The use of Epoxy-Gravel Composites to Harden Composite Ploughshares with the Possibilityof Restoring the Components Having Radial Wear

Introduction. The resistance of soil cultivation equipment components to abrasive wear is an important operational characteristic. Employing various methods to harden the surfaces of these components is an important task for agricultural machinery manufacturing. This article focuses on studying the effectiveness of using epoxy-gravel composites to harden composite ploughshares operating under conditions causing increased abrasive wear.Aim of the Study. The study is aimed at substantiating the practical application of epoxygravel composites to harden composite ploughshares with the ability to restore the components having radial wear.Materials and Methods. Within the framework of the study on restoring worn ploughshares of the reversible plough produced by “Kverneland Group” company and aggregated with the tractor “Kirovets K-744”, there were used coatings based on epoxy composite with gravel crumbs of different fractions, in which the ratio of epoxy compound to gravel filler was 50:50. During the machine-tractor unit operation, there was monitored the wear dynamics of the restored ploughshares. The ploughshares under study differed among themselves by the fraction of gravel crumbs in the epoxy composite. For each ploughshare under study, there were plotted the dependence of wear dynamics on operating time.Results. The use of gravel chips with a dispersion of gravel particles of 1.75 mm in epoxy resin has shown the best resistance to abrasive wear. The optimal operational characteristics of the composite derive from the high adhesion of the particles to the epoxy base that prevents their delamination and provides the stability of the coating under mechanical and shock loads. This proves the effectiveness of using epoxy-gravel composites to harden the working surfaces of ploughshares that in the conditions of abrasive wear reduce the probability of radial wear.Discussion and Conclusion. The conducted studies confirm that the use of epoxy-gravel composites makes it possible to increase the wear resistance of coatings by 2.8 times compared with factory-made parts. This allows increasing the service life of ploughshares operating under conditions of intense abrasive friction. The use of epoxy-gravel composites to harden ploughshares is important for agricultural enterprises, because of the high resource of hardened surfaces during their operation.