HOW TO PERFORM BIT INSPECTION

By: Scott Bahr

For many decades, Bit Service has been a manufacturer, supplier, and innovator for carbide and specialty bits for the potash and industrial mineral industry’s mining machines. During this time, we have learned a thing or two, which we want to share with you to help you on your journey.

Here are a few key areas to look for on your cutting bits during periodic inspections. This will maximize the service life and performance of the machine.

CHECK THE CONDITION OF YOUR CUTTING SURFACE

This is the very first inspection that you should perform during regular bit inspections. It’s best to do it at the start of every mining shift, as well as during periodic intervals. As the efficiency of the cutting assembly starts and relies on the effectiveness of the cutting elements, this needs to be maintained to ensure efficient ore excavation overall.

HOW IS YOUR OPERATIONAL FUNCTION OVERALL?

Hopefully, this question will encourage you to look for signs showing that your bit is performing exactly as it’s intended to. In this specific case, we’re looking at a radial drag bit’s wear patterns on the cutting surface and bit body—both of which will indicate the service conditions.

And what should you see if all is well? The wear should be even on the cutting surface, with smooth but minimal wear on the forged steel bit body.

On conical tooling, what you need to look for is a uniform wear pattern around the body, which indicates good rotation and cutting. In contrast, if you see flat spots or uneven wear, this indicates a lack of rotation or attack angle issues, which require immediate attention and maintenance.

WATCH YOUR BIT BLOCK WEAR

Excess clearance is often found in the bit block—which secures the cutting bit—and this introduces operation issues for the bit. For this reason, the bit must be securely held during cutting due to the extreme forces involved. Any movement of excess clearance can accelerate wear and increase the risk of bit body failure.

Here at Bit Service, we can’t stress enough how procuring the right carbide tools will help you succeed on many levels. From getting the job done faster (with more penetration and less dust) to offering better wear resistance—and even ensuring less breakage. Still, it should come as no surprise that the process of finding the best carbide bit is far more complicated than just selecting a random bit from a catalogue of offerings. There are many factors you need to consider. We wrote an entire article about it, which you can refer to here for further guidance.

Still looking for more information to ensure you’re optimizing your tools’ performance? Check out this article on cutting performance, which offers insights to help you achieve peace of mind that your bit profile is the very best it can be.

Since Bit Service has been manufacturing and distributing carbide bits for the underground and surface mining industry for so long, we have discovered some truly amazing tools along the way. Here is an article introducing some of our favorite top bits.