Rock drill rod failure is a big concern for the mining industry. The tough conditions required to break down rock material into small pieces subject rock drill components to high mechanical stresses and corrosion that lead to the failure of the drill rods. This paper describes a detailed examination of rock drill rods failed during field operations. The drill rods were manufactured from a high strength, hardened and tempered steel 22NiCrMo12-5F, carburized for better surface performance. The examination was carried out by means of light optical microscopy and scanning electron microscope. Microhardness profiles were performed for the studied rods. The focus of the present case study was to characterize the failure mechanisms and surface damages of the failed drill rods. The examined drill rods failed due to the initiation and propagation of fatigue microcracks at the outer surface of the thread. Surface cracks propagated to a certain crack length until the fracture toughness of the drill rod was exceeded and the final failure occurred. Multiple short cracks were observed on the fracture surface of the failed rods. The observed cracks propagated perpendicularly to the impacting direction towards the inner surface of the rods. Two different crack initiation mechanisms were observed in the present study, crack initiation from pits and crack initiation from severe plastic surface deformation. Sliding and abrasive wear damage, severe plastic deformation and pitting corrosion were observed on the threaded portion of the rods. Sliding wear was the most common wear damage mechanism observed in the thread joint. Pitting corrosion and severe plastic deformation, made the worn surface susceptible to crack initiation.

Rock drill components operate under tough contact conditions during rock drilling. Reciprocal and unidirectional motion under high contact stresses are the common contact conditions between interconnected components. It will result in component damage and often the observed surface damage of rock drill tools is due to wear and fatigue cracks. Nevertheless, the effects of the properties and structure of the mating materials on tribological performance, is not fully understood. The present study is dedicated to simulation and investigation of the wear mechanisms observed in reciprocal and unidirectional sliding of high strength steels for rock drill components. A high strength martensitic steel, 22NiCrMo12–F, commonly used in rock drills was tested in self-mating contact. Wear mechanisms were investigated by means of electron microscopy and wear damage was quantified by a 3D optical interferometer. Total damage, as a result of adhesive wear, severe plastic deformation and nucleation and propagation of fatigue cracks, was discussed in relation to test conditions and material properties. It was observed that the coefficient of friction decreased with increasing normal load. Moreover, the results showed that the type of motion had a significant influence on the worn volume and crack nucleation of the specimens in sliding contact. In addition, the reciprocal motion resulted in higher wear than unidirectional motion under the same test conditions.

In the present study, Uddeholm Vancron SuperClean cold work tool steel was investigated concerning wear resistance and fatigue strength, using laboratory and semi-industrial tests. The Uddeholm Vancron SuperClean was designed with the help of ThermoCalc calculations to contain a high amount of a carbonitride phase, which was suggested to improve tribological performance of this tool steel. In order to investigate the tested steel, galling tests with a slider-on flat-surface tribotester and semi-industrial punching tests were performed on an advanced high-strength steel, CP1180HD. Uddeholm Vanadis 8 SuperClean containing only a carbide phase and Uddeholm Vancron 40 containing a mixture of carbides and carbonitrides were also tested to compare the performance of the tool steels. The microstructure and wear mechanisms were characterized with scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the carbonitrides presented in Uddeholm Vancron SuperClean improved its resistance to material transfer and galling. Semi-industrial punching tests also confirmed that Uddeholm Vancron SuperClean cold work tool steel also possesses enhanced resistance to chipping and fatigue crack nucleation, which confirms the beneficial role of the carbonitride phase in wear resistance of cold work tool steel.

Austempered ductile irons (ADIs) are used in applications commonly exposed to severe contact conditions, and as a consequence wear damage frequently followed by failure of components. Hence, wear resistance of the material governs the final life time of a component. In the present work, the sliding wear resistance of two ausferritic spheroidal graphite ductile irons ADI1 and ADI2 used commonly in mining and construction equipment was investigated. ADI1 and ADI2 were heat treated to a similar strength, the volume fraction of the carbon-rich austenite in ADI1 and ADI2 was around 30% and 16%, respectively, and they both contained 10 – 13% nodular graphite. The wear tests were performed using a slider-on-flat-surface (SOFS) tribometer. Case-hardened steel plates made of a high strength steel, 22NiCrMo12–F, were used as the counterface. The wear tests were conducted under lubricated sliding contact at normal loads of 50, 100, 200 and 300 N, and at each load level sliding at 100, 200 and 300 m. The friction force between contacting surfaces was continuously monitored during sliding. The lubrication used in the present investigation was a mineral-oil-based paste commonly used in applications where high frictional heating is generated. Wear mechanisms of the tested specimens were investigated by means of optical and scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, and the wear damage was quantified using a 3D-profile optical interferometer. The main wear mechanisms, severe plastic deformation and surface delamination, were discussed concerning test conditions and material properties. The ADI1 grade with the higher volume of carbon-rich austenite displayed better resistance to sliding wear at high normal loads. The higher normal loads promoted larger deformation at and beneath the contact surface and initiated austenite transformation into hard martensite. Thus, it was concluded that the increase of wear resistance in ADI1 was due to the formation of marteniste. On the other hand, the ADI2 grade with higher silicon content showed lower wear resistance at high normal loads. This was associated with cracking of the proeutectoid ferrite presented in ADI2.