Crushing or wear part having a localized composite wear zone

Abstract

A crushing or wear part includes an un-reinforced steel alloy body and at least one in-situ cast localized composite wear zone disposed in the steel alloy body formed of metal carbide or metal boride particles selected from TiC, ZrC, WC, NbC, TaC, TiB.sub.2, and ZrB.sub.2 distributed in a steel alloy matrix. The at least one in-situ cast localized composite wear zone has a Vickers Hardness that is at least 700 and at least 50% greater than a Vickers Hardness of the un-reinforced steel alloy body. A bonding region that is located between the in-situ cast localized composite wear zone and the steel alloy body is continuous and free of cracks, and the in-situ cast localized composite wear zone is unfragmented.

Claims

1. A crushing or wear part comprising: an un-reinforced manganese steel alloy body; and at least one in-situ cast localized composite wear zone, formed by in-situ casting of a casting insert, disposed in the manganese steel alloy body, the at least one in-situ cast localized composite wear zone comprising metal carbide or metal boride particles selected from TiC, ZrC, NbC, TaC, TiB.sub.2, and ZrB.sub.2 distributed in a steel alloy matrix, wherein the metal carbide or metal boride particles have an average dimension of 0.5 to 3.0 m, and the at least one in-situ cast localized composite wear zone has a Vickers Hardness that is at least 700 and at least 50% greater than a Vickers Hardness of the un-reinforced manganese steel alloy body, wherein a bonding region disposed between the in-situ cast localized composite wear zone and the un-reinforced manganese steel alloy body is continuous and free of cracks, and wherein the in-situ cast localized composite wear zone is unfragmented such that the wear zone is not fragmented into different parts and retains a defined shape of the casting insert, and wherein the casting insert includes 20-40% by weight moderator powder.

2. The crushing or wear part according to claim 1, wherein the at least one in-situ cast localized composite wear zone has a Vickers Hardness at least 70% greater than the un-reinforced manganese steel alloy body.

3. The crushing or wear part according to claim 1, wherein the at least one in-situ cast localized composite wear zone has a Vickers Hardness of at least 900.

4. The crushing or wear part according to claim 1, wherein the metal carbide or metal boride particles have an average dimension of 0.5 to 1.5 m.

5. The crushing or wear part according to claim 1, wherein the metal carbide or boride is titanium carbide.

6. The crushing or wear part according to claim 1, wherein the steel alloy is manganese steel.

7. The crushing or wear part according to claim 1, wherein the at least one in-situ cast localized composite wear zone has a wear ratio of less than 25106 mm.sup.3/mN as determined in a pin on disc test with a load of 10 N, a duration of 120 minutes, and a sliding distance of 576 m.

8. The crushing or wear part according to claim 1, wherein the at least one in-situ cast localized composite wear zone is a plurality of spaced-apart in-situ cast localized composite wear zones.

9. The crushing or wear part according to claim 8, which is a concave for a cone crusher having a crushing zone, in which the plurality of spaced-apart in-situ cast localized composite wear zones are circumferentially spaced apart around the crushing zone.

10. The crushing or wear part according to claim 8, which is a jaw plate for a jaw crusher.

11. The crushing or wear part according to claim 1, wherein the at least one in-situ cast localized composite wear zone is formed by in-situ casting of the casting insert that comprises densified powder comprising a mixture of metal powders.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) FIG. 1 illustrates a process of the invention including a powder mixing step, a powder pressing (densification) step, and an in-situ casting step.

(2) FIG. 2 is a photograph of a casting insert formed according to a process of the invention.

(3) FIG. 3 is a Scanning Electron microscope micrograph of part of an in-situ cast composite wear zone showing the titanium carbide particles dispersed in a matrix of the base alloy (manganese steel alloy).

(4) FIG. 4 is a series of electron micrographs showing wear zones made according to the process of the invention under high magnification (top row) and low magnification (bottom row). The wear zones differ according to the wt % of moderator in the insert, with four examples provided 20%, 30%, 40% and 70% 20 moderator made according to Examples 1 to 4, respectively:

(5) FIG. 4A 20% moderator low magnification

(6) FIG. 4B 30% moderator low magnification

(7) FIG. 4C 20% moderator high magnification

(8) FIG. 4D 30% moderator high magnification

(9) FIG. 4E 40% moderator low magnification

(10) FIG. 4F 70% moderator low magnification

(11) FIG. 4G 40% moderator high magnification

(12) FIG. 4H 70% moderator high magnification

(13) The increase of moderator from 20% to 70% induces a decrease in the particle sizes from 3 m up to 0.2 m respectively.

(14) FIG. 5 presents graphs showing the particle size distribution for the four examples of wear zones made according to Examples 1 to 4 using casting inserts having 20% (FIG. 5A), 30% (FIG. 5B), 40% (FIG. 5C) and 70% (FIG. 5D) by weight of moderator, respectively. The average particle size for the 20%, 30%, 40% and 70% weight moderator examples are 2-3 m (20%), 1-2 m (30%), 0.5 to 1.5 m (40%), and 0.2 to 0.6 m (70%), with the average particle size across the range of 20-70% moderator being 0.5 to 3.0%.

