DURABLE CUTTING EDGES WITH WEAR RESISTANT WEAR INDICATOR

Abstract

A cutting edge of a machine is fabricated by cutting one or more grooves within a base cutting edge and incorporating one or more hard tiles in the grooves. An edge groove may be cut into a ground-engaging edge of the cutting edge and hard tiles may be disposed therein. Additionally, a face groove may be cut into a corner of the cutting edge, within which hard tiles may be disposed. At the face of the cutting edge, distanced from the ground-engaging edge, a wear indicator groove may be cut and wear indicator tiles may be disposed therein. Furthermore, laser-clad abrasion resistant material may be provided on a face of the cutting edge to improve the wear resistance of the face. Further still, the corners of the cutting edge may be rounded at its end(s) to remove the sharp corners that wear faster than the rest of the cutting edge.

Claims

1. A cutting edge, comprising: a ground-engaging edge; an end edge; a face extending up to the ground-engaging edge and the end edge; a first wear indicator tile disposed within a first groove within the face, the first wear indicator tile at a predetermined distance from the ground-engaging edge; and a second wear indicator tile disposed within the first groove proximal to the first wear indicator tile, wherein the first wear indicator tile and the second wear indicator tile comprise tungsten carbide (WC) and cobalt (Co).

2. The cutting edge of claim 1, wherein the second wear indicator tile displays inset writing when disposed within the first groove.

3. The cutting edge of claim 1, wherein the predetermined distance corresponds to a level of wear where the cutting edge is to be replaced.

4. The cutting edge of claim 1, wherein a composition of the first wear indicator tile comprises Co concentration in a range of about 6% to about 13%.

5. The cutting edge of claim 4, wherein the composition of the first wear indicator tile comprises the Co concentration in a range of about 10% to about 12%.

6. The cutting edge of claim 1, further comprising a rounded corner between the ground-engaging edge and the end edge, wherein the rounded corner is at least one of a quarter circle, chamfered, or fillet.

7. The cutting edge of claim 1, further comprising: a third tile disposed within a second groove within the ground-engaging edge; and a fourth tile disposed within a third groove at an interface of the ground engaging edge and the face, the fourth tile including a first facet and a second facet, wherein the third tile has a different composition than the fourth tile.

8. The cutting edge of claim 1, further comprising a face wear protector on the face, the face wear protector comprising WC.

9. A method of fabricating a cutting edge, comprising: forming a base cutting edge using steel, the base cutting edge including a ground-engaging edge, an end edge, and a face extending to the ground-engaging edge and the end edge; cutting a first groove into the face at a predetermined distance from the ground-engaging edge; providing a first wear indicator tile within the first groove; and providing a second wear indicator tile within the first groove, wherein a composition of the second wear indicator tile comprises tungsten carbide (WC) and cobalt (Co), the Co at a concentration in a range of about 10% to about 12%.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second wear indicator tile displays inset writing when disposed within the first groove.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein providing the first wear indicator tile within the first groove comprises brazing the first wear indicator tile in place within the first groove.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising: powder sintering the first wear indicator tile using WC powder and Co powder, such that the first wear indicator tile has a Co content in a range of about 6% to about 13%.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising: cutting a second groove into the ground-engaging edge; cutting a third groove into an interface between the ground-engaging edge and the face; providing a first tile within the second groove; and providing a second tile within the third groove.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: rounding a corner between the ground-engaging edge and the end edge to form a rounded corner, wherein the second groove and the third groove extend into the rounded corner; providing a fourth tile within the second groove at the rounded corner; and providing a fifth tile within the third groove at the rounded corner.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising: laser cladding a face wear protector onto the face.

16. A machine, comprising: a tool; a cutting edge disposed on the tool, the cutting edge further comprising: a ground-engaging edge; an end edge; a face extending up to the ground-engaging edge and the end edge; a first wear indicator tile disposed within a first groove within the face, the first groove a predetermined distance from the ground-engaging edge; and a second wear indicator tile disposed within the first groove, wherein a composition of the second wear indicator tile comprises tungsten carbide (WC) and cobalt (Co), the Co at a concentration in a range of about 6% to about 13%.

17. The machine of claim 16, wherein the second wear indicator tile displays inset writing when disposed within the first groove.

18. The machine of claim 16, wherein the cutting edge comprises a rounded corner between the ground-engaging edge and the end edge, wherein the rounded corner is at least one of a quarter circle, chamfered, or fillet.

19. The machine of claim 16, further comprising a first tile disposed within a first groove within the ground-engaging edge.

20. The machine of claim 19, further comprising a second tile disposed within a second groove at an interface of the ground engaging edge and the face, wherein the first tile is harder than the second tile.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an example machine with one or more cutting edges, according to examples of the disclosure.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of cutting edge of the example machine as depicted in FIG. 1, according to examples of the disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram depicting an example method for forming the cutting edge as depicted in FIG. 2, according to examples of the disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an example portion of a base cutting edge machined to form the cutting edge as depicted in FIG. 2, according to examples of the disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an example portion of a cutting edge with tiles disposed thereon, according to examples of the disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of an example edge face tile of the cutting edge as depicted in FIG. 2, according to examples of the disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of an example corner face tile of the cutting edge as depicted in FIG. 2, according to examples of the disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram depicting an example method for forming abrasion resistant material on a surface of the cutting edge as depicted in FIG. 2, according to examples of the disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of laser cladding process to deposit abrasion resistant material onto the surface of the cutting edge as depicted in FIG. 2, according to examples of the disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of an example cutting edge with variable density abrasion resistant material on the face of the cutting edge, according to examples of the disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of another example cutting edge with variable density abrasion resistant material on the face of the cutting edge, according to examples of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an example machine 100 with one or more cutting edges, according to examples of the disclosure. The machine 100, depicted as a track-type machine, includes a track-type undercarriage 102. However, in alternate examples the machine 100 may include any suitable propulsion system, such as wheels and tires. The machine 100 is further depicted as a dozer, but it should be understood that the machine 100 may be any suitable machine that performs work in any suitable application, such as mining, construction, oil extraction, construction, road repair, etc. In other examples, the machine 100 may be any one of a motor grader, dozer, loader, excavator, paver, compactor, combine, tank, backhoe, drilling machine, trencher, truck, or any other on-highway or off-highway vehicle.

[0022] The machine 100 includes a frame 104 and an engine 106 to drive the machine 100. The frame 104 may be of any suitable construction or type, such as steel construction. The engine 106 may be of any suitable type, such as internal combustion engine, fuel cell, and/or electric motor. The engine 106 may operate using any suitable fuel, such as diesel, gasoline, liquified natural gas (LNG), liquified petroleum gas (LPG), hydrogen, electricity, or the like.

[0023] The undercarriage 102 may include a track chain 108. The track chain 108 may be driven by a number of sprockets 110 and/or gears. The track chain 108 may include a plurality of track shoes 112 that link with each other to form the track chain 108. As the track chain 108 rotates, some of the track shoes 112 engage the ground. The track shoes 112 may experience wear and tear on their leading edges that engage the ground on which the machine 100 traverses.

[0024] With continuing reference to FIG. 1, the machine 100 may also include one or more tools 114, 116. For example, the tool 114 is depicted as a shovel plow and tool 116 is depicted as a tiller. The tools 114, 116 may be of any suitable type, such as a motor grader, a tiller, a plow, a shovel, a hoe, a furrower, a rake, a trencher, or the like. The tools 114, 116 may enable the machine 100 to perform tasks, such as digging, redistributing, tilling, scraping, etc. at a worksite, such as a construction site, mining site, oil extraction site, farm, etc. The tools 114, 116 may be moved and/or operated by any suitable mechanism, such as hydraulic systems 118.

