Hardox HiAce, the latest addition to the Hardox range of wear plates, is a leader in fighting abrasive wear and corrosion.
Mining equipment can have it pretty tough.
It often goes through hours of intense wear and tear as a result of rolling abrasion and impact, meaning a good wear plate is just as important as the machine itself.
Hardox wear plates by SSAB are among the toughest, hardest and most resistant on the market, and the newest addition to the team is no different.
Hardox HiAce, which features the same strong mechanical properties and the hardness of the Hardox 450, fights abrasive wear and corrosion with ease.
The HiAce expands on the broader Hardox range, giving mining customers a variety of choices when looking for a wear plate that works.
BRE Services took delivery of Hardox HiAce at its site, and operations manager Brenton Verhoogt said there was no reluctance in introducing it.
“We never hesitated for a minute before introducing Hardox HiAce into a super quad mining trailer combination for iron ore transport,” he said. “Changing from Hardox 450 to Hardox HiAce hasn’t caused any challenges in the workshop. All that has changed is the higher resistance toward corrosive material.”
According to SSAB regional sales manager (WA) Graham McClelland, while Hardox grades use a very lean chemistry that will give excellent workshop properties when it comes to welding, cutting and bending, “this is not beneficial when it comes to corrosion resistance of a material”.
“If corrosion is present, there is a risk that the surface starts to corrode. Wear will come from removing oxide layers and hardness will not be utilised to the full extent,” he told Australian Mining.
“Hardox HiAce offers a much higher corrosion resistance due to the alloy content.
“In a wear application when corrosion is present, Hardox HiAce will not start to corrode and full hardness of the material can be utilised.”
A true wear fighter, Hardox HiAce thrives in acidic and corrosive environments, meeting the challenges the mining industry throws at it on a daily basis.
“In mining there are a lot of areas with corrosive wear,” McClelland said. “Process water is recirculated, and sulphates and chlorides will accumulate, causing a harsh environment.”
Equipment operating in acidic and low-pH environments such as copper and zinc mining can experience a lot of corrosive wear, leading to more maintenance, higher repair costs and a shorter service life.
But with its special steel composition, Hardox HiAce is designed to counter these kinds of attacks.
“Corrosion rate is increased with temperature and humidity, so in a country such as Australia there is a high risk for corrosion problems,” McClelland said. “But the alloy concept, together with the high hardness of Hardox HiAce, is a perfect match for these environments.”
The flexibility of Hardox HiAce means it can be used in a range of applications – not just mining equipment.
In hot and humid climates, such as the mining regions of Queensland, Hardox HiAce can be used in waste containers, helping them stand up to wear and corrosion.
And across the country to the west, it is being put to work on mining trailers that transport ore, giving them up to 50 per cent longer service life.
A combination of low pH levels, chemicals, temperature and minimal maintenance can be the perfect storm for causing a specific damage called pitting corrosion. Pitting happens when the corrosion on the metal surface is localised to a small, rounded pit.
A single pit can stop a machine in its tracks as it damages the metal’s deep structures, even though it does not cause much loss of surface material.
Although hard to detect and predict, pitting can be alleviated by the use of Hardox HiAce.
“In some applications, it can be hard to understand if and how much corrosion is influencing the problem,” McClelland said. “Testing Hardox HiAce is a very low risk, due to the hardness being the same as Hardox 450.
“The worst-case scenario is that Hardox HiAce will perform exactly the same as Hardox 450. When there is no corrosion and the only problem is wear, the Hardox HiAce is a very flexible and low-risk material for mining.”
This feature appeared in the April 2023 issue of Australian Mining.