Effect of Manganese Composition on Wear Rate in Manganese Steel of Bucket Teeth Excavator Material

Excavators are a type of heavy equipment used in various earthworks, including earth-moving and material handling. Bucket teeth are attachments that directly contact soil and rocks, often experiencing wear, tear, or breakage. Manganese steel is a material that is commonly used for bucket teeth because it has high wear resistance. However, these products frequently break upon impact and have a short lifespan during use. Research to improve the impact and wear resistance of excavator bucket teeth continues to be carried out to increase life time of the component. This research aims to determine the optimal percentage of manganese (Mn) in manganese steel to produce excavator bucket teeth with superior wear and impact resistance. The research method used was to vary the addition of Mn between 12 and 16% by inoculation. Tests carried out include Vickers hardness test (universal hardness tester), wear test (universal wear), and microstructure analysis (metallurgical microscope with inverted). Wear resistance increases by up to 42.7% as the manganese composition increases from 12.36%wt Mn to 16.85%wt Mn. Hardness increases by up to 12% as the manganese composition increases from 12.36%wt Mn to 16.85%wt Mn. The observed enhancements in wear resistance and hardness are attributed to the reduction in size of the austenite grains and the formation of hard manganese carbide at the grain boundaries. Hence, manganese steel with a content of 16.85% wt Mn is recommended as an excavator bucket tooth material.