[0025] Some of the tools 114, 116, such as a shovel plow may have a cutting edge 120 disposed thereon for moving, breaking, and/or redistributing dirt, asphalt gravel, and/or other materials. For example, a cutting edge 120 may be disposed on any suitable machine 100 with any suitable tool 114, 116 to provide protection and longevity to tool 114. Machines 100 that include a cutting edge 120 may include, for example, motor graders, dozers, scrapers, or the like. The cutting edge 120 may be subject to harsh operating environments with high frictional and/or abrasive wear conditions. Thus, it is desirable to improve material properties, such as hardness and toughness, of the cutting edges 120 to improve their usable life.

[0026] According to examples of the disclosure, various components of the machine 100, such as the cutting edges 120, may be formed in manner that improves their wear resistance, while maintaining and/or improving their overall toughness. The mechanisms as disclosed herein may apply to any variety of the cutting edge 120 disclosed herein, to increase the hardness and/or toughness of those components. Although discussed herein in the context of cutting edge 120, it should be understood that the systems and methods disclosed herein, to improve the wear resistance of a ground-engaging edge, may be applied to other components of the machine 100, such as the track shoes 112.

[0027] The cutting edge 120, as described herein, may include a variety of improvements that increase their operating lifetime and/or ease of use. The cutting edge 120 as disclosed herein may include one or more hard tiles embedded in an operating or ground engaging edge. These hard tiles improve the hardness of the critical portions of the cutting edge 120, such as the ground-engaging edge. Because the cutting edge is made from steel, the cutting edge may retain its overall toughness while the hard tiles impart hardness in selective areas of the cutting edge 120 that are prone to accelerated wear during use. In some cases, the hard tiles may be embedded within the ground-engaging edge of the cutting edge. In other cases, the hard tiles may be disposed on a face of the cutting edge 120, such as on or proximal to a corner between the face and ground-engaging edge of the cutting edge. In yet other cases, the cutting edge 120 may include both the embedded or edge hard tiles within the ground-engaging edge and the hard tiles on the face of the cutting edge 120. In some cases, the embedded tiles may be similar in size, shape, and/or composition to the face tiles. In other cases, the embedded tiles and the face tiles may differ in at least one of size, shape, and/or composition.

[0028] The cutting edges 120, as disclosed herein, unlike conventional cutting edges, may further include rounded corners at the end edge. For example, a motor grader blade may be rounded in the corner between the ground-engaging edge and the end edge. In other words, with the rounded corner, the ground-engaging edge of the cutting edge 120 may not make a right angle or sharper corner with the end edge of the cutting edge 120. When in use, the corners of conventional cutting edge tend to wear faster, and in many cases, significantly faster, than the remaining edges and/or surfaces of the cutting edge. The faster corner wear may manifest itself as warped or mangled corner(s) of the cutting edge. In some further cases, the accelerated corner wear may also serve as an initiation point for defects on the face of the cutting edge 120, such as corner-wear induced buckling. As a result, rounding the corners at the end of the cutting edge 120 may result in significant improvements in the operating lifetime of the cutting edges 120.

[0029] As further disclosed herein, the cutting edges 120 may include a wear resistant wear indicator. The wear resistant wear indicator may be disposed on the face of the cutting edge 120 some distance away from the ground-engaging edge of the cutting edge 120. The wear resistant wear indicator may include hard tiles disposed within a groove cut into the face of the cutting edge 120. For the purpose of this disclosure, groove may be used interchangeably with notch, crevice, channel, trench, or trough. The hard tiles of the wear indicator may be different in size, shape, and/or composition to the face tiles and/or the embedded tiles of the cutting edge 120. When the cutting edge 120 wears down to the wear resistant wear indicators, an operator of the machine 100 and/or a maintenance personnel will be able to identify that the cutting edge 120 has no remaining lifetime and ought to be changed. The wear indicator hard tiles may or may not have writing thereon, such as REPLACE or FULLY USED or the like. The wear indicator may include hard tiles with similar hardness and durability properties as one or both of embedded tiles and/or face tiles, such that the wear indicator does not wear out during the usage of the cutting edge 120.

[0030] The cutting edges 120, as disclosed herein, may further include abrasion resistant material or face wear protector on the face of the cutting edges 120. The face wear protector may be deposited onto the face of the cutting edge 120. The face wear protector may be harder than the underlying steel face of the cutting edge, resulting in reduced wear of the face of the cutting edge 120. According to examples of the disclosure, the face wear protector may have a varying areal density on the face of the cutting edge 120. In some cases, a region proximal to the end edge of the cutting edge 120 may be characterized by a relatively greater areal density of the face wear protector compared to a region more distal from the end edge of the cutting edge 120. In general, the face of conventional cutting edges wear in an accelerated fashion in areas proximal to the end edge relative to areas more distal from the end edge. According to examples of the disclosure, the areal density of the face wear protector may be greatest in the regions of the face of the cutting edge 120 that typically experience the greatest wear. Thus, the face wear protector, as disclosed herein, improves the overall lifetime of the cutting edge 120 by providing wear protection in those regions that experience the greatest wear.

[0031] The cutting edges 120, as described herein, provide a variety of advantages over conventional cutting edges. The cutting edges 120 provide enhanced protection of the tools 114, 116 on which they are disposed. The cutting edge 120, with the features disclosed herein, may have a greater operational lifetime than conventional cutting edges. In some cases, the cutting edges 120 may have an operational lifetime greater than 350 hours. In other cases, the cutting edges 120 may have an operational lifetime greater than 1860 hours. In still other cases, the cutting edges 120 may have an operational lifetime greater than 2000 hours. In yet other cases, the cutting edges 120 may have an operational lifetime greater than 2500 hours.

[0032] The processes disclosed herein for forming the cutting edge 120 do not impart significant thermal energy to the base cutting edge, as formed from steel. This is advantageous, because substantially raising the bulk temperature of the base cutting edge may change the crystal texture of the steel of the base cutting edge. Therefore, by using relatively low-temperature processes downstream of the formation of the base cutting edge, the properties (e.g., hardness, etc.) of the base cutting edge are substantially unchanged.

[0033] It will be appreciated that by providing hard materials in selective locations of the cutting edge 120, while the base cutting edge is a relatively ductile structure, the cutting edge 120 has improved toughness relative to conventional cutting edges. Additionally, the cutting edge 120 is easier to use, since the wear resistant wear indicator does not wear away with use and can be used by an operator to unambiguously identify when the cutting edge 120 is in need of replacement.

[0034] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an environment 200 with a tool 202 having a cutting edge 204 attached thereon, according to examples of the disclosure. It should be noted that cutting edge 204 may be an implementation of cutting edge 120 of machine 100. The tool 202 may be any suitable tool, such as a motor grader, a shovel, a rake, a snow plow, a hoe bucket, an excavator bucket, or the like. The cutting edge 204 may be affixed to the tool 202 via any suitable fastener, such as fasteners that engage the cutting edge 204 and the tool 202 via holes defined by edges 206 cut into the cutting edge 120. The holes defined by the edges 206 may be formed using any suitable machine tool, such as a drill, punch, or the like. The fasteners may include any suitable fastening mechanism, such as nuts, bolts, screws, clips, nails, or the like.

