abrasive mass flow rate and traverse speed parameters. The influences of the test parameters on the surface roughness and kerf taper angle constituting the cutting performance were determined by analysis of variance (ANOVA). In addition, the effects of changes in parameter levels were investigated. Material alignment direction was found to be the most effective test parameter for surface roughness and kerf taper angle. The influences of parameter and parameter levels on the formation of surface conditions were determined with surface images. Thus, machining mechanisms and surface morphologies were explained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Optimal levels of test parameters were achieved by performing multiple-response optimization with equal importance. Finally, the estimated results of cutting performances were found by general linear model, and all results were confirmed by regression analysis.

Tribological Investigation of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites against 52100 Chrome Alloy Steel Based on ELECTRE Decision-Making Method.

Fibers play an important role when studying the tribological behavior of reinforced friction composites. The purpose of the current research is to develop a glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) recipe with improved tribological properties as well as to find the composites with the optimal tribological behavior. A ball-on-disc tribometer was used to perform dry sliding friction testing, the obtained results were then analyzed with the ELECTRE (ELimination Et Choix Traduisant la REalite-elimination and choice translating the reality) method based on a utility matrix having process parameters the applied load, sliding velocity, and weight percentage of the fiber content. The ELECTRE method was chosen to find the optimal tribological parameters, with respect to more performance criteria, because it is one of the best multiple criteria decision-making methods. The optimal combination of parameters for the multi-response characteristics of the investigated friction composite was at an applied load of 10 N, a sliding velocity of 0.1 ms-1 and a 54% weight fiber content. The results showed that the addition of glass fiber (GF) content did not considerably improve the tribological behavior of the friction composites. In addition, from the nano focus-optical 3D scanning electron microscopy, images of the friction, tested friction and wear composites, plate formation, fiber-matrix delamination, fiber pull-out, and matrix cracking and damage, various wear mechanisms were identified.

Study on Friction and Wear Properties of Copper-Impregnated Carbon Slide Plate Under Different Humidity Conditions

The pantograph–catenary system is one of the most commonly used power-receiving modes of metro trains. Its friction and wear performances are related to the safety and stability of train operation. In this study, a copper-impregnated carbon slide plate material, widely used in numerous metro lines in China, is considered as the research object. The problem of abnormal wear of slide plates caused by the decrease in relative humidity in the autumn and winter in tunnels is studied. Current-carrying friction and wear tests under humidity conditions of 20%, 30%, and 40% relative humidity (RH) are performed to reveal the mechanism of seasonal abnormal wear of slide plates and provide a reference for the service of pantograph slide plates under low-humidity conditions. The results reveal that relative humidity significantly influences the wear process of slide plates; further, the wear rate decrease with an increase in relative humidity. As observed by laser scanning confocal microscopy, with an increase in the relative humidity, the mechanical wear of the slide surface is weakened, arc erosion is enhanced, and surface roughness is increased. The Raman spectral scan showed that with the increasing humidity, the graphitization of the surface material decreased significantly, and the molecular structure changed greatly. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS) analysis reveal that under high humidity conditions, a relatively complete oxide film forms on the slide plate and plays a role in lubrication and protection.

Tribo-thermal simulation study of AMT dry clutch assembly under the continuous sliding grinding condition

Electronic Mechanical Transmission (AMT) is an automatic transmission device that combines hydraulic automatic transmission (AT) with manual transmission (MT). AMT has the advantages of automatic transmission as well as high efficiency, low cost, simple structure, and easy manufacture in the traditional manual transmission system. In dry clutch engagement, the wear of the engagement surface should be minimized to achieve good performance. It is necessary to control some influencing factors during its use. When the car starts, the flywheel and driven disc in the clutch change from a separation state to a full engagement state. When joining, due to the increase in speed of the driven disc, relative sliding occurs between the drive and driven parts, which causes the temperature of the friction surface to rise. If the temperature is too high, the wear of friction plates will be increased, which will reduce the service life and working stability of the clutch. In this study, the coupling field transient analysis of the clutch under continuous sliding wear conditions is carried out, and the clutch temperature change and heat generated by friction are obtained by simulation calculation under the use of simulated clutch holding for 1s. Based on the results of the simulation, the factors that may affect the friction heat generation of the clutch are analyzed.

