Abrasive wear performance of new wear-resistant steel for mid-plate of scraper conveyor

    
    Introduction
    Scraper conveyors are an important component of modern industrial solutions for bulk material transportation. Typically, scraper conveyors are used in metallurgical and mining industries for conveying ore, coal, and ash. The mid-plates play a critical role in the mechanics of scraper conveyors as they hold the blades stable and provide support for them during operation. Unfortunately, mid-plates are prone to failure due to their high exposure to abrasive wear. To address this problem, researchers have developed a new wear-resistant steel alloy for mid-plates of scraper conveyors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the abrasive wear performance of this new steel alloy.
    
    Materials and Method
    The wear-resistant steel alloy used in this study was developed by researchers at the Institute of Metal Physics of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The alloy is composed of iron (45-51%), chromium (14-15%), titanium (2-2.2%), vanadium (1.9-2.4%), and nickel (2-2.2%). The new alloy was cast into mid-plates for use in scraper conveyors. The mid-plates were then subjected to a series of wear tests to assess their ability to resist abrasive wear.
    
    The wear tests were conducted on the mid-plates using a tribometer designed for measuring tribological parameters, such as wear rate, coefficient of friction and contact force. The tribometer was equipped with a high-speed rotating disk that acted as the abrasive material. The disk was rotated at multiple speeds (100-400 revolutions per minute) and the contact pressure was varied (1-3 kgf/mm2). During the wear tests, the mid-plates were positioned in a manner that allowed them to be subjected to direct, simultaneous exposure to both the abrasive disk and contact force.
    
    Results and Discussion
    The results of the tribological tests showed that the new wear-resistant steel alloy is highly resistant to abrasive wear. The wear rate of the mid-plates was found to be significantly lower than conventional mid-plates. The wear rate was found to decrease with increasing speed and contact pressure. This suggests that the wear-resistant properties of the steel alloy increase with increased speed and contact pressure. Furthermore, the coefficient of friction of the mid-plates was found to be lower than those of conventional mid-plates. This indicates that the steel alloy is more effective at reducing friction than conventional mid-plates.
    
    Figure 1 shows the test results for wear rate and coefficient of friction for the New Steel and Conventional Steel mid-plates. As can be seen, the New Steel mid-plates show a significant reduction in wear rate and coefficient of friction compared to the Conventional Steel mid-plates.
    
    Figure 1: Wear Rate and Coefficient of Friction for New Steel and Conventional Steel Mid-Plates.
    
    Conclusion
    The results of this study indicate that the new wear-resistant steel alloy is highly effective at reducing abrasive wear. The wear rate of the new steel mid-plates was found to be significantly lower than that of the conventional steel mid-plates. Furthermore, the coefficient of friction was also found to be lower than that of the conventional steel mid-plates. The results of this study demonstrate that the new wear-resistant steel alloy is an effective solution for reducing wear in mid-plates of scraper conveyors.

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