Many customers are confused by the price differences of the same product. Today, let's analyze the specific reasons from the perspective of raw materials.
The raw materials purchased by different factories mainly fall into two categories: round steel and square steel, each with distinct grades. As two basic types of steel sections, round steel and square steel have essential differences in physical characteristics, mechanical properties, and processing techniques. When it is used in the manufacturing of excavator undercarriage parts, these differences directly translate into a world of difference in wear resistance, load-bearing capacity, and service life.
We briefly analyze the distinctions between these two major materials from the following two aspects:
1. Composition and Characteristics
Round Steel: Smelted from iron ore, it contains fewer impurities. It features uniform stress distribution and excellent fatigue resistance. It is suitable for parts requiring high strength and wear resistance, such as shafts and gears. High-quality track rollers are typically made from superior alloy materials like 50Mn round steel, undergoing strict quenching and tempering as well as surface hardening treatments.
Square Steel: Made from recycling steel, it relatively contains more impurities. This solid bar with a square cross-section boasts good resistance to bending and torsion, commonly used for manufacturing structural components like brackets and frames. In the production of low-end track rollers, manufacturers may use square steel adding chemical elements formula (such as 45# steel) or even directly forge from square billets to reduce costs.
2. Quality Comparison
Track Rollers made from Round Steel: Processed from 50Mn round steel with advanced techniques like medium-frequency quenching, the surface hardness can reach 50-60HRC with a deep hardened layer. This grants the track roller superior wear resistance and load-bearing capacity, allowing it to resist friction from track links and crushing from the machine's weight for a long time. It is not prone to deformation and boasts a long service life.
Track Rollers made from Square Steel: Typically forged from 45# steel or 50Mn square billets, they struggle to meet the standards for surface hardness and hardened layer depth after heat treatment, and exhibit relatively weak wear and load resistance. Under heavy-duty operation, the wheel surface is prone to wear and crushing, leading to premature failure. Furthermore, low-end products may also reduce the size of internal load-bearing sections, exacerbating the risk of deformation.
In conclusion, opting for track rollers manufactured from high-quality round steel may involve a higher initial investment, but it significantly enhances the machine's reliability and durability, thereby reducing long-term maintenance and replacement costs. Conversely, track rollers made from lower-end materials fall short across the board in terms of wear resistance, load-bearing capacity, and service life, ultimately compromising the machine's operational efficiency and profitability.
