Hardox® HiAce doubles service life of reclaimer buckets

This is where Hardox®HiAce wear steel comes into play as a significant factor. Mining and processing copper ore creates corrosive agents such as sulfuric acid and iron sulfates, which attack steel and decrease the service life of equipment used for excavating and transporting the ore.

A case in point is the reclaimer buckets for wheel excavators operated by one of the largest copper producers in the world. This company was not satisfied with the service life of their buckets and asked one of SSAB’s steel service centers to come up with a better solution.

Enter Hardox®HiAce

Hardox® HiAce is a recent steel grade developed by SSAB with the sole purpose of resisting corrosive wear. This wear steel has a nominal hardness of 450 HBW, the same as the well-established grade Hardox® 450. Under non-corrosive wear conditions, they both provide the same high service life. The distinction lies in how the steels perform when exposed to acidic low pH environments.

If corrosion is present, Hardox® HiAce can increase service life by 2 to 3 times compared to a 450 HBW steel, depending on the abrasive materials and the acidic conditions.

This made Hardox® HiAce a natural choice when the company wanted to design and manufacture new reclaimer buckets. Hardox® HiAce was used for the bucket’s floor and sides, which are exposed to corrosive materials.

Based on the mining conditions these buckets are operating in, the company expects to get twice the service life compared to its previous buckets.

The mechanics of corrosive wear

Corrosive wear is caused by oxidation of the steel’s surface. The oxidation process reduces the hardness of the surface, resulting in an accelerated wear rate. This leads to higher repair costs and a shorter service life than expected – which, of course, can negatively impact productivity and profitability.

Hardox® HiAce properties

A selection of Hardox® HiAce specifications:

Typical impact toughness 50 J at -40°C (37 ft lbat -40°F).

Thickness range 3 to 100 millimeters (0.118" to 3.937").

Excellent workshop properties.

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Reclaimer buckets made in Hardox®HiAce for wheel excavator.

When changing to Hardox® HiAce in the reclaimer buckets, SSAB’s customer expects them to last twice as long as the previous buckets.

To resist the acidic conditions from the copper ore, the buckets’ floor and sides are made with Hardox® HiAce.

Reclaimer buckets at one of Chile’s largest copper mines.