Reduce the cost of wear in high abrasion, high impact conditions with our Xtend Process overlay.
After extensive development and use in the field, Columbia Steel offers many of its replacement parts with Xtend Process® high hardness carbide facing. Columbia field studies confirm that Xtend bi-metallic parts offer significant advantages in many applications.
Benefits include:
- Increased total wear life
- Reduction of localized wear
- Longer maintenance of original profiles
- Superior performance and production
- Better metal utilization
- Reduced downtime of changeouts
- Lower cost per ton of material processed
Metallurgical properties
When Columbia’s H series martensitic high strength steels are used as the basis for the Xtend process, the base casting alloys may range from 286 to 512 Brinell Hardness, with surface hardness up to 700 Brinell Hardness in the high-chromium white iron overlay.
When applied to Columbia L and R series of manganese steels, the base alloy will retain its toughness and ductility in the 200 Brinell Hardness area, while the Xtend overlay can be delivered at up to 575 Brinell Hardness with the potential to work harden to an even higher hardness. When the manganese steel is eventually exposed due to wear, it can work harden up to 500 Brinell Hardness depending on the application.
Here are just a few examples of Xtend applications in the field:
Drag chain for large draglines was our first major success with the Xtend process. Users report from 30% to 75% longer chain life, which relates very well to Xtend’s modest price premium over our standard XtraLife® dragline chain.
In controlled, every-other-tooth tests against other brands of dragline, dipper and loader teeth, Columbia Xtend points have demonstrated 50% to 100% longer wear life, yielding a net cost-effective advantage of 25% to 50%. Depending on the application, Xtend overlays may cover only a small area of the tooth point, or the entire tooth surface.
Xtend Process® has greatly improved wear life when used on gyratory crusher lower mantles and concaves. Users report that Xtend reduces the formation of “bell shape” wear on lower mantles. Because mantles and concaves maintain their original profiles longer, production and product sizing are significantly improved. A customer using an AC 42×65 primary reports double the wear life — a 100% improvement — on lower mantles and concave segments.
Hammers made with the Xtend process have shown extended life and greater effectiveness in several type of hammermills. In the cement industry, clinker breakers last much longer in this highly abrasive application. When applied near the tips of waste shredder hammers, Xtend helps maintain a sharp cutting edge.