Abstract
Excessive wear to excavation tools leads to unplanned downtime, which results in additional costs. To predict tool wear during the planning phase of a project, an analysis of the acting tribological system is essential. The different influential factors and interactions have to be considered. The abrasive surface degradation of tools is investigated on a microstructural scale with nano‐scratch experiments. Material‐dependent variables like hard phase content and size are discussed in terms of the resulting wear‐resistance. Using the RUB Tunnelling Device, abrasive surface degradation can be investigated on a more global scale and correlated with the acting tribological system, and the different tribological system components and influential factors can be considered.