Track link spacing sensors

A method of monitoring internal wear of track links included in a track chain for a machine, the method comprising:

• disposing a sensing device at least partially within a cavity formed in a link body of each of a pair of track links or at least partially within a cavity formed in a track shoe connected to the link body in the track chain of the machine;
• communicatively associating one or more communication devices with the sensing devices;
• wirelessly connecting a computing device over a communication network with each of the communication devices;
• detecting one or more of a distance between the sensing device disposed at least partially within one of the pair of track links or track shoes and the sensing device disposed at least partially within another of the pair of track links or track shoes, and a distance between the sensing device disposed at least partially within one of the pair of track links or track shoes and a remote device using one or more of the sensing devices and the computing device;
• and
• determining, using the computing device, internal wear between components of at least one of the pair of track links based on changes in one of the detected distance between the sensing devices disposed at least partially within the pair of track links or track shoes or the detected distance between a sensing device disposed at least partially within one of the pair of track links or track shoes and the remote device.

A track assembly of a machine, wherein the track assembly includes at least a pair of track links and a wear monitoring system, the wear monitoring system comprising:

• a sensing device disposed within a cavity formed in a link body of each of the pair of track links;
• one or more communication devices associated with the sensing devices;
• and
• a computing device wirelessly connected over a communication network with each of the communication devices, wherein
• one or more of the sensing devices and the computing device are configured to detect one or more of a distance between the sensing device disposed in one of the pair of track links and the sensing device disposed in another of the pair of track links, and a distance between the sensing device disposed in one of the pair of track links and a remote device, and
• the computing device is configured to determine internal wear between components of at least one of the pair of track links based on changes in the detected distance.