Durable Cutting Edges with Variable Density Wear Protector

The present disclosure relates to durable cutting edges. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to cutting edges with variable density wear protectors.

Machines with cutting edges are in widespread use in construction, mining, forestry, and other similar industries. The cutting edges of the machines are used to dig, move, loosen, compact, and/or even any variety of materials, such as rocks, dirt, mineral ores, oil sands, gravel, asphalt, concrete, snow, ice, or the like. For example, a cutting edge may be mounted on a tool of a motor grader to redistribute asphalt at a construction site or on a push shovel of a snow plow. The cutting edges are often used in very harsh environments with excessive levels of wear and tear.

During operation, the cutting edges can wear as they abrade on surfaces of materials with which the cutting edge is in contact. The cutting edges can wear on the operational edge or ground-engaging edge that is in contact with materials being moved or redistributed by the cutting edge. The cutting edges can also wear on its face, as materials rub against the face of the cutting edge. For example, cutting edges may wear in the face region and buckle at worn out face regions. Furthermore, cutting edges often wear in an accelerated manner at the corners of the cutting edges. Additionally, it is often difficult to determine when to replace a cutting edge, as it is not always clear to operators and/or maintenance technicians when the entirety of the usable edge of the cutting edge has worn and is need of replacement. By not replacing cutting edge at their end of lifetime, there is a risk of damaging the tools on which the cutting edges are mounted.

An example of a cutting edge is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,480 (hereinafter referred to as the '480 patent), where a steel cutting edge is remelted near its ground-engaging edge. During this remelt process, tungsten carbide (WC) particles are incorporated into the remelted steel. However, this remelt process to incorporate hard materials at the ground-engaging edge of the cutting edge can be expensive and difficult to control. Furthermore, the remelt process may lead to deformation of the base cutting edge and/or uncontrolled hardening and/or softening of the steel of the base cutting edge.

Examples of the present disclosure are directed toward overcoming the deficiencies described above.

In an example of the present disclosure, a cutting edge includes a ground-engaging edge, an end edge, and a face extending up to the ground-engaging edge and the end edge. The cutting edge further includes a face wear protector disposed on the face, with a first portion of the face wear protector is disposed in a first region, a second portion of the face wear protector is disposed in a second region, the second region more distal from the end edge than the first region, and the first portion of the face wear protector has a greater areal density than the second portion of the face wear protector.

In another example of the present disclosure, a method of fabricating a cutting edge includes forming a base cutting edge using steel, the base cutting edge including a ground-engaging edge, an end edge, and a face extending to the ground-engaging edge and the end edge and laser cladding a first portion of a face wear protector on a first region of the face. The method further includes laser cladding a second portion of the face wear protector on a second region, the second region more distal from the end edge than the first region, wherein the first portion of the face wear protector has a greater areal density than the second portion of the face wear protector.

A machine includes a tool and a cutting edge disposed on the tool. The cutting edge includes a ground-engaging edge, an end edge, a face extending up to the ground-engaging edge and the end edge, and a face wear protector disposed on the face. Further, a first portion of the face wear protector is disposed in a first region, a second portion of the face wear protector is disposed in a second region, the second region more distal from the end edge than the first region, and the first portion of the face wear protector has a greater areal density than the second portion of the face wear protector.

Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

is a schematic illustration of an example machinewith one or more cutting edges, according to examples of the disclosure. The machine, depicted as a track-type machine, includes a track-type undercarriage. However, in alternate examples the machinemay include any suitable propulsion system, such as wheels and tires. The machineis further depicted as a dozer, but it should be understood that the machinemay be any suitable machine that performs work in any suitable application, such as mining, construction, oil extraction, construction, road repair, etc. In other examples, the machinemay be any one of a motor grader, dozer, loader, excavator, paver, compactor, combine, tank, backhoe, drilling machine, trencher, truck, or any other on-highway or off-highway vehicle.

