SOIL OPENER WITH COMPOUND CARBIDE PROTECTION
An agricultural tillage tool is configured to be advanced along a field in a forward direction. The tool broadly includes a base tool structure and a pre-brazed wear tablet. The base tool structure is configured to engage the ground while being advanced. The wear tablet includes a metallic wear plate and a steel backing plate, with the plates being brazed to one another. The metallic wear plate includes a wear material and the backing plate includes a backing plate material, with the wear material having a hardness greater than the backing plate material. The backing plate is laser welded to the base tool structure so as to fix the pre-brazed wear tablet to the base tool structure, with the metallic wear element being located ahead of the backing plate relative to the forward direction.
1 . An agricultural tillage tool configured to be advanced along a field in a forward direction, said tool comprising:
a base tool structure configured to engage the ground while being advanced, and
a pre-brazed wear tablet,
said wear tablet including a metallic wear plate and a steel backing plate, with the plates being brazed to one another,
said metallic wear plate including a wear material and said backing plate including a backing plate material, with the wear material having a hardness greater than the backing plate material,
said backing plate being laser welded to the base tool structure so as to fix the pre-brazed wear tablet to the base tool structure, with the metallic wear element being located ahead of the backing plate relative to the forward direction.
2 . The agricultural tillage tool as claimed in claim 1 ,
said wear material comprising a tungsten carbide material.
3 . The agricultural tillage tool as claimed in claim 1 ,
said base tool structure including a base tool material,
said wear material having a hardness greater than the base tool material.
4 . The agricultural tillage tool as claimed in claim 3 ,
said wear material comprising a tungsten carbide material.
5 . The agricultural tillage tool as claimed in claim 4 ,
said base tool material comprising a low-alloy carbon steel material.
6 . The agricultural tillage tool as claimed in claim 1 ,
said base tool structure including a base tool material,
said backing plate material and said base tool material each comprising a low-alloy carbon steel material to facilitate laser welding of the backing plate to the base tool structure.
7 . The agricultural tillage tool as claimed in claim 6 ,
said backing plate material and said base tool material comprising substantially the same low-alloy carbon steel material.
8 . The agricultural tillage tool as claimed in claim 6 ,
said wear material having a hardness greater than the base tool material.
9 . The agricultural tillage tool as claimed in claim 8 ,
said wear material comprising a tungsten carbide material.
10 . The agricultural tillage tool as claimed in claim 1 ,
said tillage tool comprising an opener to dispense seed and/or fertilizer.
11 . The agricultural tillage tool as claimed in claim 10 ,
said tillage tool including a boot supported by the base tool structure and configured to dispense seed and/or fertilizer.
12 . The agricultural tillage tool as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of beads of another wear material applied to the base tool structure adjacent the wear tablet, with the beads being applied via laser metal deposition.
13 . The agricultural tillage tool as claimed in claim 12 ,
said beads presenting a bead thickness dimension,
said beads cooperatively providing at least one pair of adjacent beads that define a bead spacing dimension therebetween, with the bead spacing dimension being greater than the bead thickness dimension.
14 . A method of reinforcing an agricultural tillage tool, wherein the tool includes a base tool structure configured to engage the ground while being advanced in a forward direction, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) fixing a metallic wear plate to a steel backing plate to provide a metallic wear tablet, with the metallic wear tablet presenting a tablet wear surface; and
(b) after step (a), laser welding the backing plate to the base tool structure so that the tablet wear surface is exposed in the forward direction.
15 . The method as claimed in claim 14
step (a) including the step of brazing the wear tablet to the steel backing plate.
16 . The method as claimed in claim 14 ,
step (b) including the step of laser welding within about one quarter of an inch of the joint between the metallic wear plate and the steel backing plate.
17 . The method as claimed in claim 14 , further comprising the step of:
(c) applying another wear surface to the base tool structure adjacent the tablet wear surface.
18 . The method as claimed in claim 17 ,
step (c) including the step of applying one or more beads of a wear material to the base tool structure via laser metal deposition to provide the another wear surface.
19 . The method as claimed in claim 18 ,
performing step (c) after step (b).
20 . The method as claimed in claim 14 , further comprising the step of:
(c) applying a plurality of beads of a wear material to the base tool structure via laser metal deposition,
step (c) including the step of spacing the beads apart from each other a distance greater than the width of the beads.
21 . The method as claimed in claim 14 ,
said metallic wear tablet including a tungsten carbide material.