Large mining truck manufacturers have achieved enhanced performance of the wheel bearings on their off-highway construction equipment vehicles using a unique Transducer Bearing from the Torrington Company to measure loads during truck operations. They have increased the life of the bearings by optimizing operating preload, and have gained an in-depth knowledge of bearing loading during the various portions of the truck duty cycle. This will increase the mean time between failure (MTBF) for these vehicles, improving uptime during mine operation and reducing failure costs for its users.
This procedure can be used to identify inadequate bearing support structure, validate any required redesigns, and provide insights to optimize the life of the bearing in the measured load conditions.
This paper provides results from the first testing of bearing loads in trucks using an instrumented bearing and a Torrington Co. patented data analysis algorithm. The instrumented bearing and data analysis algorithm form a valuable tool for determining applied loads in-situ, and can be utilized on any equipment or processes where bearing loads need to be measured. In fact, this technology could help users gain insight into the operating conditions in many kinds of rotating equipment by using the bearing as a transducer to measure critical system operating parameters.
