Creusabro^® 4800: Wear-Resistant Pipes for Tunnel Boring

Tunneling places high demands on the service life and wear resistance of the materials used. With Creusabro^® 4800, UnionStahl provides an innovative base material for conveyor pipes, characterized by exceptional durability—contributing to greater efficiency in tunnel construction.

Use of Creusabro® 4800 for Conveyor Pipes in Tunneling

UnionStahl has successfully partnered with a global leader in tunneling for over 15 years. Until now, this partner has purchased plates and flame-cut parts in various grades from us. However, the trend toward increasingly larger drill heads and pipes in tunnel boring calls for new solutions.

The Challenge: Large Dimensions and Long Service Life

As demands on conveyor pipes grow, materials must be both wear-resistant and durable—even under intensive use. The combination of large pipe dimensions and extended service life requires a carefully considered choice of material to minimize downtime and maximize excavation efficiency.

Custom Production of Pipes Made from Creusabro® 4800

To meet these challenges, we developed a tailor-made solution with our customer: pipes manufactured from highly wear-resistant Creusabro® 4800 steel in custom production. This material significantly reduces wear and ensures long-lasting performance. The one-off production process involves several steps, including:

• Plasma cutting for precise shapes
• Polygonal bending for pipe forming
• Longitudinal seam welding and welding with loose/fixed flanges for secure connections
• Protective painting for additional corrosion resistance

Advantages of Creusabro® 4800

Creusabro® 4800 offers exceptionally high resistance compared to water-quenched and tempered wear steels. Under operating conditions, Creusabro® materials can harden by up to 70 HB, significantly extending service life. This feature makes Creusabro® 4800 the ideal choice for tunnel boring and other applications where material wear is a critical challenge.

Creusabro® 4800 as a Best-Practice Solution for Conveyor Pipes

Experience shows that Creusabro® 4800 provides optimal conditions for tunnel construction. Industeel’s base material—sold exclusively by UnionStahl in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Benelux countries, and Hungary—also offers promising applications in other industries, such as mining. For example, its use in diamond mining, particularly for suction pipelines, is an exciting option for the future.
 

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