SYSTEM FOR IN-LINE MEASUREMENT OF MILL LINER WEAR AND MILL BOLT TENSION BY MEANS OF AN ECHOGRAPHIC SENSOR INSERTED INTO THE THREADED END OF BOLTS

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for the in-line measurement of mill liner wear and mill bolt tension, which includes: an acoustic-wave emitter, an acoustic-wave receiver, an electronic circuit, an energy source and a communication device, all at the threaded end of a certain number of bolts; a device in the vicinity of the mill for administering communication and gathering data; and a system in a remote position for processing and displaying data.

Claims

1. A system for in-line measurement of mill liner wear and mill bolt tension, the system comprising: at a threaded end of a determined number of bolts, an acoustic wave emitter, an acoustic wave receiver, an electronic circuit, a power source and a communication device; in the vicinity of a mill, a data storage and accumulation management device; and in a remote position, a data processing and deployment system.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein a single device behaves as the acoustic wave emitter and as the acoustic wave receiver at different times.

3. The system according to claim 1, the power source further comprising a galvanic battery.

4. The system according to claim 1, the communication device further comprising a radio frequency communication device.

5. An instrumented bolt including a hole formed therein, the instrumented bolt comprising: an emitter and a receiver disposed within the hole to emit a pulse train and receive a reflected signal in response to the pulse train; an electronic circuit connected to the emitter and the receiver to translate the reflected signal into an information signal indicative of at least one of wear or tension at or near the instrumented bolt; and a communication device connected to the electronic circuit to transmit the information signal.

6. The instrumented bolt of claim 5, wherein a single acoustic device behaves as the emitter and the receiver at different times.

7. The instrumented bolt of claim 5, further comprising a power source connected to at least one of the emitter, the receiver, the electronic circuit, or the communication device.

8. The instrumented bolt of claim 7 wherein the power source comprises a galvanic battery.

9. The instrumented bolt of claim 5 wherein the communication device comprises a radio frequency communication device.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0026] FIG. 1: Components installed in a hole performed on the threaded end of the instrumented bolt: (E) emitter, (R) receiver, (uC) micro electronic controller, ( +) galvanic cell and () transmission system.

[0027] FIG. 2: is a typical mill bolt View. The traction area is observed (1), (2) the area of elongation and (3) the pin of the bolt.

[0028] FIG. 3: (1) the outer aspect of the bolt. Inside the bolt (2) the emitter generates pulse train, (3) the signal is refracted and reflected and at the interfaces and the refracted wave train generates an interpretable spectrum and the receiver receives the spectrum.

[0029] FIG. 4: the tension and wear of a bolt are variables that are measured with the same device, however, the variation of both is perfectly distinguishable from one another as the wear occurs slowly while the useful life of the bolt and the pin tension, in turn, varies from its initial value by reducing the traumatic or high energy events that occur during the useful life of the bolt.

[0030] FIG. 5: The pin tension is approximately proportional to a measurable deformation, within the elastic limit.