The machineincludes a frameand an engineto drive the machine. The framemay be of any suitable construction or type, such as steel construction. The enginemay be of any suitable type, such as internal combustion engine, fuel cell, and/or electric motor. The enginemay operate using any suitable fuel, such as diesel, gasoline, liquified natural gas (LNG), liquified petroleum gas (LPG), hydrogen, electricity, or the like.

The undercarriagemay include a track chain. The track chainmay be driven by a number of sprocketsand/or gears. The track chainmay include a plurality of track shoesthat link with each other to form the track chain. As the track chainrotates, some of the track shoesengage the ground. The track shoesmay experience wear and tear on their leading edges that engage the ground on which the machinetraverses.

With continuing reference to, the machinemay also include one or more tools,. For example, the toolis depicted as a shovel plow and toolis depicted as a tiller. The tools,may be of any suitable type, such as a motor grader, a tiller, a plow, a shovel, a hoe, a furrower, a rake, a trencher, or the like. The tools,may enable the machineto perform tasks, such as digging, redistributing, tilling, scraping, etc. at a worksite, such as a construction site, mining site, oil extraction site, farm, etc. The tools,may be moved and/or operated by any suitable mechanism, such as hydraulic systems.

Some of the tools,, such as a shovel plow may have a cutting edgedisposed thereon for moving, breaking, and/or redistributing dirt, asphalt gravel, and/or other materials. For example, a cutting edgemay be disposed on any suitable machinewith any suitable tool,to provide protection and longevity to tool. Machinesthat include a cutting edgemay include, for example, motor graders, dozers, scrapers, or the like. The cutting edgemay be subject to harsh operating environments with high frictional and/or abrasive wear conditions. Thus, it is desirable to improve material properties, such as hardness and toughness, of the cutting edgesto improve their usable life.

According to examples of the disclosure, various components of the machine, such as the cutting edges, may be formed in manner that improves their wear resistance, while maintaining and/or improving their overall toughness. The mechanisms as disclosed herein may apply to any variety of the cutting edgedisclosed herein, to increase the hardness and/or toughness of those components. Although discussed herein in the context of cutting edge, it should be understood that the systems and methods disclosed herein, to improve the wear resistance of a ground-engaging edge, may be applied to other components of the machine, such as the track shoes.

The cutting edge, as described herein, may include a variety of improvements that increase their operating lifetime and/or ease of use. The cutting edgeas disclosed herein may include one or more hard tiles embedded in an operating or ground engaging edge. These hard tiles improve the hardness of the critical portions of the cutting edge, such as the ground-engaging edge. Because the cutting edge is made from steel, the cutting edge may retain its overall toughness while the hard tiles impart hardness in selective areas of the cutting edgethat are prone to accelerated wear during use. In some cases, the hard tiles may be embedded within the ground-engaging edge of the cutting edge. In other cases, the hard tiles may be disposed on a face of the cutting edge, such as on or proximal to a corner between the face and ground-engaging edge of the cutting edge. In yet other cases, the cutting edgemay include both the embedded or edge hard tiles within the ground-engaging edge and the hard tiles on the face of the cutting edge. In some cases, the embedded tiles may be similar in size, shape, and/or composition to the face tiles. In other cases, the embedded tiles and the face tiles may differ in at least one of size, shape, and/or composition.

The cutting edges, as disclosed herein, unlike conventional cutting edges, may further include rounded corners at the end edge. For example, a motor grader blade may be rounded in the corner between the ground-engaging edge and the end edge. In other words, with the rounded corner, the ground-engaging edge of the cutting edgemay not make a right angle or sharper corner with the end edge of the cutting edge. When in use, the corners of conventional cutting edge tend to wear faster, and in many cases, significantly faster, than the remaining edges and/or surfaces of the cutting edge. The faster corner wear may manifest itself as warped or mangled corner(s) of the cutting edge. In some further cases, the accelerated corner wear may also serve as an initiation point for defects on the face of the cutting edge, such as corner-wear induced buckling. As a result, rounding the corners at the end of the cutting edgemay result in significant improvements in the operating lifetime of the cutting edges.