[0035] The cutting edge 204 includes a ground-engaging edge 208. The ground-engaging edge 208, in usual operation, is likely to experience the greatest levels of wear and tear on the cutting edge 204. It is the ground-engaging edge 208 that is most likely to be in contact with materials that are being manipulated using the tool 202 and cutting edge 204. For example, the ground-engaging edge 208 may be the first portion of the cutting edge 204 to touch asphalt when mounted on a motor grader that is redistributing asphalt for road construction. It will be appreciated that the edge opposing the ground-engaging edge is closest to the tool 202 and any fastening mechanism between the cutting edge 204 and the tool 202, such as through holes defined by edges 206, may be more proximal to the edge opposing the ground-engaging edge 208 and more distal from the ground-engaging edge 208.

[0036] The cutting edge 204 further includes an end edge 210. The cutting edge 204 may have two end edges 210 on either longitudinal ends of the cutting edge 204. In other words, the cutting edge 204 may include a first end edge 210 and a second end edge 210 opposing the first end edge 210. In some cases, the end edge 210 may be substantially perpendicular to the ground-engaging edge 208. In other cases, the end edge 210 and the ground-engaging edge 208 may be at an angle in the range of about 60 to about 120. In yet other cases, the end edge 210 and the ground-engaging edge 208 may be at an angle in the range of about 80 to about 100. The cutting edge 204 may further include a face 212. The face 212 may also engage materials that are being moved, cut, ground, and/or redistributed by the cutting edge 204. For example, if the ground-engaging edge 208 engages oil sands that are to be collected in mounds, some of the oil sands will impinge on the face 212 of the cutting edge 204 and the face 212 will push some of the oil sands into the mounds.

[0037] Where the ground-engaging edge 208 meets the end edge 210, there may be a rounded corner 214. Although the rounded corner 214 is depicted as a quarter-circle shape, it will be understood that the rounded corner 214 may be of any suitable shape, such as greater or less than a quarter circle, chamfered, fillet, or any other shape that lacks relatively sharp protrusions. By having a rounded corner 214, rather than a sharp corner, the cutting edge 204 may experience reduced wear and tear at the corner regions.

[0038] The ground-engaging edge 208 may have edge tiles 216 embedded therein. The edge tiles 216 may also be referred to as hard tiles or embedded tiles. The edge tiles 216 may be embedded into a groove cut into the ground-engaging edge 208 of the cutting edge 204. Similarly, rounded corner 214 may also include edge tiles 218 disposed in a groove cut into the rounded corner 214 of the cutting edge 204. The edge tiles 216 and edge tiles 218 may differ slightly in that the edge tiles 218 may have a slight curvature similar to the curvature of the rounded corner 214, such that the edge tiles 218 do not have corners protruding from the rounded corners 214. Protruding tile corners may serve as chipping and/or cracking initiation points for the edge tiles 218.

[0039] In examples of the disclosure, the edge tiles 216, 218 may be of any suitable shape, such as a rectangular prism, a square prism, a trapezoidal prism, tapered prisms, or the like. In some cases, edge tiles 216 may be flat tiles, approximately in the shape of a rectangular prism. Edge tiles 218 may deviate slightly from a rectangular prism, in that the edge tiles 218 may have one or more rounded sides to accommodate the shape of the rounded corner 214 in which the edge tiles 218 are embedded. The edge tiles 216, 218 may be attached to the cutting edge 204 by any suitable joining mechanism, such as brazing, welding, soldering, fritting, etc. For example, in some cases, a copper (Cu) and/or nickel (Ni) metallurgy may be used to braze the edge tiles 216, 218 in place within a crevice cut into the ground-engaging edge 208, the rounded corner 214, and/or the end edge 210. In other cases, other metals may be used for brazing the edge tiles 216, 218 in place, such as silver (Ag), zinc (Zn), tin (Sn), cobalt (Co), gold (Au), or the like.

[0040] As discussed herein, the individual edge tiles 216, 218 may be of any suitable size. For example, the width of the edge tiles 216, 218 may range from about 5 millimeters (mm) to about 70 mm. In other case, the edge tiles 216, 218 may have a width in the range of about 10 mm to about 50 mm. In yet other cases, the edge tiles 216, 218 may have a width in the range of about 20 mm to about 40 mm. The edge tiles 216, 218 may have a depth in the range of about 2 mm to about 30 mm. In other case, the edge tiles 216, 218 may have a depth in the range of about 5 mm to about 20 mm. In yet other cases, the edge tiles 216, 218 may have a depth in the range of about 7 mm to about 15 mm. The edge tiles 216, 218 may have a height in the range of about 5 mm to about 70 mm. In other case, the edge tiles 216, 218 may have a height in the range of about 10 mm to about 50 mm. In yet other cases, the edge tiles 216, 218 may have a height in the range of about 20 mm to about 40 mm.

[0041] The face 212 may have face tiles 220, 222 attached thereon. The face tiles 220, 222 may also be referred to as hard tiles or surface tiles. The face tiles 220 may be embedded into a face groove cut into a corner defined by the ground-engaging edge 208 and the face 212 of the cutting edge 204. Similarly, the face 212 proximal to the rounded corner 214 have the face tiles 222 disposed in a face groove cut into the rounded corner 214 of the cutting edge 204. The face tiles 220 and face tiles 222 may differ slightly in that the face tiles 222 may have a slight curvature similar to the curvature of the rounded corner 214, such that the face tiles 222 do not have corners protruding when attached to the rounded corners 214.

[0042] In examples of the disclosure, the face tiles 220, 222 may be of any suitable shape, such as a rectangular prism, a square prism, a trapezoidal prism, a pyramid, a cone, or the like. In some cases, face tiles 220, 222 may approximately be flat tiles, approximately in the shape of a rectangular prism, like the edge tiles 216, 218. In other cases, the face tiles 220, 222 may include topography that enhances their ability to protect the cutting edge 204 and/or also provide a geometry that enhances the ability of the cutting edge to push materials. In some cases, the face tiles 220, 222 may have a flat base portion with a rectangular pyramidal portion or trapezoidal pyramid portion thereon. In some cases, the rectangular pyramidal structure or trapezoidal pyramidal structure may include one or more facets, such as four facets that meet at a ridge of the pyramidal portion, as is further described in conjunction with FIGS. 6 and 7. The ridge may be a line, a rounded bevel, or as shown, a rectangular ridge. The face tiles 220, 222 may have any other suitable shape. For example, in other cases, the face tiles 220, 222 may include a triangular pyramidal shape, a conical shape, or any other suitable shape.

[0043] Face tiles 222 may deviate slightly from face tiles 220, in that the face tiles 222 may have one or more rounded sides to accommodate the shape of the rounded corner 214 in which the face tiles 222 sit. The face tiles 220, 222 may be attached to the cutting edge 204 by any suitable joining mechanism, such as brazing, welding, soldering, fritting, etc. For example, in some cases, a Cu and/or Ni metallurgy may be used to braze the face tiles 220, 222 in place within a crevice cut onto the face 212 proximal to the ground-engaging edge 208 and/or the end edge 210. In other cases, other metals may be used for brazing the face tiles 220, 222 in place, such as Ag, Zn, Sn, Co, Au, or the like.

