Company At A Glance
Business Type
Mining Equipment Manufacturer
SR&ED Category
Experimental Development
Team Size
16
Scope
Equipment Durability, Wear Resistance, Underground Conditions
Province
Ontario
The Challenge
The company was developing a redesigned equipment component for underground mining applications where standard materials and fabrication methods were failing earlier than expected. The component was exposed to abrasion, vibration, impact loading, moisture, and irregular operating conditions that made performance difficult to predict.
The challenge was that simply increasing material thickness or using a harder material did not solve the problem. Some versions improved wear resistance but became too heavy or brittle. Others absorbed impact better but wore down too quickly. The team had to determine whether changes to material selection, geometry, reinforcement, welding approach, and surface treatment could improve durability without creating new failures in weight, fit, cracking, or maintainability.
What We Documented
01
Uncertainty
Uncertainty
The uncertainty was whether the component could be redesigned to withstand underground mining conditions while maintaining weight, fit, strength, and serviceability requirements.
02
Iterations
Iterations
The company tested different steel grades, reinforcement patterns, weld designs, component geometries, wear surfaces, and fabrication methods. Some versions reduced wear but introduced cracking or fit issues. Other versions improved impact resistance but increased weight or reduced ease of maintenance.
03
Knowledge Gained
Knowledge Gained
The company gained new knowledge about how material choice, reinforcement geometry, welding method, and wear-surface design affected component durability under underground mining conditions.
Results
Why This Qualified
- Required experimentation beyond routine fabrication or material substitution
- Underground mining conditions caused unpredictable wear, cracking, and impact failures
- Increasing thickness or hardness created new performance trade-offs
- Multiple material, welding, and geometry configurations were tested
- New knowledge was gained about improving durability in harsh mining environments