As further disclosed herein, the cutting edgesmay include a wear resistant wear indicator. The wear resistant wear indicator may be disposed on the face of the cutting edgesome distance away from the ground-engaging edge of the cutting edge. The wear resistant wear indicator may include hard tiles disposed within a groove cut into the face of the cutting edge. For the purpose of this disclosure, groove may be used interchangeably with notch, crevice, channel, trench, or trough. The hard tiles of the wear indicator may be different in size, shape, and/or composition to the face tiles and/or the embedded tiles of the cutting edge. When the cutting edgewears down to the wear resistant wear indicators, an operator of the machineand/or a maintenance personnel will be able to identify that the cutting edgehas no remaining lifetime and ought to be changed. The wear indicator hard tiles may or may not have writing thereon, such as “REPLACE” or “FULLY USED” or the like. The wear indicator may include hard tiles with similar hardness and durability properties as one or both of embedded tiles and/or face tiles, such that the wear indicator does not wear out during the usage of the cutting edge.

The cutting edges, as disclosed herein, may further include abrasion resistant material or face wear protector on the face of the cutting edges. The face wear protector may be deposited onto the face of the cutting edge. The face wear protector may be harder than the underlying steel face of the cutting edge, resulting in reduced wear of the face of the cutting edge. According to examples of the disclosure, the face wear protector may have a varying areal density on the face of the cutting edge. In some cases, a region proximal to the end edge of the cutting edgemay be characterized by a relatively greater areal density of the face wear protector compared to a region more distal from the end edge of the cutting edge. In general, the face of conventional cutting edges wear in an accelerated fashion in areas proximal to the end edge relative to areas more distal from the end edge. According to examples of the disclosure, the areal density of the face wear protector may be greatest in the regions of the face of the cutting edgethat typically experience the greatest wear. Thus, the face wear protector, as disclosed herein, improves the overall lifetime of the cutting edgeby providing wear protection in those regions that experience the greatest wear.

The cutting edges, as described herein, provide a variety of advantages over conventional cutting edges. The cutting edgesprovide enhanced protection of the tools,on which they are disposed. The cutting edge, with the features disclosed herein, may have a greater operational lifetime than conventional cutting edges. In some cases, the cutting edgesmay have an operational lifetime greater than 350 hours. In other cases, the cutting edgesmay have an operational lifetime greater than 1860 hours. In still other cases, the cutting edgesmay have an operational lifetime greater than 2000 hours. In yet other cases, the cutting edgesmay have an operational lifetime greater than 2500 hours.

The processes disclosed herein for forming the cutting edgedo not impart significant thermal energy to the base cutting edge, as formed from steel. This is advantageous, because substantially raising the bulk temperature of the base cutting edge may change the crystal texture of the steel of the base cutting edge. Therefore, by using relatively low-temperature processes downstream of the formation of the base cutting edge, the properties (e.g., hardness, etc.) of the base cutting edge are substantially unchanged.

It will be appreciated that by providing hard materials in selective locations of the cutting edge, while the base cutting edge is a relatively ductile structure, the cutting edgehas improved toughness relative to conventional cutting edges. Additionally, the cutting edgeis easier to use, since the wear resistant wear indicator does not wear away with use and can be used by an operator to unambiguously identify when the cutting edgeis in need of replacement.

is a schematic illustration of an environmentwith a toolhaving a cutting edgeattached thereon, according to examples of the disclosure. It should be noted that cutting edgemay be an implementation of cutting edgeof machine. The toolmay be any suitable tool, such as a motor grader, a shovel, a rake, a snow plow, a hoe bucket, an excavator bucket, or the like. The cutting edgemay be affixed to the toolvia any suitable fastener, such as fasteners that engage the cutting edgeand the toolvia holes defined by edgescut into the cutting edge. The holes defined by the edgesmay be formed using any suitable machine tool, such as a drill, punch, or the like. The fasteners may include any suitable fastening mechanism, such as nuts, bolts, screws, clips, nails, or the like.

