Experimental - numerical method for assessing the condition of opencast mining and material handling equipment

摘要

The paper presents a numerical and experimental method for assessing the condition and estimating the residual life of complex large-scale mechanical structures, such as opencast mining and material handling machines. Each step of the method is explained and the key features are described. The proposed method has been validated and used to evaluate the condition and predict the remaining operating time of numerous specialised machines. Depending on the collected information regarding the condition of a machine, it may be necessary to perform repairs or serious modernisations in order to extend the remaining operating life. Examples of such modernisations as well as recent developments in this area are also presented in this paper.