A South African company specialising in piling, lateral support and geotechnical solutions has reported strong performance results after testing low-friction wear-resistant Vesconite Hilube drill rig pads on an Italian-made drill rig. The pads were installed in January 2023 and remained in service until July 2025, achieving a total installed operating time of 2,051 hours.
At the time of replacement, the company confirmed that the pads were still performing satisfactorily. The result compares favourably with traditional bronze wear pads, which typically deliver between 750 and 1,200 hours of service in similar drilling conditions.
The trial included a range of pad geometries, both angled and flat configurations. These were deployed across multiple high-load interfaces on the rig.
Because the drill rig in question operates under high loads, often involving hundreds of kilonewtons of pull-down force and significant rotary torque, wear pads play a central role in maintaining system stability and operational efficiency. Their performance directly influences mast alignment, drilling accuracy, maintenance intervals, downtime frequency, protection of structural steel components and overall drilling productivity.
When the wear pad condition deteriorates, operators typically experience a range of operational issues, including mast misalignment, increased vibration, accelerated wear on steel guide rails and higher energy consumption. These factors can significantly increase operating costs and reduce drilling efficiency over time.
Following the success of the initial trial, and even prior to the conclusion of the trial, the geotechnical specialist company expanded its evaluation programme. Testing is underway on another drill rig model from the same Italian OEM, as well as equipment from a second Italian manufacturer and a German drill rig manufacturer. The expanded trials aim to assess performance consistency across different mast designs, load profiles and operating environments.
This ongoing multi-testing programme is expected to further demonstrate the long-term performance of Vesconite Hilube drill rig wear pads under varied geotechnical drilling conditions.