The cutting edgeincludes a ground-engaging edge. The ground-engaging edge, in usual operation, is likely to experience the greatest levels of wear and tear on the cutting edge. It is the ground-engaging edgethat is most likely to be in contact with materials that are being manipulated using the tooland cutting edge. For example, the ground-engaging edgemay be the first portion of the cutting edgeto touch asphalt when mounted on a motor grader that is redistributing asphalt for road construction. It will be appreciated that the edge opposing the ground-engaging edge is closest to the tooland any fastening mechanism between the cutting edgeand the tool, such as through holes defined by edges, may be more proximal to the edge opposing the ground-engaging edgeand more distal from the ground-engaging edge.

The cutting edgefurther includes an end edge. The cutting edgemay have two end edgeson either longitudinal ends of the cutting edge. In other words, the cutting edgemay include a first end edgeand a second end edgeopposing the first end edge. In some cases, the end edgemay be substantially perpendicular to the ground-engaging edge. In other cases, the end edgeand the ground-engaging edgemay be at an angle in the range of about 60° to about 120°. In yet other cases, the end edgeand the ground-engaging edgemay be at an angle in the range of about 80° to about 100°. The cutting edgemay further include a face. The facemay also engage materials that are being moved, cut, ground, and/or redistributed by the cutting edge. For example, if the ground-engaging edgeengages oil sands that are to be collected in mounds, some of the oil sands will impinge on the faceof the cutting edgeand the facewill push some of the oil sands into the mounds.

Where the ground-engaging edgemeets the end edge, there may be a rounded corner. Although the rounded corneris depicted as a quarter-circle shape, it will be understood that the rounded cornermay be of any suitable shape, such as greater or less than a quarter circle, chamfered, fillet, or any other shape that lacks relatively sharp protrusions. By having a rounded corner, rather than a sharp corner, the cutting edgemay experience reduced wear and tear at the corner regions.

The ground-engaging edgemay have edge tilesembedded therein. The edge tilesmay also be referred to as hard tiles or embedded tiles. The edge tilesmay be embedded into a groove cut into the ground-engaging edgeof the cutting edge. Similarly, rounded cornermay also include edge tilesdisposed in a groove cut into the rounded cornerof the cutting edge. The edge tilesand edge tilesmay differ slightly in that the edge tilesmay have a slight curvature similar to the curvature of the rounded corner, such that the edge tilesdo not have corners protruding from the rounded corners. Protruding tile corners may serve as chipping and/or cracking initiation points for the edge tiles.

In examples of the disclosure, the edge tiles,may be of any suitable shape, such as a rectangular prism, a square prism, a trapezoidal prism, tapered prisms, or the like. In some cases, edge tilesmay be flat tiles, approximately in the shape of a rectangular prism. Edge tilesmay deviate slightly from a rectangular prism, in that the edge tilesmay have one or more rounded sides to accommodate the shape of the rounded cornerin which the edge tilesare embedded. The edge tiles,may be attached to the cutting edgeby any suitable joining mechanism, such as brazing, welding, soldering, fritting, etc. For example, in some cases, a copper (Cu) and/or nickel (Ni) metallurgy may be used to braze the edge tiles,in place within a crevice cut into the ground-engaging edge, the rounded corner, and/or the end edge. In other cases, other metals may be used for brazing the edge tiles,in place, such as silver (Ag), zinc (Zn), tin (Sn), cobalt (Co), gold (Au), or the like.