[0044] As discussed herein, the individual face tiles 220, 222 may be of any suitable size. For example, the width (including a base portion and a pyramidal portion) of the face tiles 220, 222 may range from about 5 mm to about 70 mm. In other case, the face tiles 220, 222 may have a width in the range of about 10 mm to about 50 mm. In yet other cases, the face tiles 220, 222 may have a width in the range of about 20 mm to about 40 mm. The face tiles 220, 222 may have a depth (including a base portion and a pyramidal portion) in the range of about 2 mm to about 60 mm. In other case, the face tiles 220, 222 may have a depth in the range of about 5 mm to about 40 mm. In yet other cases, the face tiles 220, 222 may have a depth in the range of about 7 mm to about 30 mm. The face tiles 220, 222 may have a height (including a base portion and a pyramidal portion) in the range of about 5 mm to about 70 mm. In other case, the face tiles 220, 222 may have a height in the range of about 10 mm to about 50 mm. In yet other cases, the face tiles 220, 222 may have a height in the range of about 20 mm to about 40 mm.

[0045] The face 212 may have wear indicator tiles 224, 226 disposed thereon. The wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may also be referred to as hard tiles or wear tiles or wear resistant wear tiles or indicator tiles. The wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may be embedded into a groove cut into the face 212 of the cutting edge 204 farther away from the ground-engaging edge 208 than the face tiles 220, 222. The wear indicator tiles 224 and wear indicator tiles 226 may differ slightly in that the wear indicator tiles 226 may have writing thereon and/or be oriented in a manner where writing is exposed. In some cases, both wear indicator tiles 224 and wear indicator tiles 226 may be identical, with writing on one side and no writing on the other side. In this case, the wear indicator tiles 224 and wear indicator tiles 226 may only differ in their orientation, as disposed on the face 212 of the cutting edge 204. The wear indicator tiles, when disposed in the groove on the face 212 may be a predetermined distance from the ground-engaging edge, where the predetermined distance corresponds to the full wear of the cutting edge 204.

[0046] In examples of the disclosure, the wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may be of any suitable shape, such as a rectangular prism, a square prism, a trapezoidal prism, or the like. In some cases, wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may be flat tiles, approximately in the shape of a rectangular prism. The indicator tiles 224, 226 may be attached to the cutting edge 204 by any suitable joining mechanism, such as brazing, welding, soldering, fritting, etc. For example, in some cases, a Cu and/or Ni metallurgy may be used to braze the wear indicator tiles 224, 226 in place within a crevice cut into the face 212. In other cases, other metals may be used for brazing the wear indicator tiles 224, 226 in place, such as Ag, Zn, Sn, Co, Au, or the like.

[0047] As discussed herein, the individual wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may be of any suitable size. For example, the width of the wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may range from about 10 mm to about 100 mm. In other case, the wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may have a width in the range of about 30 mm to about 90 mm. In yet other cases, the wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may have a width in the range of about 50 mm to about 70 mm. The wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may have a depth in the range of about 0.25 mm to about 20 mm. In other case, the wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may have a depth in the range of about 0.5 mm to about 10 mm. In yet other cases, the wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may have a depth in the range of about 1 mm to about 5 mm. The wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may have a height in the range of about 5 mm to about 40 mm. In other case, the wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may have a height in the range of about 10 mm to about 35 mm. In yet other cases, the wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may have a height in the range of about 17 mm to about 30 mm.

[0048] With the wear indicator tiles 224, 226, in some cases, there may only be a single wear indicator tile 224 without text thereon or wear indicator tile 226 with text thereon. In other cases, the wear indicator tiles 224 and wear indicator tiles 226 may both have text on one side and no text on the other side, where wear indicator tiles 224 may be assembled onto the cutting edge 204 with the text side showing and the wear indicator tiles 226 may be assembled onto the cutting edge 204 with the text side hidden. In yet other cases, the wear indicator tiles 224 may be fabricated with text thereon and the wear indicator tiles 226 may be fabricated without text thereon. The text as placed on any wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may be any suitable text, such as REPLACE, WORN, INSTALL NEW CUTTING EDGE, CHANGE, the recycle symbol, other graphic symbol and/or indicia, or the like. In other cases, there may be more than two types of wear indicator tiles 224, 226 with or without text thereon. The text as placed on any wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may be inset, rather than protruding, to prevent chipping during use at the text locations.

[0049] The composition of the various tiles 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226 may be the same or different composition from each other. The tiles 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226 may be fabricated from any suitable materials, such as hard materials like tungsten carbide (WC), tungsten nitride, Co-based materials, borides, oxides, nitrides, or carbides of refractory metals (e.g., titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo), etc.), alumina (Al.sub.2O.sub.3), corundum, silicon carbide (SiC), or the like. The various tiles 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226 may be fabricated using a sintering process, such as powder sintering, liquid sintering, or the like. In some cases, the sintering process may be enhanced with electric and/or magnetic fields. In general, powders of the constituent materials may be placed in a sintering mold and then heated and/or pressurized to for the individual tiles 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226. For example, WC nanoparticles may be placed in a sintering mold under compression and heat to sinter-form the various tiles 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226. In some cases, WC nanoparticles may be mixed with Co nanoparticles with any suitable concentration, such as between 6% and 25% Co, in the powder sintering process.

[0050] In some cases, the edge tiles 216, 218 may have a different composition, and therefore hardness compare to the face tiles 220, 222. In some cases, the sintering process to form the edge tiles 216, 218 may use approximately 4% to 25% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the edge tiles 216, 218 with Co in the range of about 4% to about 25%. In some cases, the sintering process to form the edge tiles 216, 218 may use approximately 5.5% to 13% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the edge tiles 216, 218 with Co in the range of about 6% to about 11%. In other cases, the sintering process to form the edge tiles 216, 218 may use approximately 10% to 12% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the edge tiles 216, 218 with Co in the range of about 10% to about 12%. In some cases, the sintering process to form the face tiles 220, 222 may use approximately 6% to 25% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the face tiles 220, 222 with Co in the range of about 6% to about 25%. In some other cases, the sintering process to form the face tiles 220, 222 may use approximately 12% to 25% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the face tiles 220, 222 with Co in the range of about 12% to about 25%. In other cases, the sintering process to form the face tiles 220, 222 may use approximately 13% to 17% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the edge tiles with Co in the range of about 13% to about 17%. In some examples, the edge tiles 216, 218 may have a Co concentration of about 11% and the face tiles 220, 222 may have a Co concentration of about 15%. In some other examples, the edge tiles 216, 218 may have a Co concentration of about 6% and the face tiles 220, 222 may have a Co concentration of about 11%. In examples, the wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may have a Co concentration similar to either the edge tiles 216, 218 or the face tiles 220, 222.

[0051] The various tiles 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226 may have any suitable hardness, such as hardness in the range of about 80 Rockwell Hardness Scale A (HRA) to about 95 HRA. In other cases, the various tiles 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226 may have a hardness in the range of about 83 HRA to about 92 HRA. In some cases, the edge tiles 216, 218 may have a hardness in the range of about 86 HRA to about 92 HRA, while the face tiles have a hardness in the range of about 83 HRA to about 90 HRA. In some cases, the edge tiles 216, 218 may have a greater hardness than the face tiles 220, 222.