Anti-Wear Property of Laser Textured 42CrMo Steel Surface

In this work, laser processing technology was utilized to fabricate micro-textures on the surface of 42CrMo steel to improve its wear resistance under high load conditions and provide an effective method to solve the wear of tooth plates in oil drilling wellhead machinery. Firstly, the friction process of the textured components was conducted by finite element analysis. Additionally, various forms of textures were compared and measured by this method to optimize the shape and parameters of the patterns. Secondly, three types of texture shapes, such as micro-dimples, micro-grooves, and reticular grooves, were created on the surface of 42CrMo steel. Lastly, the tribological characteristics of the micro-textures were analyzed in the dry friction experiments. Compared with the untextured surface, the wear resistance of the textured 42CrMo steel has been improved, and the anti-wear property of the micro-dimples was better than micro-grooves and reticular grooves. Along the direction of friction sliding, the wear of the front end is more worn than the rear end. Micro-dimples with a diameter of 0.8 mm, a spacing of 1.2 mm, and an area occupancy of 34.8% were fabricated at an output power of 200 W and a frequency of 5 Hz. The wear of the textured surface has been reduced by more than 80% in the process of ring-block dry friction with a load of 50 N, a rotation speed of 35 r/min, and a time of 15 min. The wear mechanism is mainly abrasive wear. The results showed that the hardness of the surface could be improved by laser hardening. In addition, micro-dimples on 42CrMo steel can store abrasive particles, mitigate the formation of furrows and reduce the abrasive wear of tooth plates.

Restoration of rolled equipment using composite materials

In recent years, polymer materials with various adhesive compounds based on epoxy resins, polyesters, polyurethanes, polyacrylics, and others enriched with fine-dispersed metallic and other fillers have found wide application in various industrial sectors for equipment repair. These composite repair materials have excellent adhesive properties when applied to metal surfaces, and when combined with their high strength and the ability to transition from a plastic to a solid state without shrinkage in a short period of time, they provide a broad range of applications in solving repair problems. A technology for restoring the original dimensions of equipment parts using composite materials has been developed, eliminating the need for welding and milling. Numerous industrial tests have shown that composite materials allow solving a range of serious repair problems in rolling production, particularly on heavily loaded sheet rolling stands and blooming mills when restoring worn contact surfaces of this equipment. An original technology for the application of composite materials was developed at the Pryazovskyi State Technical University (Mariupol, Ukraine), which allowed for a unique repair operation at one of the metallurgical plants, involving the installation of a new blooming mill housing onto old worn plates with wear of up to 7 mm at certain points. These composite repair materials have excellent adhesion properties when applied to metal surfaces, which, in combination with their high strength and the ability to transition from a plastic to a solid state without shrinkage in a short period of time, provide a wide range of applications in solving repair problems. Additionally, there are cases of damage to certain types of machinery that are either impossible to repair using traditional methods or require significant material and time investments for restoration

Insight into the wear properties of fiber fabric surface-enhanced composite under water lubrication

Water-lubricated bearings are subject to abrasive wear, leading to performance degradation. Herein, the use of PTFE and UHMWPE fibers was investigated to improve surface tensile strength and explore wear mechanisms. Through finite element analysis and friction and wear experiments, it is hereby demonstrated that fiber reinforcement significantly improves surface tensile strength and reduces surface wear compared to non-reinforced materials, and the wear of the bronze plates is reduced as well. Meanwhile, fiber-reinforced composite materials suppress the development of wear in a certain amount of time and exhibit outstanding frictional performance.

