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CASE STUDY: JOY MINING

ToughMet® Alloy Overcomes Problems Associated with Lubricated Steel Bushings in Underground Mining Equipment

Underground mining is one of the most demanding applications for bearings. No matter how corrosive the environment in a salt mine, or how wet and aggressive in a coal mine, and regardless of whether or not a maintenance schedule is strictly adhered to, bearings need to fulfill their function by ensuring low friction and minimal wear. To solve a recurring problem with steel sleeve bushings on continuous mining machines, Joy Mining Machinery switched the bushing material to Brush Wellman's unique ToughMet® alloy, a spinodal alloy of copper, nickel and tin. In the two and a half years since the initial replacement of the problematic steel bushings with bushings made of ToughMet, there have been no reported seizures, bearing failures, or premature wear of their equipment.

The Challenge
Underground mining environments prove difficult for regular maintenance and, therefore, it is not always carried out at the appropriate intervals. As a result, inadequate lubrication can occur, leading to galling between the steel bushing and the steelpin, and the two parts occasionally become inseparable due to a build-up of corrosion products. Joy investigated several alternative materials for the bushings. However, none could match the strength of the steel bushing, which meant that a substantial redesign of the bearing would be required. Brush Wellman's ToughMet alloy offered Joy a material that has the strength of steel and the low-friction and lubricity associated with leaded bronzes. This means that designers can use a smaller bearing to support heavy loads and that the bearing will continue to function even if staved of lubricant. One of the problems with heavy mining equipment is that the bearings are always loaded, so it is vitually impossible to get lubricant to the area where it is actually needed. This is especially so for oscillating joints, where heat can quickly build up and detrimentally affect bearing performance. ToughMet, with it inherent lubricity, negates this effect.

The result of switching to ToughMet
Chris Stewart, Senior Engineer for Joy Mining Machinery's continuous miner development group, comments: "There have been no reported failures of our ToughMet bushings and the test machines now in service have shown that the material is far superior to any of the alernatives currently available. The combination of high strength and low friction is very unusual and is just what we need for replacing problematic steel bushings. Moreover, the alloy's other propties - such as toughness, corrosion resitance and the ability to withstand particulate contamination - are also highly advantageous."

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