[0052] This cutting edge 204, as shown, does not include a face wear protector. The face wear protector is discussed in conjunction with FIGS. 8-11. The cutting edge 204 also depicts two different types of edge tiles 216, 218 and two different types of face tiles 220, 222. However, in other cases, there may be three types, or any other number of types, of edge tiles 216, 218 and/or three types of face tiles 220, 222, as will be described in conjunction with FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0053] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram depicting an example method 300 for forming the cutting edge as depicted in FIG. 2, according to examples of the disclosure. The processes of method 300 may be performed by a single entity at a single location or any number of different entities at any variety of locations. For example, portions of the method 300 to fabricate the cutting edge 120 may be performed at a steel mill to form the base cutting edge made from steel. Other processes, such as machining and/or assembling the tiles may be performed in a machine shop and/or an assembly floor. The base cutting edge, as used in this disclosure, refers to the base steel cutting edge prior to corner rounding, assembly of any of the variety of tiles, and/or depositing the face wear protector. It should also be noted that any of the processes of method 300 may be optional. Indeed, the disclosure herein contemplates the cutting edge 120 with any one or more of the hard tiles, corner rounding, wear resistant war indicator, and/or face wear protector, individually or in any combination.

[0054] At block 302, the base cutting edge may be formed from steel. The base cutting edge may be rough formed by a hot-rolling mechanism, where steel, such as in the form of billets, slabs, and/or any other suitable starting form, may be heated and rolled between rollers (e.g., a top roller and a bottom roller) to achieve the shape of the base cutting edge. The steel may be rolled in a continuous manner to form long pieces of steel that can then be sheared to form the base cutting edge. For example, the base cutting edge may be formed end-to-end and separated by a shearing process to form the base cutting edge. In the hot-rolling mechanism, the starting steel material may be heated to a relatively high temperature, such as an austenitizing temperature. This temperature may be above about 1000 C. At these temperatures, the steel may change its crystal structure based at least in part on its content and subsequent thermal profiles. For example, the steel may be heated to between about 1100 C. and about 1300 C. Additionally, the holes or punchouts may be formed, such as punchouts defined by edges 206.

[0055] The steel used to form the base cutting edge may be of any suitable type and may include any suitable additives and/or impurities therein. For example, the steel used to hot roll the rough base cutting edge may include Iron (Fe) with a variety of additives and/or impurities therein, such as carbon (C), boron (B), manganese (Mn), phosphorus (P), sulfur(S), silicon (Si), molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), vanadium (V), and/or other materials. In some cases, the concentration of additives and/or impurities may be relatively uniform throughout. In other cases, the concentration of the additives and/or impurities may be non-uniform throughout the steel. For example, the outer portions of the steel components, such as the base cutting edge, may be such that the outer portions of the components are harder than the inner portions of the components due to a higher concentration C near its surfaces. In some cases, the base cutting edge may be subject to a hardening process, such as heating to an elevated temperature and quenching to form martensitic and/or austenitic crystal structure. In the same or other cases, the base cutting edge may be subject to surface hardening processes, such as carburizing and/or hard facing, to form a hard outer surface and a softer and/or ductile bulk portion.

[0056] The carbon content of the steel and the base cutting edge may be in the range of about 0.05% to about 1.2% by weight. In some examples, the steel may be a low-carbon steel, with a carbon content of the base cutting edge in the range of about 0.1% to about 0.3% carbon by weight. In other examples, the steel may be a medium-carbon steel, with a carbon content of the base cutting edge in the range of about 0.3% to about 0.6% carbon by weight. In yet other examples, the steel may be a high-carbon steel, with a carbon content of the base cutting edge in the range of about 0.6% to about 1.2% carbon by weight. The base cutting edge may have any suitable hardness, such as in the range of about 40 Rockwell Hardness Scale C (HRC) to about 65 HRC.

[0057] Although the disclosure describes the processes herein in the context of hot-rolling, it should be understood that the base cutting edge may be roughly formed by any other suitable heated process, such as forging, extrusion, casting, sand casting, or the like. In alternative examples, the base cutting edge may be formed from material(s) other than steel.

[0058] At block 304, the base cutting edge corner(s) may be rounded. The corner 214 may be rounded using any suitable machining process, such as sawing, grinding, shearing, punching, cutting, lathing, drilling, turning, milling, etc. As discussed herein, these machining processes may be performed using any suitable machine, such as a saw, a lathe, punching systems, drills, shearing systems, laser cutting systems, water cutting systems, etc.

[0059] At block 306, an edge groove may be cut along an edge of the base cutting edge. The edge groove may be cut into the ground-engaging edge 208 of the cutting edge 204. The edge groove may further be cut into the rounded corner 214 and/or the end edge 210. The edge groove may be cut using any suitable machining process, such as sawing, grinding, shearing, punching, cutting, lathing, drilling, turning, milling, etc. As discussed herein, these machining processes may be performed using any suitable machine, such as a saw, a lathe, punching systems, drills, shearing systems, laser cutting systems, water cutting systems, etc.

[0060] At block 308, a face groove may be cut along the edge and the face of the base cutting edge. The face groove may be cut into an interface between the ground-engaging edge 208 and the face 212. The face groove may further be cut into the interface of the rounded corner 214 and the face 212. The face groove may further be cut into the interface between the end edge 210 and the face 212. The edge groove may be cut using any suitable machining process, such as sawing, grinding, shearing, punching, cutting, lathing, drilling, turning, milling, etc. As discussed herein, these machining processes may be performed using any suitable machine, such as a saw, a lathe, punching systems, drills, shearing systems, laser cutting systems, water cutting systems, etc.

[0061] At block 310, a wear indicator groove may be cut on the face of the base cutting edge. The wear indicator groove may be cut into the face at a predetermined distance from the ground-engaging edge 208. The predetermined distance may correspond to the level of wear where the cutting edge 204 will need to be replaced. In other words, if the face 212 of the cutting edge 204 wears to the wear indicator groove, an operator may need to replace the cutting edge 204. The wear indicator groove may be cut using any suitable machining process, such as sawing, grinding, shearing, punching, cutting, lathing, drilling, turning, milling, etc. As discussed herein, these machining processes may be performed using any suitable machine, such as a saw, a lathe, punching systems, drills, shearing systems, laser cutting systems, water cutting systems, etc.

[0062] At block 312, edge tiles 216, 218 may be attached within the edge groove of the base cutting edge. The edge tiles 216, 218 may be attached to the cutting edge 204 by any suitable joining mechanism, such as brazing, welding, soldering, fritting, etc. For example, in some cases, a Cu and/or Ni metallurgy may be used to braze the edge tiles 216, 218 in place within the edge groove. In other cases, other metals may be used for brazing the edge tiles 216, 218 in place, such as Ag, Zn, Sn, Co, Au, or the like.

[0063] The edge tiles 216, 218 may be fabricated from any suitable materials, such as hard materials like WC, Co-based materials, borides, oxides, nitrides, or carbides of refractory metals (e.g., Ti, Ta, W, Cr, Mo, etc.), alumina, corundum, SiC, or the like. The edge tiles 216, 218 may be fabricated using a sintering process, such as powder sintering, liquid sintering, or the like. In some cases, the sintering process may be enhanced with electric and/or magnetic fields. In general, powders of the constituent materials may be placed in a sintering mold and then heated and/or pressurized to for the edge tiles 216, 218. For example, WC particles may be placed in a sintering mold under compression and heat to form edge tiles 216, 218. In some cases, the sintering process to form the edge tiles 216, 218 may use approximately 4% to 25% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the edge tiles 216, 218 with Co in the range of about 4% to about 25%. In some cases, the sintering process to form the edge tiles 216, 218 may use approximately 5.5% to 13% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the edge tiles 216, 218 with Co in the range of about 6% to about 11%. In other cases, the sintering process to form the edge tiles 216, 218 may use approximately 10% to 12% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the edge tiles 216, 218 with Co in the range of about 10% to about 12%. In alternate cases, the edge tiles 216,218 may be fabricated by mechanisms other than sintering.

