Mining & Quarry - Bucket wear protection - Mobile equipment - China - +109% lifetime

Objective

Evaluate the performance of Creusabro^® Dual as a replacement for conventional 500 HB water-quenched steel used as wear protection on a large mining bucket, with the goal of increasing wear life and reducing maintenance frequency in high-tonnage iron ore operations.

Test Conditions

• Location: Iron ore mine, Inner Mongolia (China)

• Environment: Intensive loading of abrasive iron ore, where the bucket is subject to high levels of sliding and impact wear during continuous operation.

• Function: External wear protection on a LIEBHERR 994 bucket, ensuring structural longevity and reducing liner replacement cycles.

• Original material: 500 HB water-quenched wear plate

• Replacement material: Creusabro® Dual, processed by flame cutting

Results

• The original 500 HB steel provided a wear life of 3.62 months.

• The Creusabro® Dual wear plates lasted 7.58 months, achieving a +109% increase in service life under the same working conditions.

• The fabrication and installation were performed using standard flame cutting, ensuring full compatibility and ease of transition.

Value Delivered

• +109% Wear Life: More than doubled the service life of the bucket liner in a demanding iron ore environment.

• Reduced Maintenance Frequency: Fewer shutdowns and changeouts improved equipment availability and production continuity.

• High Performance Under Heavy Loads: Excellent resistance to both sliding abrasion and high-impact loading.

• Easy Fabrication: Seamless integration into existing bucket design using standard cutting and assembly processes.

Expert Insight

In large-scale mining operations where equipment is under near-constant stress, doubling the service life of wear plates directly improves cost control, uptime, and resource efficiency. Thanks to its dual-phase microstructure and homogeneous wear properties, Creusabro® Dual delivers superior protection without the brittleness or limitations of conventional 500 HB plates — making it a clear upgrade for heavy-duty buckets.

Conclusion

By switching to Creusabro® Dual, Baotou Steel Group and Abraservice implemented a reliable, high-performance wear solution, achieving a +109% increase in service life on LIEBHERR 994 bucket liners — with no modification to fabrication or installation methods.

Creusabro® Dual proves once again to be the intelligent and durable choice for extreme wear applications in the mining industry.

Comparative test