Data-Driven Condition Monitoring of Mining Mobile Machinery in Non-Stationary Operations Using Wireless Accelerometer Sensor Modules

This paper presents the development of an easy-to-deploy and smart monitoring IoT system that utilizes vibration measurement devices to assess real-time condition of bulldozers, power shovels and backhoes, in non-stationary operations in the mining industry. According to operating experience data and the type of mining machine, total loss failure rates per machine fleet can reach up to 30%. Vibration analysis techniques are commonly used for condition monitoring and early detection of unforeseen failures to generate predictive maintenance plans for heavy machinery. However, this maintenance strategy is intensively used only for stationary machines and/or mobile machinery in stationary operations. Today, there is a lack of proper solutions to detect and prevent critical failures for non-stationary machinery. This paper shows a cost-effective solution proposal for implementing a vibration sensor network with wireless communication and machine learning data-driven capabilities for condition monitoring of non-stationary heavy machinery in mining operations. During the machine operation, 3-axis accelerations were measured using two sensors deployed across the machine. The machine accelerations (amplitudes and frequencies) are measured in two different frequency spectrums to improve each sensing location's time resolution. Multiple machine learning algorithms use this machine data to assess conditions according to manufacturer recommendations and operational benchmarks Proposed data-driven machine learning models classify the machine condition in states according to the ISO 2372 standards for vibration severity: Good, Acceptable, Unsatisfactory, or Unacceptable. After performing field tests with bulldozers and backhoes from different manufacturers, the machine learning algorithms are able to classify machine health status with an accuracy between 85% - 95%. Moreover, the system allows early detection of “Unacceptable” states between 120 to 170 hours prior to critical failure. These results demonstrate that the proposed system will collect relevant data to generate predictive maintenance plans and avoid unplanned downtimes.