1. INTRODUCTION
Excavator is an indispensable mechanical equipment in engineering construction, and its bucket teeth are the key components that directly contact with excavation materials. The performance of bucket teeth directly affects the work efficiency, operation cost and service life of excavator. An in-depth understanding of all aspects of excavator bucket teeth is crucial for practitioners in the engineering construction industry.
2. CLASSIFICATION AND APPLICATION SCENARIOS
(1) Classification by structure
a. Integral bucket teeth
Integral bucket teeth are the most common type, which is fixed with the bucket body by welding or bolted connection. This kind of bucket tooth has the advantages of simple structure, relatively easy manufacturing process and low cost. In some bucket tooth strength requirements are not particularly high, excavation materials are relatively soft scenes, such as general earthworks, small construction sites and other widely used. Its advantage is that the installation and replacement is more convenient, when the bucket teeth wear, only a single bucket teeth can be replaced.
b. Split bucket teeth
The split bucket teeth are composed of two parts: a tooth tip and a tooth seat, and the tooth tip is installed on the tooth seat by a special connection method. This structural design allows the tooth tip to be replaced separately after wear, without replacing the entire bucket tooth, which greatly reduces the replacement cost. Split bucket teeth are often used to excavate materials with high hardness, such as mining, large-scale water conservancy projects and other scenarios. In these operating environments, bucket teeth face great impact and wear, and the split design can better meet the needs of frequent tooth tip changes and improve operating efficiency.
(2) Classification by material
3. High manganese steel bucket teeth
High manganese steel has good toughness and work hardening properties. When subjected to impact loads, the surface hardens rapidly, thus improving wear resistance. High manganese steel bucket teeth are widely used in all kinds of earthmoving engineering, mining and other fields, and can adapt to the excavation of materials with different hardness. Due to its good comprehensive performance, high manganese steel bucket teeth occupy a larger share in the market.
4. Alloy steel bucket teeth
Alloy steel bucket teeth by adding a variety of alloying elements in the steel, such as chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, etc., to improve the strength, hardness and wear resistance of the bucket teeth. Alloy steel bucket teeth are suitable for mining high hardness, high abrasive materials, such as quartz stone, iron ore and other mining operations. Compared with high manganese steel bucket teeth, alloy steel bucket teeth have longer service life and higher operating efficiency under specific working conditions, but the cost is relatively high.
3. MARKET DEMAND AND TREND ANALYSIS
(1) Market demand
With the continuous advancement of global infrastructure construction, such as the continuous development of urban rail transit, highways, bridge construction and other projects, the demand for excavators has shown a steady growth trend. As a key vulnerable part of excavators, the market demand for bucket teeth has also risen. In addition, the development of the mining industry, especially the increased demand for coal, metal ores and other resources, has also further promoted the development of the bucket tooth market. In some developing countries, such as China and India, the large-scale urbanization process and industrialization development have made the market demand for excavator bucket teeth extremely strong.
(2) Trend analysis
5. High performance
With the continuous improvement of construction efficiency and quality requirements of engineering construction projects, the performance requirements of bucket teeth are becoming higher and higher. In the future, the bucket teeth will develop in the direction of higher strength, higher wear resistance and better toughness to meet the needs of long-term and high-efficiency operations under harsh working conditions.
6. Lightweight
On the premise of ensuring the performance of the bucket teeth, reducing the weight of the bucket teeth can reduce the energy consumption of the excavator and improve the fuel economy. The use of new materials and optimized structural design to achieve lightweight bucket teeth will be an important development trend in the future.
Step 7 Be smart
Some bucket teeth with intelligent monitoring function are being developed, through built-in sensors and other devices, can monitor the wear of bucket teeth in real time, working status and other information, and feedback this information to the operator. This helps in timely maintenance and replacement, avoiding equipment failure and production disruption caused by excessive wear of bucket teeth.
4. MATERIALS AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES
(1) New materials
8. High strength wear-resistant steel
The development of steel with higher strength and better wear resistance is the key to improve the performance of bucket teeth. By optimizing the chemical composition and heat treatment process of the steel, the hardness and wear resistance of the steel are significantly improved while ensuring the toughness. For example, some high-strength wear-resistant steels containing special alloying elements show excellent performance under harsh conditions such as mining.
9. Composite materials
Materials with different properties were combined to obtain bucket tooth materials with comprehensive excellent properties. Such as metal matrix composite materials, metal as the matrix, adding ceramic particles, fibers and other reinforcing phases, can effectively improve the strength, hardness and wear resistance of the material. Composite bucket teeth have broad application prospects in some specific fields.