Condition Monitoring of an Axial Piston Pump on a Mini Excavator

The focus of this paper is to show the process of developing a condition monitoring system for an axial piston pump mounted on a mini excavator. This work outlines some previous condition monitoring work on axial piston pumps but addresses the lack of research conducted on mobile hydraulics. The valve plate of the pump is chosen as a case study to demonstrate varying degrees of wear and damage to represent healthy and faulty pump conditions. The wear and damage of these valve plates is measured using an optical profilometer, and efficiency measurements were conducted to characterize the fault levels. Once the faults were characterized, the mini excavator was introduced and instrumented to demonstrate what parameters were being considered. Next, three duty cycles were introduced: controlled, digging, and different operator cycles. The controlled cycles are a very repeatable condition that eliminated the need of an operator. The digging cycle was more of a realistic cycle where an operator dug into a loose pile of soil. The different operator cycle is the same as the digging cycle, but a different operator was employed. The sensors that proved to be the most useful in detecting valve plate faults were the drain pressure, pump port pressures, engine speed, and pump displacement. Fault detectability accuracies of 100% were achievable under the controlled cycle utilizing the Fine KNN classification machine learning algorithm. The digging cycle could achieve a fault detection accuracy of 93.6% using the same algorithm and sensors. Finally, the cross-compatibility between a model trained under once cycle and using data from another cycle as an input was investigated. This study showed that a model trained under the controlled duty cycle does not give reliable and accurate fault detectability for data run in a digging cycle, below 60% accuracies. However, cross-compatibility may be achievable if more extreme faults are present. This work concluded by recommending a diagnostic function for mobile machines to perform a preprogrammed operation to reliably and accurately detect pump faults.

Design of New Fan-Shaped Combined Wear-Resistant Plate for Super Tonnage Spherical Bearing

In order to improve the bearing and wear resistance of the sector composite wear plate, a new sector composite wear plate is designed based on the finite element method. By establishing the finite element calculation models of integral, segmented small circle inlaid and new fan-shaped combined anti-wear plate ball bearings, the pressure bearing and wear resistance of three types of wear plates are analyzed, calculated and compared. The results show that the three types of wear plates can meet the pressure bearing capacity. The pressure bearing capacity of the new fan-shaped composite wear-resistant plate is similar to that of the integral type, which is superior to that of the segmented small circle inlaid type. Because of the advantages in structure, processing and installation of the new fan-shaped composite wear-resistant plate, it is particularly worth popularizing and applying in the super spherical bearing.

Effects of friction pendulum bearing wear on seismic performance of long-span continuous girder bridge

To clear the wear effect of friction pendulum bearings (FPBs) on the seismic performance of multiple long-span continuous girder bridges, the rapid sliding performance test of the FPBs was carried out to get the wear degree of the modified poly tetra fluoroethylene (PTFE) wear plates. Taking a 6×110 m long-span continuous girder bridge as the engineering background, the seismic response of the bridge with different wear degrees of the FPBs was analyzed. The results show that the modified PTFE wear plate of the FPBs was severely worn in the rapid sliding performance test, and the friction coefficient was first increased to 0.09 and then decreased to 0.016. When the maximum displacement was reached, the bearing collided with the limitation block. Moreover, the internal forces of the critical pier were increased, and the bottom of the piers entered plasticity due to the wear of the FPBs. Due to the change in the seismic performance of the bridge, it is suggested that the rapid sliding performance of FPBs should be tested to ensure the structure safety of the long-span continuous girder bridge in rare earthquakes.

Experimental and numerical study of a brace-type hybrid damper with steel slit plates enhanced by friction mechanism

This paper reported an experimental and numerical study of a novel brace-type hybrid damper composed of steel slit plates enhanced by the friction mechanism. A test programme including six proof-of-concept specimens was carried out. The test results showed that the specimens exhibited multiple yielding stages, and the hysteretic response curves of the specimens were dependent on geometric configurations of the steel slit plates and the clamping force of bolts. The expected energy dissipation sequence accompanied by excellent ductility of the novel hybrid damper specimens was confirmed. The ploughing effect phenomenon between the friction interfaces as evidenced by the wear of the steel plates and increasing friction force was confirmed, which contributed to enhanced friction energy dissipation of the dampers under cyclic loadings. Then, a numerical investigation was conducted to take insights into the resisting mechanism of the specimens. The adequacy of the finite element modelling techniques was justified by a good correlation between test responses and numerical simulations. The test and numerical studies demonstrated that the energy dissipation sequence as a result of the hybrid energy dissipation mechanism contributed to improving the energy dissipation capacity and ductility of the steel slit plates. To facilitate the practical design of the novel hybrid dampers, a theoretical prediction model enabling quantification of critical mechanical quantities of the novel hybrid damper was developed, and the sufficiency of the design model was justified by comparison among the test responses, numerical results, and design predictions.

