If you operate in an industry where there is considerable wear and tear on your equipment, you know how important it is to have durable and reliable materials. Without the right materials, you can struggle with downtime that cuts into both production and the bottom line.
For years, abrasion resistant steel plates have helped companies in the mining, construction, and quarrying industries extend the longevity of their equipment by decreasing the need for repairs. However, there is often confusion around how alloyed plates differ from other types of abrasion resistant steel. In this post, we’ll help you understand everything you need to know about abrasion resistant steel plates and what makes them unique.
What are Abrasion Resistant (AR) Steel Plates?
AR steel plates are a type of steel plate typically made with high carbon and manganese that’s designed to withstand harsh wear environments. AR steel plates have good hardness, toughness, and impact resistance, but lack through hardening; these are the most common materials used to combat wear in the mining, forestry/paper, and construction industries.
What Materials Go Into Alloyed Abrasion Resistant Steel Plates?
The unique properties of alloyed abrasion resistant steel plates come from the precise addition of certain elements during the steel manufacturing process.The main benefits that set alloyed steel plates apart from the rest is the chemical elements with which they are alloyed. Abrasion resistant steel plates are made from steel that is alloyed with elements like carbon and manganese. Alloyed abrasion resistant plates benefit from the additional elements chromium, nickel, boron, titanium and others. Each of these elements plays a very specific role in altering the properties of steel:
- Carbon: Increases hardness but decreases toughness and plays little role in through-hardness. This is the primary element used to harden commodity AR plates
- Manganese: Improves tensile strength and hardness while also aiding in deoxidizing the steel
- Chromium: Enhances hardness, corrosion resistance, and overall durability
- Nickel: Adds toughness and impact resistance, aids through hardening
- Boron: Increases through-hardness and wear resistance
- Titanium: Micro-alloy that increases through hardness and wear resistance
The Key Characteristics of Abrasion Resistant Steel Plates
Although the main difference between alloyed Abrasion Resistant plates and traditional AR steel plates is the composition of the steel itself, there are still a few other areas where AR steel differs from traditional steel.
Hardness Grading
While most steels receive a tensile strength rating, abrasion resistant steels are classified using the Brinell hardness test. This test involves pressing a tungsten carbide ball into the surface of a piece of steel and measuring the size of the indentation. The steel is then given a grade, like AR400 or AR500, based on the result of the test. The higher the number, the harder the steel. The weakness with this approach is that it doesn’t measure the hardness in the middle of the plate thickness. Higher surface Brinell readings will indicate longer life for traditional AR grades, but greatly under-estimate the additional life of an alloyed, through-hardened steel.
Durability
Alloyed abrasion resistant steel isn’t just different from normal steel on a molecular level, it’s also different on a practical level. Alloyed steel plates are renowned for their durability, often lasting up to four times longer than a traditional AR steel plate in abrasive conditions. The unique composition and manufacturing process that make an alloyed, abrasion resistant steel gives these plates a considerably longer life, which makes them a great choice for mining, construction, and forestry/paper applications.
Cost-Effectiveness
Although the upfront cost of alloyed steel plates is higher than traditional AR steel plates, they can last up to four times as long. This extended lifespan greatly reduces the need for ongoing repairs and extends the timeline for replacements. In heavy industrial settings, an investment in alloyed abrasion-resistant steel plates can lead to less downtime and improved margins.
Structural Integrity
When properly implemented, alloyed steel plates can ensure the structural integrity of equipment through their natural abrasion/impact resistance. Alloyed steel plates are less likely to deform or bend than traditional AR steel plates, leading to better performance in harsh conditions and a dramatically reduced failure rate in equipment.
Tricon wear solutions: a leader in aR Steel
For years, Tricon Wear Solutions has led the way in high-performance, alloyed wear plate technology. We provide our clients with premium products and services tailored to their particular needs. Our advanced laboratories and experienced personnel have developed proprietary, abrasion-resistant specialty steels that have set new industry standards.
In addition to creating and researching cutting-edge wear plates, we offer a range of technical services to help our customers maximize the performance of their products. To assist your business in maintaining the highest quality standards while maximizing efficiency, we can conduct ultrasonic testing, metallurgical testing and failure analysis. By providing these technical services, we gain a thorough grasp of your company’s operations and requirements, enabling us to better assist you in the future.
Want to learn more about how AR steel can impact your business? Contact us today for a consultation.
