Effect of Pin Speed on Cerchar Abrasion Test Results

What is it about?

The current article focuses on the effect of pin sliding speed on the Cerchar abrasion index. Cerchar tests were performed on seven mono-mineral rock samples with different pin speeds. The results showed that the variation of pin speed could affect the wear of the pin tip. However, the effect is not uniform and depends on the hardness of rocks and pins. The changes in the pin speed can change the pin penetration into the sample surface as well. Harder pins penetrate deeper into the sample surface. However, the difference between harder and softer pins decreases with an increase in the pin speed.

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Why is it important?

The effect of relative speed on the wear of metal to metal contacts has already been proven. However, the effect has not been studied in steel-rock interactions, which are very common in hard rock mechanized excavation applications. In the current study, a novel version of the Cerchar testing device was used, which provides accurate control of relative motion speed between pins and rock samples. This made it feasible to study the effect of pin speed on the CAI (Cerchar Abrasion Index) values.