Inspection Robotic UGV Platform and the Procedure for an Acoustic Signal-Based Fault Detection in Belt Conveyor Idler

Hamid Shiri, Jacek Wodecki, Bartłomiej Ziętek and Radosław Zimroz
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Hamid Shiri: Department of Mining, Faculty of Geoengineering, Mining and Geology, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
Jacek Wodecki: Department of Mining, Faculty of Geoengineering, Mining and Geology, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
Bartłomiej Ziętek: Department of Mining, Faculty of Geoengineering, Mining and Geology, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
Radosław Zimroz: Department of Mining, Faculty of Geoengineering, Mining and Geology, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 22, 1-17

Abstract: Belt conveyors are commonly used for the transportation of bulk materials. The most characteristic design feature is the fact that thousands of idlers are supporting the moving belt. One of the critical elements of the idler is the rolling element bearing, which requires monitoring and diagnostics to prevent potential failure. Due to the number of idlers to be monitored, the size of the conveyor, and the risk of accident when dealing with rotating elements and moving belts, monitoring of all idlers (i.e., using vibration sensors) is impractical regarding scale and connectivity. Hence, an inspection robot is proposed to capture acoustic signals instead of vibrations commonly used in condition monitoring. Then, signal processing techniques are used for signal pre-processing and analysis to check the condition of the idler. It has been found that even if the damage signature is identifiable in the captured signal, it is hard to automatically detect the fault in some cases due to sound disturbances caused by contact of the belt joint and idler coating. Classical techniques based on impulsiveness may fail in such a case, moreover, they indicate damage even if idlers are in good condition. The application of the inspection robot can “replace” the classical measurement done by maintenance staff, which can improve the safety during the inspection. In this paper, the authors show that damage detection in bearings installed in belt conveyor idlers using acoustic signals is possible, even in the presence of a significant amount of background noise. Influence of the sound disturbance due to the belt joint can be minimized by appropriate signal processing methods.

Keywords: rolling element bearing; damage; idler; belt conveyor; sound; signal processing; inspection robot (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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