Our Metals/ Metallurgy

Our large range of alloys and our ability to cast to specification means your wear parts will not only last longer, they will do a better job too.

Choosing the right raw materials and determining the right % of manganese for the hardness or toughness of the product required takes skill and scientific ability.

Our Lab and team of scientists help us to manage the alloy selection

Choosing the right alloys

Manganese alloys are extremely resilient, and products like cone liners can take a lot strain before they become worn out.

The pathway to determining how much manganese to add to the steel is pure science. We put our metals through rigorous testing before we release a product to the market.

Often the metals once molded into shape undergo extra hardening tests like explosion hardening and heat treatments. We manage it all here at Foothills.

Manganese wear parts are sold in 3 common grades, 14% (Hadfield manganese), 18% and 21+% grades. 14% manganese has been used in crushing around the world for over 100 years and is a very reliable material for crusher liners. 14% manganese is supplied from the foundry with a hardness of approx 200 Brinel (HB), and when crushing rock with a high compressive strength (hard rock), will work harden to 450-500HB.

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Our Metals

We use the following alloys:-

ASTM A128 Hadfields Manganese utilizing a proprietary water quench procedure
ASTM A532 High Chrome White Iron with proprietary heat treatment, capable of 900BHN and greater
ASTM A148 tool steels used in the manufacture of mining castings and petrochemical load bearing assemblies
Ductile Iron
CF8 and CF8M Stainless Steel

All parts are cast in Hadfield manganese with a 2% chromium addition – a process proven to provide some of the best wear profiles to date, dollar for dollar.

Custom heat treatment depending on section thickness

Salt water quench for greater carbide precipitation in Mn

FSF continues to research various ranges of manganese content and altered heat treating combinations to better serve our customers’ needs.