Wear Part Sensor Bolt Assembly for Mining Equipment Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wear parts on earth moving and earth working equipment wear out over time and need timely replacement to prevent damage to underlying components, but current methods lack effective monitoring systems, leading to potential equipment damage and inefficiencies in maintenance scheduling.
Innovation Solution
A monitoring system with a bolt, coupling nut, and sensor probe assembly is installed on wear parts to detect wear characteristics, transmitting data to a remote device that generates alerts when wear exceeds a predetermined level, allowing for precise maintenance planning and reducing downtime.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wear parts are not monitored, then equipment structure is protected from damage, but maintenance timing is unknown leading to potential damage
Solution Approach 1:
The wear part itself serves as the sensor by incorporating a sensor probe that measures its own wear condition. The monitoring assembly integrates directly into the wear part structure, allowing the component to self-monitor its degradation state and transmit this information wirelessly without requiring external inspection systems.
2Productivity
If wear parts are monitored continuously, then maintenance timing is optimized, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring assembly serves multiple functions within a single integrated unit: it fastens the wear part to the equipment structure, senses wear conditions through an integrated sensor probe, and transmits data wirelessly. This multi-functional design avoids adding separate monitoring hardware that would increase system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual inspection methods with automated electronic sensing and wireless communication. The sensor probe electronically measures wear conditions and transmits data remotely, eliminating the need for physical inspection procedures and reducing operational complexity.
3Device complexity
If manual inspection of wear parts is performed, then system complexity is minimized, but time loss and human exposure to hazards increase
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring assembly enables continuous wear monitoring throughout the operational life of the wear part. The sensor probe continuously measures wear conditions and transmits data in real-time or at scheduled intervals, eliminating periodic manual inspection interruptions and maintaining continuous awareness of wear status.
4Ease of manufacture
If wear parts are replaced on fixed schedule, then maintenance planning is simplified, but premature replacement increases cost
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring assembly provides continuous feedback on the actual wear condition of the wear part through the sensor probe. This feedback information is transmitted to remote devices, enabling maintenance decisions to be based on actual wear status rather than fixed schedules, thereby optimizing replacement timing and reducing premature replacement.
Data Source
AI summary
A monitoring system for monitoring wear and usage along a portion of a wear surface for earth moving equipment includes a monitoring assembly to detect a characteristic pertaining to wear or usage in a wear part for excavating equipment and transmit the detected characteristic as information, wherein the monitoring assembly includes a bolt having a standard head, a coupling nut that captures the bolt on one end, a spacer secured to the top of the head, and a sensor probe having an elongate structure that passes through both the bolt and the coupling nut and is captured by the coupling nut on an opposite end. The monitoring assembly being wirelessly able to communicate to a remote device to monitor wear.