Live testing of large equipment made safer

The live testing of mining vehicles and equipment is essential for maintenance but can be hazardous and time consuming.  A new solution developed in Australia aims to make testing processes on mine sites safer.

Live testing refers to the testing of large equipment like articulated dump trucks, rigid frame dump trucks, load haul dumpers and hydraulic shovels while they are running, to generate vital data on the machines’ condition. Booyco Electronics chief sales officer Graeme Jardine explains that this is traditionally conducted with hoses and handheld gauges, to test variables such as pressure, fan speed and wear on rotating equipment such as slew bearings. The practice often requires maintenance staff to be in close proximity to an idling machine, working near high pressures and rotating components.

“By introducing the Safegauge sensors and products which are fitted to large equipment with quick couplers or magnets, the necessary readings and measurements can be taken from a distance of up to 50 m,” he says. “This removes the personnel from any hazardous areas where they might, for instance, be positioned in crush zones of unplanned movement.”

The SafeGauge range of digital testing systems is now distributed in South Africa by Booyco Electronics. The wireless monitoring system allows workers to test live machines from a safe distance and does so quicker which leads to less downtime and improved productivity.

“The innovations by SafeGauge eliminate the need for hoses and gauges when conducting tests on running machines, and this eliminates the risks associated with traditional handheld gauges, such as the dangers of overpressure causing hose or gauge bursts,” notes Jardine. “Instead, SafeGauge provides compact and portable kits that can be easily transported to the site or used in a workshop.”

The Workshop kit, for example, has up to seven connectable transducers for measuring pressure. The Field Service kit is an all-in-one kit for field technicians and includes a dial indicator for wear measurement and two pressure transducers for pressure measurement.