[0064] At block 314, face tiles 220, 222 may be attached within the face groove of the base cutting edge. The face tiles 220, 222 may be attached to the cutting edge 204 by any suitable joining mechanism, such as brazing, welding, soldering, fritting, etc. For example, in some cases, a Cu and/or Ni metallurgy may be used to braze the face tiles 220, 222 in place within the edge groove. In other cases, other metals may be used for brazing the face tiles 220, 222 in place, such as Ag, Zn, Sn, Co, Au, or the like.

[0065] The face tiles 220, 222 may be fabricated from any suitable materials, such as hard materials like WC, Co-based materials, borides, oxides, nitrides, or carbides of refractory metals (e.g., Ti, Ta, W, Cr, Mo, etc.), alumina (Al.sub.2O.sub.3), corundum, SiC, or the like. The face tiles 220, 222 may be fabricated using a sintering process, such as powder sintering, liquid sintering, or the like. In some cases, the sintering process may be enhanced with electric and/or magnetic fields. In general, powders of the constituent materials may be placed in a sintering mold and then heated and/or pressurized to form the face tiles 220, 222. For example, WC particles may be placed in a sintering mold under compression and heat to form the face tiles 220, 222. In some cases, the sintering process to form the face tiles 220, 222 may use approximately 6% to 25% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the face tiles 220, 222 with Co in the range of about 6% to about 25%. In some other cases, the sintering process to form the face tiles 220, 222 may use approximately 12% to 25% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the face tiles 220, 222 with Co in the range of about 12% to about 25%. In other cases, the sintering process to form the face tiles 220, 222 may use approximately 13% to 17% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the edge tiles with Co in the range of about 13% to about 17%. In examples of the disclosure, the face tiles 220, 222 may have a greater Co concentration than the edge tiles 216, 218. In alternate cases, the face tiles 220, 222 may be fabricated using mechanisms other than sintering.

[0066] At block 316, the wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may be attached within the wear indicator groove of the base cutting edge. The wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may be attached to the cutting edge 204 by any suitable joining mechanism, such as brazing, welding, soldering, fritting, etc. For example, in some cases, a Cu and/or Ni metallurgy may be used to braze the wear indicator tiles 224, 226 in place within the edge groove. In other cases, other metals may be used for brazing the wear indicator tiles 224, 226 in place, such as Ag, Zn, Sn, Co, Au, or the like.

[0067] The wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may be fabricated from any suitable materials, such as hard materials like WC, Co-based materials, borides, oxides, nitrides, or carbides of refractory metals (e.g., Ti, Ta, W, Cr, Mo, etc.), alumina, corundum, SiC, or the like. The wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may be fabricated using a sintering process, such as powder sintering, liquid sintering, or the like. In some cases, the sintering process may be enhanced with electric and/or magnetic fields. In general, powders of the constituent materials may be placed in a sintering mold and then heated and/or pressurized to form the wear indicator tiles 224, 226. For example, WC particles may be placed in a sintering mold under compression and heat to form wear indicator tiles 224, 226. In some cases, the sintering process to form the wear indicator tiles 224, 226 may use approximately 4% to 20% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the face tiles 220, 222 with Co in the range of about 6% to about 15%. In other cases, the sintering process to form the face tiles 220, 222 may use approximately 9% to 14% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the edge tiles 216, 218 with Co in the range of about 10% to about 12%. In examples of the disclosure, the face tiles 220, 222 may have a greater Co concentration than the edge tiles 216, 218. In alternate cases, the face tiles 220, 222 may be fabricated using mechanisms other than sintering.

[0068] It should be noted that some of the operations of method 300 may be performed out of the order presented, with additional elements, and/or without some elements. Some of the operations of method 300 may further take place substantially concurrently and, therefore, may conclude in an order different from the order of operations shown above.

[0069] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an example portion of a base cutting edge 400 machined to form the cutting edge 204 as depicted in FIG. 2, according to examples of the disclosure. As shown, the base cutting edge 400 includes a face 402, a ground-engaging edge 404, an end edge 406, and a rounded corner 408, as described herein. An edge groove 410 may be cut along the ground-engaging edge 404, the rounded corner 408, and/or the end edge 406. Similarly, a face groove 412 may be cut along an interface between the face 402 and the ground-engaging edge 404, the face 402 and the rounded corner 408, and/or the face 402 and the end edge 406. In some cases, an end portion 414 of the face groove 412 may be rounded due to the shape of the tool(s) used to cut the face groove 412. For example, a rotary saw with a blade of a certain radius may cause the shape of the end portion 414, as shown. The edge groove 410 may also have a similar end portion (not shown) as end portion 414.

[0070] A wear indicator groove 416 may be cut into the face 402 at a predetermined distance from the ground-engaging edge 208. The predetermined distance may correspond to the level of wear where the cutting edge 204 will need to be replaced. In other words, if the face 212 of the cutting edge 204 wears to the wear indicator groove 416, an operator may need to replace the cutting edge 204. In some cases, as shown, the wear indicator groove 416 may be shallower than the face groove 412. Alternatively, the wear indicator groove 416 may be deeper than the face groove 412. As shown, in some cases, the wear indicator groove 416 and the face groove 412 may come in contact, and in other cases, the wear indicator groove 416 and the face groove 412 may not come in contact.

[0071] Each of the edge groove 410, face groove 412, and/or wear indicator groove 416 may be cut using any suitable machining process, such as sawing, grinding, shearing, punching, cutting, lathing, drilling, turning, milling, etc. As discussed herein, these machining processes may be performed using any suitable machine, such as a saw, a lathe, punching systems, drills, shearing systems, laser cutting systems, water cutting systems, etc.

[0072] The base cutting edge 400, as shown includes a face wear protector 418, as shown in a crisscross pattern. The face wear protector 418, in this case, may be disposed on the base cutting edge 400 prior to the assembling the edge tiles 216, 218, the face tiles 220, 222, or the wear indicator tiles 224, 226. However, in other cases, the face wear protector may be deposited onto the face 402 after assembly of assembling the edge tiles 216, 218, the face tiles 220, 222, and/or the wear indicator tiles 224, 226. The face wear protector 418 may be deposited with a variable areal density along the length of the base cutting edge 400. For example, the areal density of the face wear protector 418 may be greater near the end edge 406 and/or the rounded corner 408, as compared to regions farther away from the end edge 406 and/or the rounded corner 408. The face wear protector 418 may be deposited on the face 402 using a laser cladding system, where a laser beam is rastered on the face 402 in the pattern of the face wear protector 418. The laser locally remelts a small portion of the face 402 and then hard particles, like WC, may be provided in the remelt pool, which subsequently hardens as the laser beam moves on from that spot.

[0073] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an example portion of a cutting edge 500 with tiles disposed thereon, according to examples of the disclosure. In examples, the cutting edge 500 is the result of assembling various hard dies onto the base cutting edge 400 of FIG. 4. The cutting edge 500 includes a face 502, a ground-engaging edge 504, an end edge 506, and a rounded corner 508, as described herein. Edge tiles 510, 512, 514 may be attached within the edge groove 410. Edge tiles 510 may have straight edges that are conformal with the ground-engaging edge 504. Edge tiles 512 may have a slightly rounded edges that are conformal with the rounded corner 508. Edge tile 514 may have a shape that is consistent with an end of the edge groove 410, which may have a rounded profile consistent with a round saw blade that trenched the edge groove 410.

