Introducing Ovako Wear Index

Wear is an important property in pure economic terms. For example, a moldboard plow used for tillage and soil conditioning is expected to have a service life of 2,000 hours. Yet repairs due to wear during that time can represent 150 percent of the plow’s initial purchase cost. And of course, there is the added cost of lost production while repairs are taking place. Virtually every type of machinery is subject to wear. It can be caused by individual parts rubbing against each or by the abrasive effect of external materials. Eventually this will cause the machinery to no longer be fit for purpose and could result in complete failure.

One solution is to use WR-Steel®, which stands for wear resistant steel. It includes a broad range of steel grades with a wide range of hardness levels, dimensions and compositions. WR-Steel gives customers a wear-resistant advantage when they are manufacturing products exposed to a high degree of wear and where service life is important. The aim in developing WR-Steel was to combine cost efficiency at the manufacturing stage with optimum wear resistance in the end product. With three main metallurgies of billets, blooms and ingots, the WR-Steel product range from Ovako is the broadest of its kind in Europe.

We have now taken the next step by introducing the Ovako Wear Index. This is a new way to evaluate performance in wear applications, by taking a combined view of the properties that matter most: strength, abrasive resistance and toughness.

The Ovako Wear Index

Wear exists in many different types that are specific to industrial use and environmental factors. Agriculture, construction and mining tools industries are typical examples where considerations must be given to different wear mechanisms such as plowing, wedge formation, cutting and cracking. The resistance to such wear mechanisms is dependent on quantitative properties of steel such as strength, abrasive resistance and toughness. The details of basic wear mechanisms are covered in our Technical Report entitled “Understanding wear mechanisms – the application technology behind WR-Steel®”. Strength and toughness are measured in standardized industrial equipment, while abrasive resistance needs more special attention. That is why we have developed our own Ovako WR-drum. For several years this has enabled us to build an extensive catalog of test results for many of our own and competing steels. By combining our knowledge of the wear mechanisms in different

A steel selection method for wear resistance

With the Ovako Wear Index, more informed decisions can be made in material selection. The index can be used to screen materials for an existing application and identify more cost-effective solutions. Or the index can be used to examine what property is most important for the application and identify a material with longer service life. All together, this also means

due to torch cutting are avoided. Low alloyed quenching and tempering (Q&T) steel is an option, typically used for wear resistance when combined with toughness requirements.

Join our upcoming digital events

The series on Hybrid Steel will be continued in a second seminar on May 25, where we will explore its mechanical strength properties at elevated temperatures. We also have a digital event on sustainability scheduled for June 9, where we will present details of our position as a leader in carbon neutral steel. Links for booking your participation below.