Stress or accumulated damage monitoring system

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.