[0074] Face tiles 516, 518, 520 may be attached within the face groove 412. Face tiles 516 may have straight edges that are conformal with the ground-engaging edge 504. Face tiles 518 may have a slightly rounded edges that are conformal with the rounded corner 508. Face tile 520 may have a shape that is consistent with an end of the face groove 412, which may have a rounded profile consistent with a round saw blade that cut the face groove 412. Wear indicator tiles 522 may be attached within the wear indicator groove 416. There may be more than one type of wear indicator tiles 522, such as ones with inset writing thereon. As shown, the cutting edge 500 includes a face wear protector 524, which may be deposited before or after the assembly of the tiles 510, 512, 514, 516, 518, 520, 520 within their respective grooves 410, 412, 416.

[0075] The tiles 510, 512, 514, 516, 518, 520, 520 may be attached to the cutting edge 500 by any suitable joining mechanism, such as brazing, welding, soldering, fritting, etc. For example, in some cases, a Cu and/or Ni metallurgy may be used to braze the tiles 510, 512, 514, 516, 518, 520, 520 in place within the edge groove. In other cases, other metals may be used for brazing the tiles 510, 512, 514, 516, 518, 520, 520 in place, such as Ag, Zn, Sn, Co, Au, or the like.

[0076] FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of an example face tile 516 of the cutting edge 204 as depicted in FIG. 2, according to examples of the disclosure. The face tile 516 may include a pyramidal portion 600 and a base portion 602 upon which the pyramidal portion 600 is disposed. The base portion 602 may include sides 604, 606. The side 606, which is proximal to the other face tiles 516, 518 disposed within the face groove 412, may have one or more spacers 608 thereon to provide some spacing between adjacent face tiles 516 on the cutting edge 120. The spacing allows for capillary action during the brazing process that cements the face tiles 516 in place within the face groove 412. Because face tile 516 is to be inserted in the face groove 412 of the ground-engaging edge 404, the side 604 may be substantially straight.

[0077] The pyramidal portion 600 of the face tile 516 may have ridge 610, and facets 612, 614, 616, 618 that meet at the ridge 610. Although the ridge 610 is depicted as a rectangular ridge, it should be understood that the ridge 610 may be of any suitable shape, such as a line, a square, or the like. By having four facets 612, 614, 616, 618, the face tiles 516 may have a protruding shape, but without sharp corners that may chip during the use of the cutting edge 120. When assembled within the face groove 412, the ridge may protrude above the surface of the face 502, be at the same level as the surface of the face 502, or be recessed compared to the surface of the face 502.

[0078] It will be appreciated that the shape of the pyramidal portion 600 may allow the face tiles 516 to not just protect the underlying steel of the cutting edge 120, but also granulate, disperse, break, and/or push in an angular direction particles, such as oil sands or ice, that impinge upon the face tile 516 when the ground-engaging edge 504 contacts material to be moved, pushed, gathered, granulated, or the like. Thus, the face tiles 516 not only provide a hard protective material over the softer, ductile steel, but also operationally concentrates the force of the tool 114, 116 to more effectively perform the tasks of the tool 114, 116 and machine 100.

[0079] The face tiles 516 may be fabricated from any suitable materials, such as hard materials like WC, Co-based materials, Ni-based materials, borides, oxides, nitrides, or carbides of refractory metals (e.g., Ti, Ta, W, Cr, Mo, etc.), alumina, corundum, SiC, or the like. The face tiles 516 may be fabricated using a sintering process, such as powder sintering, liquid sintering, or the like. The powder sintering mold may be a reciprocal shape to the shape of the face tile 516. In some cases, the sintering process may be enhanced with electric and/or magnetic fields. In some cases, the sintering process to form the face tiles 516 may use approximately 12% to 20% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the face tiles 516 with Co in the range of about 12% to about 20%. In other cases, the sintering process to form the face tiles 516 may use approximately 13% to 17% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the face tiles 516 with Co in the range of about 13% to about 17%.

[0080] It should be understood that the edge tiles 216, 218 and/or the wear resistant tiles 224, 226 may be fabricated in a similar way as the face tiles 516. However, in some examples of the disclosure, the face tiles 516 may have a greater Co concentration than the edge tiles 216, 218. As a result, the face tiles may be softer and/or tougher than the edge tiles 216, 218. In alternate cases, the face tiles 516 may be fabricated using mechanisms other than sintering.

[0081] For the purposes of this disclosure, the length of the face tile 516 may be defined as the distance along the side 604, the depth may be the distance along the side 606, and the height may be the distance from the bottom of the base portion 602 to the top of the ridge 610. In some cases, the width of the face tiles 516 may range from about 5 mm to about 70 mm. In other case, the face tiles 516 may have a width in the range of about 10 mm to about 50 mm. In yet other cases, the face tiles 516 may have a width in the range of about 20 mm to about 40 mm. The face tiles 516 may have a depth in the range of about 2 mm to about 60 mm. In other case, the face tiles 516 may have a depth in the range of about 5 mm to about 40 mm. In yet other cases, the face tiles 516 may have a depth in the range of about 7 mm to about 30 mm. The face tiles 516 may have a height in the range of about 5 mm to about 70 mm. In other case, the face tiles 516 may have a height in the range of about 10 mm to about 50 mm. In yet other cases, the face tiles 516 may have a height in the range of about 20 mm to about 40 mm.

[0082] FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of an example corner face tile 518 of the cutting edge 204 as depicted in FIG. 2, according to examples of the disclosure. The face tile 518 may include a pyramidal portion 700 that sits upon a base portion with sides 702, 704, 706. The side 706, which is proximal to the other face tiles 516, 518 disposed within the face groove 412, may have one or more spacers 708 thereon to provide some spacing between adjacent face tiles 516, 518 on the cutting edge 120. The spacing allows for capillary action during the brazing process that cements the face tiles 516, 518 in place within the face groove 412. Because face tile 518 is to be inserted in the face groove 412 of the rounded corner 408, the sides 702, 704 may be curved with a similar curvature or profile as the rounded corner 408.

[0083] The pyramidal portion 700 of the face tile 518 may have ridge 710, and facets 712, 714, 716, 718 that meet at the ridge 710. Although the ridge 710 is depicted as a rectangular ridge, it should be understood that the ridge 710 may be of any suitable shape, such as a line, a square, or the like. By having four facets 712, 714, 716, 718, the face tiles 518 may have a protruding shape, but without sharp corners that may chip during the use of the cutting edge 120. When assembled within the face groove 412, the ridge 710 may protrude above the surface of the face 502, be at the same level as the surface of the face 502, or be recessed compared to the surface of the face 502.

[0084] It will be appreciated that the shape of the pyramidal portion 700 may allow the face tiles 518 to not just protect the underlying steel of the cutting edge 120, but also granulate, disperse, break, and/or push in an angular direction particles, such as oil sands or ice, that impinge upon the face tile 518 when the ground-engaging edge 504 contacts material to be moved, pushed, gathered, granulated, or the like. Thus, the face tiles 518 not only provide a hard protective material over the softer, ductile steel, but also operationally concentrates the force of the tool 114, 116 to more effectively perform the tasks of the tool 114, 116 and machine 100. The fabrication of face tile 516 may be substantially similar to the fabrication of the face tile 518 and, in the interest of brevity, will not be repeated here.