As discussed herein, the individual edge tiles,may be of any suitable size. For example, the width of the edge tiles,may range from about 5 millimeters (mm) to about 70 mm. In other case, the edge tiles,may have a width in the range of about 10 mm to about 50 mm. In yet other cases, the edge tiles,may have a width in the range of about 20 mm to about 40 mm. The edge tiles,may have a depth in the range of about 2 mm to about 30 mm. In other case, the edge tiles,may have a depth in the range of about 5 mm to about 20 mm. In yet other cases, the edge tiles,may have a depth in the range of about 7 mm to about 15 mm. The edge tiles,may have a height in the range of about 5 mm to about 70 mm. In other case, the edge tiles,may have a height in the range of about 10 mm to about 50 mm. In yet other cases, the edge tiles,may have a height in the range of about 20 mm to about 40 mm.

The facemay have face tiles,attached thereon. The face tiles,may also be referred to as hard tiles or surface tiles. The face tilesmay be embedded into a face groove cut into a corner defined by the ground-engaging edgeand the faceof the cutting edge. Similarly, the faceproximal to the rounded cornerhave the face tilesdisposed in a face groove cut into the rounded cornerof the cutting edge. The face tilesand face tilesmay differ slightly in that the face tilesmay have a slight curvature similar to the curvature of the rounded corner, such that the face tilesdo not have corners protruding when attached to the rounded corners.

In examples of the disclosure, the face tiles,may be of any suitable shape, such as a rectangular prism, a square prism, a trapezoidal prism, a pyramid, a cone, or the like. In some cases, face tiles,may approximately be flat tiles, approximately in the shape of a rectangular prism, like the edge tiles,. In other cases, the face tiles,may include topography that enhances their ability to protect the cutting edgeand/or also provide a geometry that enhances the ability of the cutting edge to push materials. In some cases, the face tiles,may have a flat base portion with a rectangular pyramidal portion or trapezoidal pyramid portion thereon. In some cases, the rectangular pyramidal structure or trapezoidal pyramidal structure may include one or more facets, such as four facets that meet at a ridge of the pyramidal portion, as is further described in conjunction with. The ridge may be a line, a rounded bevel, or as shown, a rectangular ridge. The face tiles,may have any other suitable shape. For example, in other cases, the face tiles,may include a triangular pyramidal shape, a conical shape, or any other suitable shape.

Face tilesmay deviate slightly from face tiles, in that the face tilesmay have one or more rounded sides to accommodate the shape of the rounded cornerin which the face tilessit. The face tiles,may be attached to the cutting edgeby any suitable joining mechanism, such as brazing, welding, soldering, fritting, etc. For example, in some cases, a Cu and/or Ni metallurgy may be used to braze the face tiles,in place within a crevice cut onto the faceproximal to the ground-engaging edgeand/or the end edge. In other cases, other metals may be used for brazing the face tiles,in place, such as Ag, Zn, Sn, Co, Au, or the like.

As discussed herein, the individual face tiles,may be of any suitable size. For example, the width (including a base portion and a pyramidal portion) of the face tiles,may range from about 5 mm to about 70 mm. In other case, the face tiles,may have a width in the range of about 10 mm to about 50 mm. In yet other cases, the face tiles,may have a width in the range of about 20 mm to about 40 mm. The face tiles,may have a depth (including a base portion and a pyramidal portion) in the range of about 2 mm to about 60 mm. In other case, the face tiles,may have a depth in the range of about 5 mm to about 40 mm. In yet other cases, the face tiles,may have a depth in the range of about 7 mm to about 30 mm. The face tiles,may have a height (including a base portion and a pyramidal portion) in the range of about 5 mm to about 70 mm. In other case, the face tiles,may have a height in the range of about 10 mm to about 50 mm. In yet other cases, the face tiles,may have a height in the range of about 20 mm to about 40 mm.

