How to extend the service life of equipment through the wear resistance of cast steel components on drilling platforms?

In oil and gas drilling operations, the Drilling Rig Casting Steel Parts are subjected to multiple destructive factors such as high pressure, high impact, corrosive mud, and gravel wear for a long time, resulting in frequent equipment replacement and increased operating costs. Improving the wear resistance of key components has become the key to extending the service life of equipment. In recent years, the development of materials science and surface engineering technology has provided multiple effective ways to improve the wear resistance of cast steel components, including advanced alloy design, heat treatment optimization, composite structure strengthening, and intelligent maintenance strategies.

1. Material optimization: high wear-resistant alloys and nano strengthening technology
Traditional cast steel materials (such as ZG270-500) are prone to failure due to wear and tear under extreme working conditions. In recent years, high manganese austenitic steel (such as Hadfield steel) has been widely used in drilling tool manufacturing due to its excellent work hardening properties. Research has shown that the addition of nanoscale oxides such as Al ₂ O3 or TiC for dispersion strengthening can further enhance the hardness and toughness of materials. For example, after using nano modified high manganese steel for the bearing seat of a deep-sea drilling equipment, the wear rate was reduced by 40% in sandy mud environments, and the service life was extended by more than twice. Bainite martensitic (B-M) duplex steel is used to manufacture drill pipe joints and mud pump flow components due to its excellent impact resistance and wear resistance, and can maintain stable mechanical properties even in salt spray corrosion environments.

2. Heat treatment and surface modification technology
The heat treatment process has a decisive impact on the wear resistance of cast steel. Although traditional quenching and tempering (quenching and tempering treatment) can improve hardness, it may reduce the toughness of the material. Therefore, modern drilling tool manufacturing tends to adopt composite heat treatment processes, such as "tempering+ion nitriding" dual treatment. After undergoing this process, the surface hardness of a certain type of drill pipe joint reaches HRC60 or above, while the core maintains high toughness, effectively preventing brittle fracture. Surface strengthening techniques such as laser cladding and plasma spraying can form superhard alloy layers (such as WC Co or Cr ∝ C ₂ - NiCr coatings) in key areas, increasing the wear resistance of easily worn areas (such as the outer wall of drill collars) by more than 50%.

3. Structural optimization and modular design
To balance cost and performance, many manufacturers adopt a split structure design, which embeds high wear-resistant alloys or ceramic liners on the base material (ordinary cast steel). For example, the inner wall of a certain model of mud pump cylinder liner uses replaceable tungsten carbide inserts, which can be replaced separately after wear to avoid overall scrap. Similarly, the bearing area of the drill bit can be designed with gradient materials - the outer layer is made of high hardness alloy, and the inner layer is made of high toughness steel to meet both impact resistance and wear resistance requirements. Optimizing the geometry of the flow channel (such as reducing turbulent areas) can also reduce the erosion effect of mud on the pipe wall.

4. Intelligent maintenance and lubrication management
Even with high-performance materials, improper handling can still accelerate wear and tear. Therefore, modern drilling platforms commonly introduce intelligent monitoring systems, such as vibration sensors and oil particle counters, to monitor the wear status of key components (such as bearings and gearboxes) in real time. At the same time, the use of high-performance lubricants (such as extreme pressure lubricants containing MoS ₂ or graphite) can significantly reduce the friction loss of motion pairs. The winch gearbox of a certain offshore drilling platform has extended the overhaul cycle from 6 months to 18 months by optimizing the lubrication scheme.

5. Practical application cases
In a certain offshore drilling project in Beihai, the drill pipe joints were frequently replaced due to long-term wear and tear caused by gravel. After switching to B-M duplex steel and using laser cladding coating, the cumulative footage of a single drill rod increased from 5000 meters to 12000 meters. Similarly, after replacing traditional carbon steel with high chromium cast iron (Cr27) for the mud pump valve box of a shale gas well on land, the maintenance interval was extended from 3 weeks to 3 months, significantly reducing downtime.