(2) New surface treatment technology
10. Thermal spraying technology
Through the thermal spraying process, a layer of wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant coating, such as tungsten carbide coating and ceramic coating, is sprayed on the surface of the bucket teeth. These coatings can significantly improve the hardness and wear resistance of the tooth surface and extend the service life of the tooth. Thermal spraying technology has the advantages of simple operation and relatively low cost, and has been widely used in the surface protection of bucket teeth.
11. Carburizing and nitriding treatment
The teeth are carburized and nitrided to form a layer of high hardness and good wear resistance on the surface of the teeth. This treatment method can effectively improve the surface performance without changing the overall toughness of the bucket teeth, so as to improve the service life and work efficiency of the bucket teeth.
5. INSTALLATION AND USE
(1) Installation procedure
12. Prepare for work
Before installing the bucket teeth, you need to prepare the corresponding tools, such as wrenches, hammers, etc., and ensure that the model and specification of the new bucket teeth match the excavator bucket body. At the same time, it is necessary to clean the installation part of the bucket body and remove the oil and impurities on the surface to ensure the robustness of the installation.
13. Remove old bucket teeth
For bolted teeth, use a wrench to unscrew the retaining bolt and then remove the old teeth from the body. If there is adhesion or rust between the teeth and the body, you can use a hammer to gently knock to help loosen. For welded bucket teeth, you need to use cutting equipment to remove the old bucket teeth.
14. Install new bucket teeth
Align the new bucket teeth with the installation part of the bucket body. For the bolted bucket teeth, insert the bolt and tighten it with a wrench to ensure that the bucket teeth are firmly installed. For split bucket teeth, install the tooth seat first, then install the tooth tip on the tooth seat, and tighten the connection bolt according to the specified torque. In the installation process, pay attention to the installation direction and Angle of the bucket teeth to ensure that it is correctly matched with the bucket body.
(2) Precautions for use
15. Reasonable selection of bucket teeth
According to different working conditions and digging materials, choose the appropriate type and material of the bucket teeth. Avoid using inappropriate bucket teeth under unsuitable working conditions, so as not to cause premature damage to bucket teeth and decrease equipment performance.
16. Avoid overload
In the process of excavation, it is necessary to avoid the excavator bucket teeth to bear excessive impact force and overload load. Do not forcibly dig more than the bucket teeth and excavator carrying capacity of the material, so as not to cause the bucket teeth fracture, deformation or damage to the excavator parts.
17. Operate the excavator correctly
The operator should master the operation skills of the excavator and keep the digging smooth and smooth. Avoid bad operating habits such as frequent emergency stops and starts during digging, and excessive swinging of the bucket arm, which may cause additional impact and wear on the bucket teeth.
6. MAINTENANCE AND MAINTENANCE
(1) Daily inspection
18. Visual inspection
Before operation every day, the teeth should be inspected to see if there are cracks, deformation, excessive wear and other conditions. If it is found that there is obvious damage to the bucket teeth, it should be replaced in time to avoid affecting the safety and efficiency of the operation.
19. Check the connection parts
Check whether the connecting bolt between the bucket teeth and the bucket body is loose, and tighten it in time if it is loose. For welded bucket teeth, it is necessary to check whether the weld is cracked, and if there is a problem, it should be repaired in time.
(2) Regular maintenance
20. Lubrication maintenance
Regularly lubricate the connecting parts of the bucket teeth and apply the appropriate amount of lubricating oil or grease to reduce friction and wear and ensure the flexible rotation of the bucket teeth (for split bucket teeth). At the same time, lubrication can also prevent rust in the connection part, which is convenient for subsequent maintenance and replacement.
21. Wear measurement
At regular intervals, the wear of the bucket teeth is measured with a measuring tool. When the wear of the bucket teeth reaches a certain extent, affecting the efficiency or safety of the excavation operation, it should be replaced in time. By measuring the wear situation regularly, the wear law of the bucket teeth can be mastered, and the basis for reasonable maintenance and replacement plan can be provided.
(3) Storage precautions
When the excavator is not used for a long time, the teeth should be removed from the bucket body and stored in a dry and ventilated place. Avoid dampness and rust of bucket teeth, affecting its performance and service life. At the same time, in the storage process, attention should be paid to avoid collision and extrusion of the bucket teeth to prevent deformation and damage.
7. CONCLUSION
As an important part of excavator, excavator bucket teeth are classified into various categories and are suitable for different application scenarios. With the continuous change of market demand and continuous progress of technology, bucket teeth are also constantly developing and innovating in materials, performance and other aspects. The correct installation, use and maintenance of the bucket teeth are of great significance to improve the working efficiency of the excavator, reduce operating costs and extend the service life of the equipment. In the field of engineering construction and resource exploitation in the future, high-performance and intelligent excavator teeth will play a more important role.