The facemay have wear indicator tiles,disposed thereon. The wear indicator tiles,may also be referred to as hard tiles or wear tiles or wear resistant wear tiles or indicator tiles. The wear indicator tiles,may be embedded into a groove cut into the faceof the cutting edgefarther away from the ground-engaging edgethan the face tiles,. The wear indicator tilesand wear indicator tilesmay differ slightly in that the wear indicator tilesmay have writing thereon and/or be oriented in a manner where writing is exposed. In some cases, both wear indicator tilesand wear indicator tilesmay be identical, with writing on one side and no writing on the other side. In this case, the wear indicator tilesand wear indicator tilesmay only differ in their orientation, as disposed on the faceof the cutting edge. The wear indicator tiles, when disposed in the groove on the facemay be a predetermined distance from the ground-engaging edge, where the predetermined distance corresponds to the full wear of the cutting edge.

In examples of the disclosure, the wear indicator tiles,may be of any suitable shape, such as a rectangular prism, a square prism, a trapezoidal prism, or the like. In some cases, wear indicator tiles,may be flat tiles, approximately in the shape of a rectangular prism. The indicator tiles,may be attached to the cutting edgeby any suitable joining mechanism, such as brazing, welding, soldering, fritting, etc. For example, in some cases, a Cu and/or Ni metallurgy may be used to braze the wear indicator tiles,in place within a crevice cut into the face. In other cases, other metals may be used for brazing the wear indicator tiles,in place, such as Ag, Zn, Sn, Co, Au, or the like.

As discussed herein, the individual wear indicator tiles,may be of any suitable size. For example, the width of the wear indicator tiles,may range from about 10 mm to about 100 mm. In other case, the wear indicator tiles,may have a width in the range of about 30 mm to about 90 mm. In yet other cases, the wear indicator tiles,may have a width in the range of about 50 mm to about 70 mm. The wear indicator tiles,may have a depth in the range of about 0.25 mm to about 20 mm. In other case, the wear indicator tiles,may have a depth in the range of about 0.5 mm to about 10 mm. In yet other cases, the wear indicator tiles,may have a depth in the range of about 1 mm to about 5 mm. The wear indicator tiles,may have a height in the range of about 5 mm to about 40 mm. In other case, the wear indicator tiles,may have a height in the range of about 10 mm to about 35 mm. In yet other cases, the wear indicator tiles,may have a height in the range of about 17 mm to about 30 mm.

With the wear indicator tiles,, in some cases, there may only be a single wear indicator tilewithout text thereon or wear indicator tilewith text thereon. In other cases, the wear indicator tilesand wear indicator tilesmay both have text on one side and no text on the other side, where wear indicator tilesmay be assembled onto the cutting edgewith the text side showing and the wear indicator tilesmay be assembled onto the cutting edgewith the text side hidden. In yet other cases, the wear indicator tilesmay be fabricated with text thereon and the wear indicator tilesmay be fabricated without text thereon. The text as placed on any wear indicator tiles,may be any suitable text, such as “REPLACE,” “WORN,” “INSTALL NEW CUTTING EDGE,” “CHANGE,” the recycle symbol, other graphic symbol and/or indicia, or the like. In other cases, there may be more than two types of wear indicator tiles,with or without text thereon. The text as placed on any wear indicator tiles,may be inset, rather than protruding, to prevent chipping during use at the text locations.

The composition of the various tiles,,,,,may be the same or different composition from each other. The tiles,,,,,may be fabricated from any suitable materials, such as hard materials like tungsten carbide (WC), tungsten nitride, Co-based materials, borides, oxides, nitrides, or carbides of refractory metals (e.g., titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo), etc.), alumina (AlO), corundum, silicon carbide (SiC), or the like. The various tiles,,,,,may be fabricated using a sintering process, such as powder sintering, liquid sintering, or the like. In some cases, the sintering process may be enhanced with electric and/or magnetic fields. In general, powders of the constituent materials may be placed in a sintering mold and then heated and/or pressurized to for the individual tiles,,,,,. For example, WC nanoparticles may be placed in a sintering mold under compression and heat to sinter-form the various tiles,,,,,. In some cases, WC nanoparticles may be mixed with Co nanoparticles with any suitable concentration, such as between 6% and 25% Co, in the powder sintering process.

