Development of hardfaced crusher jaws using ferro-alloy hardfacing inserts and low carbon steel substrate

Abstract

Procedures for producing hardfaced jaws using ferro-alloy hardfacing inserts and low carbon steel substrate have been established. This research was prompted by the need to provide an economical substitute to the high manganese austenitic steel that has dominated the mining and minerals industries since its invention by Sir Robert Hadfield in 1882. In this research, ferro-alloy hardfacing inserts of composition 72.80 %Fe. 12.32 %Mn, 7.38 %Cr were produced by sand casting. The inserts were welded to low carbon steel substrate by manual metal arc-welding to form the hardfaced jaws. Welding was carried out intermittently using E6013 gauge 10 oerlikon electrode and a current of 100 A. The fixed and movable jaws lost 0.3 and 0.1 kg, respectively, after crushing 400 kg of granite in the jaw crusher. Hardness values and wear volumes of the hardfacing insert and workhardened Hadfield steel were 653 HV, 0.0069 cm3 and 517 HV, 0.017 cm3, respectively. Cost of producing the hardfaced jaws was five times cheaper than the estimated cost of producing Hadfield steel jaws. Consequently, the hardfaced jaws can economically substitute the Hadfield steel jaws in jaw crushers.

Keywords

• Wear
• Mining
• Mineral processing
• Hardfacing
• Hadfield steel
• Crusher