Influence of operating modes on the wear rate of bucket teeth of quarry excavators

Abstract

The problem of intensive wear of bucket teeth of mining excavators is a significant technical and economic challenge in the mining industry. The present study is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the effect of various operating modes on the wear rate of cutting elements of mining equipment. In the course of the work, it was found that the intensity of tooth wear is determined by a combination of factors, including the mechanical properties of the rocks being developed, the parameters of the working cycles of the excavator, the operating temperature conditions and the chemical composition of the tooth material. The study was conducted on the basis of a large quarry using excavators such as EKG-10 and EKG-15 in the context of the development of iron ore deposits. The method of multifactorial analysis was used to control the abrasiveness of rocks according to the Cercar index, measure the hardness of tooth materials using the Rockwell method and evaluate wear using the volume-weight method. The results showed that when working in rocks with an abrasiveness index above 4.5, the wear rate increases 2.8 times compared to standard conditions. A direct correlation has been established between the frequency of working cycles and the wear rate with a coefficient of determination $R2=0.847$ It is revealed that optimization of loading modes makes it possible to reduce the wear rate by 35- 42% while maintaining equipment performance. The obtained dependences make it possible to predict the tooth life and optimize maintenance schedules for quarry excavators, which is of significant practical importance for improving mining efficiency.