In some cases, the edge tiles,may have a different composition, and therefore hardness compare to the face tiles,. In some cases, the sintering process to form the edge tiles,may use approximately 4% to 25% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the edge tiles,with Co in the range of about 4% to about 25%. In some cases, the sintering process to form the edge tiles,may use approximately 5.5% to 13% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the edge tiles,with Co in the range of about 6% to about 11%. In other cases, the sintering process to form the edge tiles,may use approximately 10% to 12% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the edge tiles,with Co in the range of about 10% to about 12%. In some cases, the sintering process to form the face tiles,may use approximately 6% to 25% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the face tiles,with Co in the range of about 6% to about 25%. In some other cases, the sintering process to form the face tiles,may use approximately 12% to 25% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the face tiles,with Co in the range of about 12% to about 25%. In other cases, the sintering process to form the face tiles,may use approximately 13% to 17% Co particles with the remainder WC particles to provide the edge tiles with Co in the range of about 13% to about 17%. In some examples, the edge tiles,may have a Co concentration of about 11% and the face tiles,may have a Co concentration of about 15%. In some other examples, the edge tiles,may have a Co concentration of about 6% and the face tiles,may have a Co concentration of about 11%. In examples, the wear indicator tiles,may have a Co concentration similar to either the edge tiles,or the face tiles,.

The various tiles,,,,,may have any suitable hardness, such as hardness in the range of about 80 Rockwell Hardness Scale A (HRA) to about 95 HRA. In other cases, the various tiles,,,,,may have a hardness in the range of about 83 HRA to about 92 HRA. In some cases, the edge tiles,may have a hardness in the range of about 86 HRA to about 92 HRA, while the face tiles have a hardness in the range of about 83 HRA to about 90 HRA. In some cases, the edge tiles,may have a greater hardness than the face tiles,.

This cutting edge, as shown, does not include a face wear protector. The face wear protector is discussed in conjunction with. The cutting edgealso depicts two different types of edge tiles,and two different types of face tiles,. However, in other cases, there may be three types, or any other number of types, of edge tiles,and/or three types of face tiles,, as will be described in conjunction with.

is a flow diagram depicting an example methodfor forming the cutting edge as depicted in, according to examples of the disclosure. The processes of methodmay be performed by a single entity at a single location or any number of different entities at any variety of locations. For example, portions of the methodto fabricate the cutting edgemay be performed at a steel mill to form the base cutting edge made from steel. Other processes, such as machining and/or assembling the tiles may be performed in a machine shop and/or an assembly floor. The base cutting edge, as used in this disclosure, refers to the base steel cutting edge prior to corner rounding, assembly of any of the variety of tiles, and/or depositing the face wear protector. It should also be noted that any of the processes of methodmay be optional. Indeed, the disclosure herein contemplates the cutting edgewith any one or more of the hard tiles, corner rounding, wear resistant war indicator, and/or face wear protector, individually or in any combination.

At block, the base cutting edge may be formed from steel. The base cutting edge may be rough formed by a hot-rolling mechanism, where steel, such as in the form of billets, slabs, and/or any other suitable starting form, may be heated and rolled between rollers (e.g., a top roller and a bottom roller) to achieve the shape of the base cutting edge. The steel may be rolled in a continuous manner to form long pieces of steel that can then be sheared to form the base cutting edge. For example, the base cutting edge may be formed end-to-end and separated by a shearing process to form the base cutting edge. In the hot-rolling mechanism, the starting steel material may be heated to a relatively high temperature, such as an austenitizing temperature. This temperature may be above about 1000° C. At these temperatures, the steel may change its crystal structure based at least in part on its content and subsequent thermal profiles. For example, the steel may be heated to between about 1100° C. and about 1300° C. Additionally, the holes or punchouts may be formed, such as punchouts defined by edges.

