Test & measurement


T


he 2021 paper Occupational Accidents Related to Heavy Machinery: A Systematic Review concluded that, among the equipment most frequently associated with accidents (both fatal and nonfatal) in


mining, the most significant concern is haul trucks and dumpers, with accidents typically taking place during repair and maintenance actions. Applied Measurement Australia specialises in innovative solutions such as advanced sensors, data acquisition systems, instrumentation and custom-designed solutions for measuring physical parameters like pressure, strain, temperature, force and load. With over 45 years of experience, it also provides NATA accredited calibration, support, training and custom design services, catering to diverse industries such as automotive, aerospace, defence, manufacturing and mining. “Our measurement solutions help our customers reduce maintenance costs and downtime by enabling predictive maintenance and real-time monitoring,” explains James Eccleston, director of business development at Applied Measurement Australia. “Key to this is the ability to transmit sensor data wirelessly rather than having to take a manual measurement.”


HIGH RISKS AND HIGH COSTS One of the main challenges in the mining industry was ensuring the safety of maintenance personnel during the inspection and measurement of component wear on mining assets such as heavy vehicles. These tasks typically required technicians to physically be within the working envelope of operational vehicles to take manual measurements of moving parts, such as steering linkages during steering checks. The traditional process not only poses significant safety risks by placing personnel in “the line of fire” but it is also time consuming with little opportunity for productivity gains. Traditionally, securing a haul truck for inspection requires a lockout system involving a padlock for each maintenance worker operating on and around the asset, often necessitating the presence of three to five keyholders to lock the truck, ensuring it remains immobile for safety. During these maintenance inspections workers would use traditional manual gauges, such as dial gauges, to take measurements on various moving parts to determine the amount of component wear. Manual inspections would typically involve three or more maintenance crew.


In addition to putting maintenance workers at risk of injury or fatality, the time taken to setup and capture a single measurement could be around 30 minutes or more. With numerous measurements to take during each asset inspection, this unnecessary setup time can add up to many hours. Furthermore, the reading and recording of manual gauge measurements can be


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IMPROVING SAFETY IN MINING


subject to human error, potentially leading to unexpected component failure or injury. “We were approached by some of the largest mining companies in Australia to help them eliminate live work around large vehicles,” says Eccleston. “The task was to come up with a solution to remove the need for maintenance technicians to be near or under the vehicles while they were operational, enabling them to safely capture necessary measurements from a distance.”


BUILDING ON A STRONG RELATIONSHIP Applied Measurement Australia first crossed paths with Mantracourt’s advanced telemetry technology in 2009. At that time, the company was venturing into the automotive performance testing sphere, seeking a strain gauge solution that could seamlessly communicate over CAN bus in vehicles. Mantracourt’s products not only met this need but were also supported by exceptional service, marking the beginning of a robust partnership. This collaboration saw Applied Measurement Australia becoming the distributor for Mantracourt in Australia, making Mantracourt an easy choice to partner with to provide the much-needed mining industry solution.


OVERCOMING CHALLENGES One of the main challenges for Applied Measurement Australia was developing a remote measurement solution that transmitted the signal output from one or more sensors that could also withstand the harsh environment of the mining industry and require minimal maintenance itself. Having worked with Mantracourt previously, the company knew that it could pair its own sensors with Mantracourt’s T24 wireless telemetry transmitter, making this the ideal telemetry platform for the XTRAN Telemetry Measurement System (XTMS). Applied Measurement Australia made use of magnetic attachments for easy and secure sensor placement on machinery. This not only simplified the installation process but also significantly reduced the time required for setup. For example, a customer reported that a steering joint wear check on a large haul truck previously took around 45 minutes to complete using manual gauges. Since implementing XTMS, this time has reduced to around five minutes to setup eight sensors, and around 30 seconds to capture all readings accurately, for a saving of around 40 minutes for this task. Considering the cost of having an asset offline, this equates to thousands of dollars per day per asset.


“In order to take readings from the truck, workers would only have to use a portable sensor display or even a laptop plugged into a small base station,” explains Rebecca Bentley, senior technical sales executive at Mantracourt. “The


base station reads the signal and converts the data to be read on the T24 wireless LOG100 logging software.”


This solution greatly simplified the measurement process. Sensors can be quickly mounted, and measurements taken from a safe distance, requiring only a few minutes. The system allowed for remote monitoring of pressure, displacement, rotational speed, and temperature measurements critical to assessing vehicle component wear and performance. With an IP rating of 67, the T24 system would be able to resist regular exposure to dust, water splashes and cleaning during the truck’s maintenance. With the ability to be configured to only transmit data when needed, such as during a maintenance check, the T24’s battery can last up to five years.


SAVING TIME, SAVING LIVES The deployment of the wireless telemetry system in mining operations marked a pivotal moment in the industry’s approach to safety and maintenance. Applied Measurement Australia’s XTRAN Telemetry Measurement System solution, underpinned by Mantracourt’s T24 wireless telemetry, delivered beyond expectations, demonstrating not only feasibility but also substantial benefits.


A major customer of Applied Measurement Australia reported a more than 40 per cent reduction in live work risk across their site, attributing this significant decrease directly to the implementation of the XTMS “elimination of live work” solution, which removed maintenance personnel from hazardous environments during vehicle inspections.


The introduction of wireless telemetry significantly streamlined the maintenance process. What previously required hours of manual labour and coordination among multiple team members could now be accomplished remotely in a fraction of the time, dramatically reducing downtime. Since the successful development of the solution, Applied Measurement Australia has seen the deployment of over 100 XTRAN Telemetry Measurement Systems to mining operations mainly in Australia, as well as in North America and Africa. “Through collaboration with Mantracourt and our end customers, these results demonstrate the capability our solution delivers to enhance mining safety and operational efficiency,” concludes Eccleston. “The ability to perform critical maintenance checks without exposing technicians to potential harm has set a new standard in the industry, showcasing the invaluable role of technological innovation in safeguarding lives and optimising performance.”


Mantracourt www.mantracourt.com October 2024 Instrumentation Monthly


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