(15) FIG. 6 presents graphs showing the Vickers Hardness for the four examples of wear parts made according to Examples 1 to 4 using casting inserts having 20%, 30%, 40% and 70% by weight of moderator, respectively. For example, the Vickers Hardness of the wear zone and the manganese steel base alloy are provided showing that the process of the invention provides wear parts in which the hardness of the in-situ cast wear zone is significantly higher than the hardness of the base alloy.

(16) FIG. 7 is an electron micrograph showing a wear zone made according to Example 4 with 70% by weight moderator powder. There is a strong correlation between the high hardness results and the microstructure of the composites. When the moderator weight percent increases, it results in high amount of TiC is formed and small particle sizes. Thus, the hardness increases. When the moderator amount reaches 70%, it results in large amount of porosity as indicated, which induces low hardness.

(17) FIG. 8 is a picture showing a border region between a TiC reinforced wear zone and an adjacent steel alloy.

(18) FIG. 9 is a picture showing a section of a reinforced wear zone after performing a pin-on-disc wear test

(19) FIG. 10 is a profilometer picture showing volume loss from the wear track formed during the pin-on-disc wear test.

(20) FIG. 11 is a graph of the wear ratio for the wear zones of the wear plates made according to Examples 1 to 4 and the base alloy.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(21) All publications, patents, patent applications and other references mentioned herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties for all purposes as if each individual publication, patent or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference and the content thereof recited in full.

Definitions and General Preferences

(22) Where used herein and unless specifically indicated otherwise, the following terms are intended to have the following meanings in addition to any broader (or narrower) meanings the terms might enjoy in the art:

(23) Unless otherwise required by context, the use herein of the singular is to be read to include the plural and vice versa. The term a or an used in relation to an entity is to be read to refer to one or more of that entity. As such, the terms a (or an), one or more, and at least one are used interchangeably herein.

(24) As used herein, the term comprise, or variations thereof such as comprises or comprising, are to be read to indicate the inclusion of any recited integer (e.g. a feature, element, characteristic, property, method/process step or limitation) or group of integers (e.g. features, element, characteristics, properties, method/process steps or limitations) but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers. Thus, as used herein the term comprising is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited integers or method/process steps.

(25) Crushing or wear part refers to a part or component an industrial machine such as a mining or excavation machine (especially rock crushing machines), that is exposed to high levels of abrasion and wear. Specific non-limiting examples include inner cones of cone crushing machines, jaw plates for jaw crusher machines, arm liners, and wear plates for vertical shaft impact crushers.

(26) Localised composite wear zone or reinforced wear zone refers to a part of the crushing or wear part that is reinforced with metal carbide or boride particles by a process described herein. An example would be a circumferential region of a concave for a cone crusher below the material inlet. The wear zone comprises a composite of metal carbide or boride particles distributed throughout a matrix formed of the base alloy, and generally has a hardness greater than that of the base alloy due to the carbide or boride particles in the wear zone. The wear zone is generally formed using a plurality of casting inserts.

(27) Powder reactants suitable for forming a metal carbide or boride selected from TiC, WC, ZrC, NbC, TaC, TiB.sub.2, ZrB.sub.2 refers to graphite powder (in the case of metal carbides) or boride powder (in the case of boride) along with a metal powder selected from Ti (titanium), W (tungsten), Nb (niobium), Zr (zirconium) and Ta (tantalum). The graphite or boride powder, and metal powder, are generally provided in a weight ratio of about 1:2 to 2:1, 1:1.5 to 1.5:1, and preferably about 1:1. The graphite or boride powder generally has a an average particle size of 5-15, 5-10, or 10-15 m. The metal powder generally has an average particle size of 40-60, 40-50 or 45-50 m. The powders generally have a purity of about 97-99%.

(28) Moderator powder refers to a powder that is mixed with the carbide or boride reactants powder and compressed to form the casting insert. It is composed of elements selected from the elements contained in small amounts in the steel alloy, for example chromium, silicon, carbon, manganese and iron. This provides for improved infiltration and bonding between the inserts and base alloy during casting Generally, the casting insert comprises 20-90%, 20-80%, 20-70%, 20-60%, 20-50%, 30-50%, 35-45% and about 40% by weight moderator powder.

(29) Casting insert refers to a powder composition compressed into a 3-D shape suitable for inserting into a casting mold, and containing powder reactants configured to form localised regions of carbide or boride particles in a wear zone of the crushing or wear part by in-situ casting. The insert is generally provided in the shape or a bar or plate, although other shapes are envisaged.

(30) Steel alloy refers to steel that is alloyed with one or more elements (additional elements) to improve the mechanical properties of the steel. Steel alloy generally includes carbon (for example 0.1 to 1.0% by weight) and one or more additional elements selected from manganese, nickel, chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, silicon and boron.

