Increased Wear Resistance of a Komatsu 470 Wheel Loader Bucket Lip

Back in November 2020, Welding Alloys Argentina supplied a complete manufactured Bucket Lip for a Komatsu 470 Wheel Loader. The loader is operating in a quarry, handling stone that is being mined for construction. The Lip was cut from (1 ½”) 30mm thick ASTM A36 sheet material and then hardfaced. Both the top and bottom surface of the Lip were hardfaced, with the thickness being determined by the amount of wear experienced – the bottom side of the lip was subject to higher levels of abrasive wear than the top side.

The upper leading edge of the Lip was also protected using one of our HARDFACE wires, specifically designed to protect against heavy impact, accompanied by abrasion.

The Lip is attached to the bucket structure by means of welding. For this reason, areas for joining had to be left free of hardfacing. These being two areas on the sides of the Lip where it is attached to the sides of the bucket and the rear edge where it is attached to the floor section of the bucket. The rear edge was supplied with a pre-machined weld bevel to ensure hassle-free fitment by the customer.

Total wear life is estimated at around 1890 working hours. The Lip was installed on 27 November 2020. Inspection was done on 9 March 2021 after which the loader bucket was returned back to service without intervention. The Lip is now due for replacement within the next few weeks.