[0085] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram depicting an example method 800 for forming abrasion resistant material on a surface of the cutting edge 204 as depicted in FIG. 2, according to examples of the disclosure. The processes of method 800 may be performed by a single entity at a single location or any number of different entities at any variety of locations. For example, portions of the method 800 to fabricate the cutting edge 120 may be performed at a steel mill to form the base cutting edge made from steel. Other processes, such as machining and/or assembling the tiles may be performed in a machine shop and/or an assembly floor. It should also be noted that any of the processes of method 800 may be optional. Indeed, the disclosure herein contemplates the cutting edge 120 with any one or more of the hard tiles, corner rounding, wear resistant war indicator, and/or face wear protector, individually or in any combination.

[0086] At block 802, a base cutting edge may be formed using steel. Any suitable steel (e.g., low-C, medium-C, high-C, B-doped, etc.) may be used to form the base cutting edge. The description of block 802 may be substantially similar to the description of block 302 of method 300 of FIG. 3 and will not be repeated here in the interest of brevity.

[0087] At block 804, face wear protector may be provided on the face of the cutting edge 120. As disclosed herein, the face wear protector may be deposited onto the face using any suitable deposition technique, such as laser cladding. The face wear protector 418 may be deposited on the face 502 using a laser cladding system, where a laser beam is rastered on the face 502 in the pattern of the face wear protector 524. The laser locally remelts a small portion of the face 502 and then hard particles, like WC, may be provided in the remelt pool, which subsequently hardens as the laser beam moves on from that spot.

[0088] At block 806, additional face wear protector may be provided on the face of the cutting edge 120. In some case, the processes of block 804 and block 806 may be performed concurrently. In other words, a greater density of face wear protector 524, in the form of an abrasion resistant material may be provided close to the end edge 506. The face wear protector 524 may be deposited with a variable areal density along the length of the base cutting edge 400. For example, the areal density of the face wear protector 524 may be greater near the end edge 506 and/or the rounded corner 508, as compared to regions farther away from the end edge 506 and/or the rounded corner 508.

[0089] It should be noted that some of the operations of method 800 may be performed out of the order presented, with additional elements, and/or without some elements. Some of the operations of method 800 may further take place substantially concurrently and, therefore, may conclude in an order different from the order of operations shown above.

[0090] FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of laser cladding system 900 to deposit abrasion resistant material onto the face 212 of the cutting edge 204 as depicted in FIG. 2, according to examples of the disclosure. The laser cladding system 900 may generate a laser beam 902 that radiates onto the face 212 of the cutting edge 204. The laser cladding system 900 may disperse a stream of particles 904 via one or more nozzles 906. As the laser beam 902 impinges upon the face 212, a relatively thin layer of the steel of the face 212 melts into a melt pool 908 due to the energy and/or heat imparted by the laser beam 902 to the face 212. As the stream of particles 904 rain down onto the surface 212 through nozzle(s) 906, the face wear protector 910 is formed as an abrasion resistant material.

[0091] Particles 912, as delivered by the stream of particles 904, may be embedded within the face wear protector 910. The particles 912 may be any suitable particles, such as hard particles, like WC, Co-based materials, borides, oxides, nitrides, or carbides of refractory metals (e.g., Ti, Ta, W, Cr, Mo, etc.), alumina, corundum, SiC, or the like. In magnification 914, it can be seen that the particles 912 are embedded within the face wear protector 910, like a composite material. In other cases, the stream of particles 904 may result in an alloy, a graded alloy, a mixture, and/or a matrix. In alternate cases, the laser cladding system 900 may use a wire to provide the additive material that is to be mixed into the melt pool 908.

[0092] The laser cladding system 900 may raster over the face 212, the laser beam 902 to form the face wear protector 910 over the path of the laser beam 902. In this way, regions of the face 212 that are radiated with the laser beam 902 and subject to the stream of particles 904 will have the face wear protector 910 formed thereon. The rastering speed, or the rate at which the laser beam is traversed over the surface of the face 212, may be selected to provide a sufficient melt pool 908 for a desired thickness of face wear protector 910. The protrusion of the face wear protector 910 may be any suitable amount. In some cases, the protrusion of the face wear protector 910 may be in the range of about 0.25 mm to about 6 mm. In other cases, the protrusion of the face wear protector 910 may be in the range of about 0.5 mm to about 3 mm. In yet other cases, the protrusion of the face wear protector 910 may be in the range of about 1 mm to about 2 mm. The width of the face wear protector 910 on the face 212 may be any suitable value. In some cases, the width of the face wear protector 910 may be in the range of about 1 mm to about 10 mm. In other cases, the width of the face wear protector 910 may be in the range of about 2 mm to about 4.5 mm. In yet other cases, the width of the face wear protector 910 may be in the range of about 2.5 mm to about 3.5 mm.

[0093] FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of an example cutting edge 1000 with variable density face wear protector 1006 on the face 1002 of the cutting edge 1000, according to examples of the disclosure. A region 1008 relatively distal from end edge 1004 may have a lower density of the face wear protector 1006 than a region 1010 more proximal to the end edge 1004. By having a greater areal density of the face wear protector 1006 near the end edge 1004, the portions of the cutting edge 1000 that typically experience the most wear and tear have a relatively greater level of protection. The face wear protector 1006, as shown here, has a crisscross pattern. However, face wear protector 1006 may have any suitable pattern and a different pattern will be seen in conjunction with FIG. 11.

[0094] FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of another example cutting edge 1100 with variable density abrasion resistant material on the face 1102 of the cutting edge 1100, according to examples of the disclosure. The cutting edge 1100 has a face 1102 and an end edge 1104. The face wear protector 1106 may be formed as a series of lines. A region 1108 relatively distal from end edge 1104 may have a lower density of the face wear protector 1106 than a region 1110 more proximal to the end edge 1104. The face wear protector 1106 may have any suitable pattern, such as a serpentine pattern, a dot pattern, a short horizontal line pattern, or the like.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0095] The present disclosure describes systems, structures, and methods to improve wear tolerance and durability of components, such as cutting edges 120 of tools 114, 116 and/or track shoes 112, of a machine 100. The cutting edge 120, as disclosed herein, may have a variety of tiles 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226 embedded therein and/or disposed thereon. the same are applicable across a wide array of mechanical systems, such as any mechanical system that can benefit from improved wear resistance of various components.

[0096] As a result of the systems, apparatus, and methods described herein, consumable parts of machines 100, such as cutting edges 120 may have a greater lifetime than they otherwise would. For example, the cutting edges 120 described herein may have greater service lifetime than cutting edges that are formed without the tiles 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226 and/or the face wear protector 418, 524. This reduces field downtime, reduces the frequency of servicing and maintenance, and overall reduces the cost of heavy equipment, such as machines 100. Furthermore, the wear resistant wear indicator allows for operators to unambiguously service and replace the cutting edge 120 at the end of its service lifetime, such that there is no damage to tools 114, 116 or other components of machine 100. The improved reliability and reduced field-level downtime also improves the user experience, such that the machine 100 can be devoted to its intended purpose for longer times and for an overall greater percentage of its lifetime. Improved machine 100 uptime and reduced scheduled maintenance may allow for more efficient deployment of resources (e.g., fewer, but more reliable machines 100 at a construction site). Thus, the technologies disclosed herein improve the efficiency of project resources (e.g., construction resources, mining resources, etc.), provide greater uptime of project resources, and improves the financial performance (e.g., return on investment (ROI), return on capital (ROC), etc.) of project resources.

[0097] While aspects of the present disclosure have been particularly shown and described with reference to the examples above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various additional examples may be contemplated by the modification of the disclosed machines, systems and methods without departing from the spirit and scope of what is disclosed. Such examples should be understood to fall within the scope of the present disclosure as determined based upon the claims and any equivalents thereof.

[0098] Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein.