# US 10,119,251 B2 · Stress or accumulated damage monitoring system

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- Number: US 10,119,251 B2
- Document ID: US10119251B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/729,598
- Filed: 2017-10-10
- Published: 2018-03-01
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2011-09-20
- Applicants: Tech Mining Pty Ltd
- Inventors: Gerard Bernard Chitty; Lasha Biyanga Aponso
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10119251B2

## CPC

- E02F 9/267: {Diagnosing or detecting failure of vehicles}
- E02F 9/2054: {Fleet management}
- E02F 9/264: {Sensors and their calibration for indicating the position of the work tool}
- E21B 15/04: specially adapted for directional drilling, e.g. slant hole rigs
- G01L 1/16: using properties of piezoelectric devices
- G01L 5/0071: {Specific indicating arrangements, e.g. of overload}
- G01M 5/0033: {by determining damage, crack or wear}
- G07C 5/008: {communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C)}
- G07C 5/0808: {Diagnosing performance data (testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005)}
- G07C 5/0816: {Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction}
- G07C 5/0825: {using optical means}
- G07C 5/0833: {using audio means}
- G07C 5/0841: {Registering performance data (recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B)}
- E02F 3/308: {working outwardly}
- E02F 3/32: working downwardly and towards the machine, e.g. with backhoes
- E02F 9/14: Booms {only for booms with cable suspension arrangements (for booms or manipulators with cable suspensions for suction pipes E02F3/905 takes precedence; for booms per se E02F3/38; E02F3/34 for bucket-arms)}; Cable suspensions
- E02F: DREDGING; SOIL-SHIFTING (winning peat E21C49/00)
- E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- G01L: MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE (weighing G01G)
- G01M: TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE

## Abstract

A monitoring system implemented on an electric rope shovel having a boom, a dipper, a dipper handle and a revolving frame. The system comprises a plurality of strain gauges, data acquisition unit, a processor and memory, and at least one output device. The locations of the strain gauges include locations on the boom are positioned to predict lateral bending stresses in the dipper handle. The data acquisition unit acquires real-time strain data from the strain gauges, and the processor and memory process at least the acquired real-time strain data to calculate one or more measures of actual instantaneous stress or accumulated damage in the dipper handle. At least one of the output devices provides information comparing the measures with corresponding reference values of maximum allowable stress or accumulated damage.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A monitoring system implemented on an electric rope shovel having a boom, a dipper, a dipper handle and a revolving frame, the monitoring system comprising:
a plurality of strain gauges each gauging strain at one of a plurality of corresponding strain gauge locations on the boom of the electric rope shovel, the plurality of corresponding strain gauge locations on the boom including locations on the boom adapted to predict lateral bending stresses in the dipper handle;
a data acquisition unit connected to the strain gauges so as to acquire real-time strain data;
a processor and memory programmed to process at least the acquired real-time strain data from the strain gauges to calculate one or more measures of actual instantaneous stress or accumulated damage in the dipper handle; and
at least one output device, on at least one of which the processor and memory are programmed to provide information comparing the one or more measures of actual instantaneous stress or accumulated damage with corresponding reference values of maximum allowable stress or accumulated damage.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the processor and memory is further programmed to process at least the acquired real-time strain data from the strain gauges to determine a real-time operating state of the electric rope shovel.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the processor and memory is further programmed to process one or more of electrical outputs for motions, operator references, hoist rope lengths and crowd position to determine the real-time operating state of the electric rope shovel.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the real-time operating state includes swinging while digging.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The monitoring system of claim 4, wherein:
the plurality of corresponding strain gauge locations on the boom includes locations adapted to measure vibration in the boom; and
the processor and memory are further programmed to process the acquired real-time strain data from the strain gauges to calculate one or more measures of actual instantaneous stress or accumulated damage in the boom due to vibration.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the processor and memory are programmed to provide programmed advice, when the real-time operating state is swinging while digging, to cease or reduce swinging while digging when the one or more measures of actual instantaneous stress or accumulated damage exceed corresponding reference values of maximum allowable stress or accumulated damage.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the real-time operating state includes boom jacking, and the processor and memory is further programmed to process at least the acquired real-time strain data from the strain gauges to calculate one or more measures of accumulated damage in the boom.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the output devices provides the information comparing the one or more measures of actual instantaneous stress or accumulated damage with corresponding reference values of maximum allowable stress or accumulated damage to an operator of the electric rope shovel.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the output devices transfers data to a manager's office or other remote location to enable the information derived from the one or more measures to be used in maintenance planning, operator training, mining planning or other management tasks.