Wireless resistive sensor application to detect rubberlifterbar wear in ore mills

Most ore mills have rubber lifter bars and lining to mix ore and metal balls together to crush the ore. This chaotic and frictional environment causes rubber lifterbars constantly to wear out. Lifterbar service life depends on its location in the mill, ore type, the rubber material, mill load and mill speed. Worn lifterbars must be replaced as the wear level reaches the critical threshold before reducing mill performance or causing damage to the mill body. Control of the wear level is currently carried out by stopping the mill and taking mechanical measurements and making observations from inside of the mill. This method costs extra labor and reduces production capacity. But the most important, measurements made from inside the mill build up a great risk in terms of worker safety. With the method proposed in this study, lifterbar wear can be monitored live without stopping the mill. The proposed system tested in laboratory wearing with a sanding machine and collected data. The data studied in tables and graphics. An electronic card is designed and produced to measure wear using oscillator circuit, counting frequency and sending the data from inside of the mill to outside. The system also applied to a working mill and wear data stored in computer with along 2000 hours and presented in this thesis.