Mining and Quarry - Dozer blade - Blade armouring - Mobile equipment - Australia - +50% lifetime

Objective

Evaluate the performance of Creusabro^® 8000 as a replacement for traditional overlay plates used on dozer blade skins, with the goal of increasing wear life, reducing installation complexity, and optimizing equipment performance.

Test Conditions

• Location: Iron ore mine in Tasmania, Australia

• Environment: Abrasive and impact-heavy conditions typical of mining dozer operations, with blades pushing and spreading large volumes of ore and overburden.

• Function: Outer skin of the dozer blade, where wear protection is essential to prevent structural damage and reduce maintenance downtime.

• Original material: Hardfaced overlay plates

• Replacement material: Creusabro® 8000, 16 mm thick, processed by flame cutting, bending, and welding.

Results

• The original overlay plates provided a wear life of approximately 2 years.

• The Creusabro® 8000 plate lasted 3 years, representing a +50% increase in service life.

• In addition to performance gains, the switch eliminated the complexity and cost of overlay welding, and offered weight savings due to the use of monolithic wear plate.

Value Delivered

• +50% Longer Service Life: Extended protection reduced downtime and increased equipment uptime.

• Simplified Installation: Eliminated overlay welding, reducing lead time, fabrication effort, and potential welding-related failures.

• Weight Reduction: Replacing multi-layer hardfaced plates with monolithic Creusabro® 8000 reduced overall blade weight, improving machine responsiveness.

• Improved Wear Consistency: Full-thickness wear resistance ensured predictable performance over time, unlike surface-only hardfacing.

Expert Insight

Replacing hardfaced plates with Creusabro® 8000 provides a double advantage: not only is the material more wear-resistant throughout its thickness, but it also allows for a more efficient design — Reducing weight and avoiding the complexity of overlay welding, while enabling fuel savings and allowing greater payload capacity.

Conclusion

By switching to Creusabro® 8000, Savage River Mine NW and Vulcan Steel implemented a simpler, lighter, and more durable solution for their dozer blade protection — achieving a 50% increase in wear life, faster installation, and enhanced operational efficiency.

Creusabro® once again proves its strength as the smart alternative to traditional hardfacing in tough mining conditions.

Comparative test