Evaluation of wear and corrosion properties of FSWed aluminum alloy plates of AA2020-T4 with heat treatment under different aging periods

Abstract Aluminum alloy AA2020 has a greater demand for the high strength-to-weight ratio used in applications like aerospace, naval, and automotive applications because heat treatment produces high strength. Friction stir welding (FSW) is widely employed in forming butt joints of AA2020-T4 using a square profile tool. In this work, the wear characteristics and the corrosion behavior with and without age-hardened treatment are studied and compared. In this work, the wear characteristics and the corrosion behavior with and without age-hardened treatment (after a 1-hour solution treatment of AA2020 alloy at 505°C, quenched in water at ambient temperature) are studied and compared. Age-hardened models with a high aging duration (16–20 h) at 177°C showed a reduction in wear resistance for low spindle speed in contrast to the as-FSWed joints. In the corrosion medium, long aging time heat-treated FSWed joints showed high passivity in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. Intergranular and pitting types of corroded surfaces in as-FSWed joints were spotted. 20 h of age-hardened FSWed joints achieved the minimal corrosion rate (CR) and is suggested for moderate wear resistance and good CR. The speed appears to have a greater impact on wear rate than the weld speed and applied load. It is also worth noting that the CR increases by 5% with the increasing spindle speed and falls by 4% with the increasing weld speed.

Wear plates versus wear rings

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Application of Aluminum Alloy Cap in Bridge Bearings

<p>In order to improve the combination form of friction pairs of existing bridge bearings and improve the durability of bridge bearings, this paper investigates the technical status and development trend of bridge spherical bearings at home and abroad, draws lessons from European standards, and puts forward a new friction pair of alloy spherical cap combination, which replaces the existing process of spherical cap coated stainless steel plate and chromium plating on the surface of spherical cap, and solves the environmental pollution, corrosion and peeling caused by chromium plating or coated stainless steelof spherical cap, the disadvantages of high line wear and easy to damage the wear plate. Through mechanical property test, line wear test andsalt spray test, the three processes are compared and analyzed, and the advantages of alloy spherical capare demonstrated. Its performance is better, the corrosion prevention is more durable, the manufacturing process is simple, and the mass production cost is low. Then the prototype is trial produced according to the standard, and the test meets the standard requirements, which further proves that the application of this technology to the bridge bearings can ensure the longer service life of the support and the safer bridge structure, This is also a new trend of market development for bridge bearings.</p>

Effects of Particle Impingement and Coarse Particle Abrasion on Wear Performance of White Cast Irons in Sliding Bed Applications

Particle impingement angle variations during interactions between abrasive particles and wear plates affect the wear rate and cause uneven abrasion of liners in sliding bed applications—a typical condition in ore transfer chutes. Inner circumference abrasion tests (ICAT) were performed on specimens placed at various angles to abrasive bed flow direction to analyze these effects in laboratory environments. The ICAT results indicated that wear performance diminishes for increasing impingement angles within the range studied. In all impingement angles, carbide volume fraction (CVF) showed significant direct influence on the alloy performance in contrast to Cr/C ratio of the alloy showing only minor effects. Abrasion performance versus CVF trends for white cast iron and abrasive combinations were observed to show performance reversals in the ICAT due to preferential abrasion of matrix. Abrasive type (hardness) was shown to be a factor for performance reversal in that study, with abrasive particle size being suggested to be another factor. To determine this, the current study scrutinizes coarse particle abrasion in addition to fine particle tests. Dissimilar to fine basalt, coarse particle ICAT results show monotonic wear life increase versus CVF, with no performance reversal.