Avaliação da resistência ao desgaste do aço hadfield e ferro fundido branco alto cromo em ensaio pino-disco com fragmentação de abrasivo para aplicações na mineração

Abstract

Mining, as an industry with processes that include excavation, crushing, and grinding, faces high levels of wear, resulting in component failures, increased energy consumption, and operational costs. Studies indicate that global energy consumption in mining activities is significant, with a large portion used to overcome friction and replace worn parts. The present work investigates the efficiency of different materials, such as Hadfield steel with 15% Mn (Mn15) and high-chromium white cast iron (HCWCI), in resisting abrasive wear, as well as parameterizing the test equipment for the two materials. The Pin-on-Disc Abrasive Wear Test with Abrasive Fragmentation (PDFA) was used to simulate and evaluate the abrasive wear resistance of these materials. The research compares the wear micromechanisms observed in the PDFA test with those found in the jaw crusher test, aiming to identify less complex and more cost-effective ways to evaluate the studied materials. This emphasizes the importance of tests that closely replicate real operational conditions, optimizing material selection while reducing costs, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions in mining. The characterization of the worn samples was performed using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in SE, BSE, and EDS modes. The wear rates were 0.0006 g/min for HCWCI and 0.0021 g/min for Mn15 steel. Additionally, similar micromechanisms, such as microgrooving, microcutting, and microcracking, were observed on the surfaces of both materials, comparable to those identified in fixed jaw samples tested under jaw crusher conditions.