The steel used to form the base cutting edge may be of any suitable type and may include any suitable additives and/or impurities therein. For example, the steel used to hot roll the rough base cutting edge may include Iron (Fe) with a variety of additives and/or impurities therein, such as carbon (C), boron (B), manganese (Mn), phosphorus (P), sulfur(S), silicon (Si), molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), vanadium (V), and/or other materials. In some cases, the concentration of additives and/or impurities may be relatively uniform throughout. In other cases, the concentration of the additives and/or impurities may be non-uniform throughout the steel. For example, the outer portions of the steel components, such as the base cutting edge, may be such that the outer portions of the components are harder than the inner portions of the components due to a higher concentration C near its surfaces. In some cases, the base cutting edge may be subject to a hardening process, such as heating to an elevated temperature and quenching to form martensitic and/or austenitic crystal structure. In the same or other cases, the base cutting edge may be subject to surface hardening processes, such as carburizing and/or hard facing, to form a hard outer surface and a softer and/or ductile bulk portion.

The carbon content of the steel and the base cutting edge may be in the range of about 0.05% to about 1.2% by weight. In some examples, the steel may be a low-carbon steel, with a carbon content of the base cutting edge in the range of about 0.1% to about 0.3% carbon by weight. In other examples, the steel may be a medium-carbon steel, with a carbon content of the base cutting edge in the range of about 0.3% to about 0.6% carbon by weight. In yet other examples, the steel may be a high-carbon steel, with a carbon content of the base cutting edge in the range of about 0.6% to about 1.2% carbon by weight. The base cutting edge may have any suitable hardness, such as in the range of about 40 Rockwell Hardness Scale C (HRC) to about 65 HRC.

Although the disclosure describes the processes herein in the context of hot-rolling, it should be understood that the base cutting edge may be roughly formed by any other suitable heated process, such as forging, extrusion, casting, sand casting, or the like. In alternative examples, the base cutting edge may be formed from material(s) other than steel.

At block, the base cutting edge corner(s) may be rounded. The cornermay be rounded using any suitable machining process, such as sawing, grinding, shearing, punching, cutting, lathing, drilling, turning, milling, etc. As discussed herein, these machining processes may be performed using any suitable machine, such as a saw, a lathe, punching systems, drills, shearing systems, laser cutting systems, water cutting systems, etc.

At block, an edge groove may be cut along an edge of the base cutting edge. The edge groove may be cut into the ground-engaging edgeof the cutting edge. The edge groove may further be cut into the rounded cornerand/or the end edge. The edge groove may be cut using any suitable machining process, such as sawing, grinding, shearing, punching, cutting, lathing, drilling, turning, milling, etc. As discussed herein, these machining processes may be performed using any suitable machine, such as a saw, a lathe, punching systems, drills, shearing systems, laser cutting systems, water cutting systems, etc.

At block, a face groove may be cut along the edge and the face of the base cutting edge. The face groove may be cut into an interface between the ground-engaging edgeand the face. The face groove may further be cut into the interface of the rounded cornerand the face. The face groove may further be cut into the interface between the end edgeand the face. The edge groove may be cut using any suitable machining process, such as sawing, grinding, shearing, punching, cutting, lathing, drilling, turning, milling, etc. As discussed herein, these machining processes may be performed using any suitable machine, such as a saw, a lathe, punching systems, drills, shearing systems, laser cutting systems, water cutting systems, etc.

At block, a wear indicator groove may be cut on the face of the base cutting edge. The wear indicator groove may be cut into the face at a predetermined distance from the ground-engaging edge. The predetermined distance may correspond to the level of wear where the cutting edgewill need to be replaced. In other words, if the faceof the cutting edgewears to the wear indicator groove, an operator may need to replace the cutting edge. The wear indicator groove may be cut using any suitable machining process, such as sawing, grinding, shearing, punching, cutting, lathing, drilling, turning, milling, etc. As discussed herein, these machining processes may be performed using any suitable machine, such as a saw, a lathe, punching systems, drills, shearing systems, laser cutting systems, water cutting systems, etc.