Application spotlight – undercarriage inspection
24/12/2018
In construction and mining, machine performance is integral to a project’s success and cost-efficiency. The undercarriage can make up more than 50% of the maintenance costs of a machine. Any component failure could lead to serious delays or costly replacements.
Integrated with the Cygnus 4+ ultrasonic thickness gauge, TrackTreads has developed an Undercarriage Tool to monitor the undercarriage of a machine quickly and effectively. Thickness measurements are taken on each undercarriage component using the ultrasonic thickness gauge from Cygnus, a simple-to-use and accurate thickness gauging device. Connected to a mobile application via Bluetooth, the data is used to calculate the percentage worn and record images and observations. Inspections can be carried out offline and then synched with the cloud, making the inspection hassle-free.Typical components measured using the ultrasonic testing (UT) are track rollers, carrier rollers, shoes (before re-barring), bushes, links and, in some cases, idlers.
Proper undercarriage management using the TrackTreads ultrasonic tool provides various benefits, including immediate percent worn calculations and comparisons with prior inspection measurements. This means that efficiency and accuracy are achieved, identifying problems causing excessive wear rates, matching components and actions to gain as close to 100% life, forecasting component replacements to reduce emergency delivery costs and unplanned downtime, matching components to the correct environment, preventing premature excessive wear and allowing for the management of mixed-brand fleets. TrackTreads support all brands, with inspection reports in a standardised format across the fleet.
www.cygnusinstruments.co.uk