(31) Unfragmented as applied to a wear zone means a wear zone that is not fragmented. Fragmentation in wear zones produced by in-situ casting is characterised by a wear zone that is diffuse and/or fragmented into different parts, resulting in a cast product in which the wear zone does not have the defined shape of the casting insert. Fragmented wear zones can be easily identified by visual inspection of the shape or footprint of the wear zone in the cast product.

(32) Un-reinforced as applied to the metal body means that the metal body is not reinforced with metal carbide or metal boride particles. For the avoidance of doubt, the un-reinforced metal body may be a hardened steel alloy such as manganese steep.

(33) Powder refers to a particulate composition having an average particle size in the micron range, particularly less than 100 microns.

Exemplification

(34) The invention will now be described with reference to specific Examples. These are merely exemplary and for illustrative purposes only: they are not intended to be limiting in any way to the scope of the monopoly claimed or to the invention described. These examples constitute the best mode currently contemplated for practicing the invention.

(35) Materials:

(36) Titanium powder having a purity of 97-99% and particle size of 40-60 m. Graphite powder having a purity of 97-99% and particle size of 5-15 m. Base alloy is manganese steel. Sand mold and metal fasteners.
Method of Making Test Wear Plates with In-Situ Casting of Wear Zones: A: Titanium, graphite and moderator powders are mixed in a wt ratio of according to Table 1 below. The powder composition is mixed for 6 hours to ensure a homogenous of the powders.

(37) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Powder Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Titanium 40 wt % 35 wt % 30 wt % 15 wt % Graphite 40 wt % 35 wt % 30 wt % 15 wt % Moderator 20 wt % 30 wt % 40 wt % 70 wt % B: The powder composition is compacted in a uniaxial pressing machine at 450-600 MPa to form an elongated casting insert having dimensions of approximately 1002015 mm shown in FIG. 2. The compacted particles in the insert are shown in FIG. 3. C: The inserts are placed in a sand casting mold, and fixed in position with metal plates that are bolted to the mold. D: Molten manganese steel is poured into the molds at 1400 C., and the heat of the molten steel initiates the synthesis of titanium carbide in-situ in the mold by Self Propogating High Temperature Synthesis (SHS) providing a manganese steel cast part with localised Titanium carbide reinforced wear zones. E: The cast is heat treated and then cooled and the test wear part is released from the mold.
Method of Measuring Vickers Hardness:

(38) Micro-hardness measurements were carried out following the testing method described in ASTM E92-16. A load of 50 gf was applied and 20 indentations were performed in both the matrix and the reinforced zone.

(39) Method of Measuring Particle Size Distribution of TiC Particles in Wear Zone

(40) The composition analysis was performed by using the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy detector (EDS). The particle sizes were measured using MIPAR image analysis software

(41) Wear Ratio Measurement:

(42) The wear test was performed using a tribo-meter MFT-5000. The method of carrying out the wear test was described in following the standard ASTM G99-17.

(43) A pin in the configuration of an Alumina ball with 2 mm in radius was pressed against the specimen. Th test was carried out under a load of 10 N, a speed of 390 rpm and a sliding distance of 576 meter for a duration of 2 hours.

(44) Once the test is finished, the wear ratio can be calculated by multiplying the area of the track which corresponds to the volume loss, then divided by the force and the sliding distance as it can be seen from the equation below:

(45) $\mathrm{Wear}\mathrm{ratio}\left(\mathrm{mm}3/N*M\right)=\frac{\mathrm{Volume}\mathrm{loss}\left(\mathrm{mm}3\right)}{\mathrm{Force}\left(N\right)\mathrm{Sliding}\mathrm{distance}\left(M\right)}$
ResultsVickers Hardness

(46) The wear zone and base alloy of all test wear plates were analysed for Vickers Hardness (VH). The results are shown in FIG. 6. In each test plate, the average VH of the wear zone was >80% higher than the average VH of the base alloy. The wear zone with the highest VH was Example 2 made with 40% moderator powder by weight, with an average VH of 1013.1 and an increase in VH compared to the base alloy of >100%. All examples exhibited a wear zone VH of >700.

(47) ResultsParticle Size Distribution

(48) As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, Example 3 (40% moderator) provided a wear zone containing tightly packed titanium carbide particles, with about 90% of the particles having a dimension of 0.5 to 1.5 m.

(49) The average particle size for Example 1, 2 and 4 are 2-3 m, 1-2 m, and 0.2 to 0.6 m, with the average particle size across the range of 20-70% moderator being 0.5 to 3.0 m.

(50) ResultsWear Ratio

(51) As illustrated in FIG. 11, the wear ratio of the wear zones in the test plates of Examples 1-3 was reduced significantly (at least 50% reduction) compared with the wear ratio of the base alloy. In Examples 2 and 3, the wear ratio was less than 6 compared with the base alloy wear ratio of 43.2.

EQUIVALENTS

(52) The foregoing description details presently preferred embodiments of the present invention. Numerous modifications and variations in practice thereof are expected to occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of these descriptions. Those modifications and variations are intended to be encompassed within the claims appended hereto.