On the feasibility of inferring the applied mechanical loading of a conveyor system test rig from monitored system parameters

Conveyor systems are ubiquitous throughout industry, providing materials transfer functionality across a wide range of applications. High availability requirements coupled with flexible modes of operation demand that maintenance of systems be conducted as efficiently as possible. In this vein, this paper presents an investigation into the feasibility of observing the presence of mechanical loading via the responses of a range of monitored system parameters, with a view to understanding the relationship between system operation and health. A test rig is used to enable the emulation an industrial conveyor system’s dynamics, and a wide range of sensors are employed to enable a comprehensive parameter set to be observed. A range of mechanical loading mechanisms are used to replicate the presence of loads typically experienced by a conveyor system, and a number of test scenarios are conducted, comprising both isolated and combined loading scenarios. It was observed that, when applied in isolation, the presence of axial, radial and torsional loads applied to the rig can feasibly be identified from the combined response of a unique subset of system parameters. However, as more complex modes of loading are introduced, both in terms of profile and combinations of loads, less clarity in responses can be observed, with significant cross-coupling of effects present, suggesting that isolating conveyor loading within an industrial environment is likely to require leveraging of a wide range of parameters and state-of-the-art signal processing techniques.