Increasing the life cycle of buckets for wheel loaders using high strength and abrasion resistant steels microalloyed with niobium

CBMM applied niobium microalloyed steels in two types of buckets for wheel loaders operating at its facility in Araxá, Brazil. The objective was to evaluate the benefits of these steels relating to cost reduction, productivity and component life cycle. One of the analyzed loaders collects hot pieces of ferroniobium after ingot stripping and loads them into crusher silos. The use of wear resistant and tool steels solved the problems of deformation, wear and cracks during service, increasing bucket life by about 190%. The other machine was a wheel loader operating at the niobium ore mine. The new design with wear resistant and high strength steels reduced bucket weight by 14%, with a corresponding increase in load capacity. The extra capacity made loading the 42-tonne mine trucks more efficient. With the new materials, the cracks that previously occurred in the wheel loaders’ buckets were eliminated, while the same wear resistance of the original chromium carbide clad steel was retained. Furthermore, investment costs were reduced by over 7%. (AU) Copyright © 2018 Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Mineração (CBMM) All rights reserved