Influence of Abrasive Wear on Reliability and Maintainability of Components in Quarry Technological Equipment: A Case Study

A two-year study (June 2022–May 2024) on the reliability and maintainability of technological equipment at the Pătârș basalt quarry identified critical wear issues in metal components impacting operational continuity. The analysis focused on identifying causes of operational interruptions and evaluating solutions to improve equipment performance. Results showed that speed and load significantly impact wear rate and material selection significantly influences abrasion resistance. Laboratory tribological tests provided valuable data on the influence of basalt properties on wear, complementing field data. The study highlighted the low reliability of critical components, such as the sorting station trough, front loader bucket knife, and excavator bucket tooth, necessitating frequent replacements. For example, the trough has only a 40% probability of operating without defects after 182 days, with average roughness reaching 1.2 μm and wear profile height up to 22.5 μm. Similarly, the bucket knife and tooth require replacement at significantly reduced intervals compared to their nominal operating life to achieve 80% reliability. To address these findings, the study proposes two solutions: (1) manufacturing experimental prototypes with alternative materials for the trough to improve wear resistance and reliability; and (2) on-site welding reconditioning of metal components to reduce costs and downtime.