System and method of monitoring the operation of vibrating equipment

Vibrating equipment for moving material, the vibrating equipment comprising:

• a vibrating body extending between a feed end and a discharge end, the vibrating screen body including at least a pair of spaced side walls and at least one deck mounted between the pair of spaced side walls;
• a support structure configured to support the vibrating body;
• one or more mounting springs positioned to create a resilient mounting between the vibrating body and the support structure;
• a motion generator operable to impart movement to the vibrating body;
• and
• a plurality of sensors each configured to detect a resonance frequency of the one or more mounting springs during the movement created by the motion generator, each of the sensors being operable to generate a monitoring signal, wherein each of the plurality of sensors generates the monitoring signal based on the movement of the one or more springs in contact with the sensor.

A method of monitoring the operation of vibrating equipment having a vibrating body supported by a plurality of mounting springs, comprising the steps of:

• positioning one of a plurality of sensors between at least one of the plurality of mounting springs and either a support structure or a vibrating screen unit in operative communication with each of the plurality of mounting springs such that the sensor detects forces applied to the mounting spring;
• operating a motion generator to impart movement to the vibrating body;
• generating a monitoring signal from each of the sensors during operation of the motion generator, wherein the monitoring signal is a resonance frequency of the mounting spring determined based on the vibrating forces applied to the mounting spring;
• transmitting the monitoring signals to a control unit;
• receiving the monitoring signals at the control unit during operation of the motion generator;
• operating the control unit to analyze the operation of each of the plurality of mounting springs.