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A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

Conference Paper · March 2011

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 OIPEEC Conference – College Station, Texas – March 2011

A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

ABSTRACT

This paper presents results from extensive research into existing magnetic steel wire
rope health evaluation equipment, procedures and methods. The characterisation of
magnetic stray flux signatures of rope flaws and the research into magnetic
measurement sensors and electronics led to the development of the Ansys
Continuous Rope Monitoring System. The rope health measurements, acquired at full
operating speed, are presented to the users via the internet and are comparable with
the prior periodic manual low speed rope evaluations. New insight into rope health
deterioration will be achieved with this system. Rope health practitioners will be able
to assess the rope health and the required safety margins on a continuous basis.
This in turn will allow the rope users to optimize production over the serviceable life of
the rope. The rope health practitioner sets limits within which all rope measurements
must remain to ensure safe usage of the rope. Exceeding these limits will raise an
alarm that is distributed to the rope health inspector and the rope user.
Acknowledgment of alarms is required, and an audit trail is maintained. The system
setup, rope measurements, event logs and acknowledgments are stored for the full
life cycle of several ropes installed in the same position.

Jan Marais and Nigel Bester

Ansys Limited

+27 (0)12 424 8500

Email: nigelb@ansys.co.za
 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

NOMENCLATURE

A Area
AFS Anglo Field Services
BIT Built In Test
BW Broken Wire
CRMS Continuous Rope Monitoring System
EM Electromagnetic
LA Local Area
LMA Loss of Metallic Cross-Sectional Area
LLMA Localised Loss of Metallic Cross-Sectional Area
MFL Magnetic Flux Leakage
RAU Rand Afrikaans University
RCM Rope Condition Monitor
RHS Rope Health Server
SABS South African Bureau of Standards
SMS GPRS Short Message Service
SWR Steel Wire Rope

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

The steel wire rope inspection community in South Africa has relied heavily on a
locally developed rope test unit known as the RAU301. The RAU301 has in fact been
the only EM evaluation instrument used and trusted by Anglo Field Services (AFS) in
South Africa, the division of Anglo American responsible for rope health inspection,
for the past 20 years. This system consists of a magnetic test head, an electronic
instrument and a paper chart recorder and is shown in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1: RAU301 Mobile Rope Test Unit Components.

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 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

The functionality and performance of the RAU301 unit has been independently
evaluated by AFS, among others, and proven to be exceptional in its ability to
measure both the loss of metallic area as well as in exposing both internal and
external broken wires and corrosion. Although the RAU301 was based on the
technology from the 1980s, it contained advanced magnetic sensor configurations
and analogue computer type electronics (analogue multipliers and dividers).

The code of practice used by the rope health inspection community in South Africa,
as defined by SABS 0293 [1], specifies the discard criteria, assessment techniques,
procedures, equipment specifications and usage as well as training and certification
of personnel. This standard also specifies an annual calibration for EM equipment.
During 2007 Ansys was approached by AFS, one of the users of the RAU301
system, to establish a rope test unit calibration facility. Unfortunately the original
equipment manufacturer passed away before the establishment of the calibration
laboratory and much of the knowledge was at that point lost.

AFS encouraged Ansys to continue the establishment of a rope test unit calibration
facility. Thus Ansys had to study and understand the RAU301 system, EM inspection
technology and techniques as well as become familiar with the entire wire rope health
inspection community as a whole to ensure that equipment certified was in fact
performing as promised. The following are some questions that were asked and
answered before committing to calibrate the RAU301 EM sensor:

1. How does the magnetic test head measure the loss of metallic area and
stimulate the rope to expose flaws and corrosion?

2. How do the electronics amplify and facilitate the measurements?

3. What can be adjusted and needs calibration?

4. What calibration references may be used to ensure standard performance?

5. Where are the limitations of the system?

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 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

During the study of the RAU301 system Ansys learned that the success of the rope
tester is based on four equally important criteria:

1. The rope test system must be correctly packaged and supplied with the
appropriate ancillary equipment and options to facilitate the rope health
inspector's usage of the equipment. This includes transportability of the
components, attachment and removal of the test head from a rope, test setup
verification/calibration, battery life and/or alternative powering options.

2. A sensor must produce and capture an accurate and repeatable magnetic

measurement of rope metallic area and all flaws.

3. An appropriate and timeous presentation of the results must be provided to the

rope health inspector.

4. The test equipment must adhere to local legislation.

During the study of the performance limitations of the RAU301 system, Ansys
learned that high speed magnetic rope testing would be possible with advances in
technology since the 1980s.

A market for this instrument was immediately found and development started as the
Continuous Rope Monitoring System (CRMS) promised to continuously monitor rope
health during normal operation, conducting all necessary measurements, and cause
the rope owner no reduction in productivity.

The mission of Ansys has thus become: “To provide the Rope Health Inspector with
the best possible equipment that will enhance their ability to assess the health of a
steel wire rope.”

1.2 Aim

This paper aims to fully describe a holistic approach behind the development of the
CRMS and all that Ansys has learned from the study of existing equipment and rope
health inspection methodology. This spans appropriate equipment design, data
acquisition, processing and display to rope inspection methodology.

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 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

1.3 Plan of Development

First the application and limitations of an existing mobile rope health inspection
system are discussed. This is followed by the description and explanation of the
CRMS sensor design, and the thought process that lead to the final product. The
various subsystems of the CRMS are defined and the design considerations of the
entire CRMS are then explained in full. The end user interface is presented followed
by test data attained during normal operation. Finally conclusions with respect to
continuous rope monitoring are drawn.

2 STEEL WIRE ROPE TEST SYSTEMS

2.1 Operation and Limitations of the RAU301

During the study of the application and use of the mobile RAU301 system a context
diagram was drawn up by Ansys, with the inputs from AFS, to fully describe the flow
of information and data, shown in Figure 2 below.

Figure 2: Context Diagram of the Application of the RAU301 System.

The RAU301 rope test system requires the rope to be passed through the magnetic
test head at rope speeds lower than 2.5m/s. Hence, the RAU301 system could not be

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 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

used for rope health monitoring at operational speeds, typically in the order of 15m/s
to 19m/s, for the following reasons:

1. The chart recorder “pen speed” could only indicate rope flaws for a rope speed
of less than 3m/s.

2. The small wheels of the magnetic test head that had to run on the rope and
keep the rope in the centre of the head limited the test speed.

Additional limitations of the RAU301 that were found to limit performance

were:

1. The chart recorder could only indicate two of the three rope health parameters
(Metallic Area, Localised Metallic Area and Broken Wires) measured during a
test.

2. The sensor was unable to process the analogue signals below 0.8m/s due to
specific electronic limitations.

In order to replace the paper chart recorder Ansys developed an electronic

instrument and a digitisation system to be used with the RAU301 magnetic test
heads. To meet the requirements of the code of practice [1], the application and use
of the magnetic test head, the front panel layout and use of the electronic instrument
remained the same. The electronics in the instrument however, used the latest
technology. Figure 3 shows the conceptual layout of the replacement instrument as
well as the final product and the digitised notebook display of test results.

Figure 3: Ansys Mobile Rope Test Instrument and Display.

Ansys replaced the paper chart recorder with a digitised system and a ruggedised
notebook computer that could measure, display and store all three rope health
parameters. Figure 4 below shows the output from a rope test where 3 broken wires
were introduced at known locations to verify the system operation and performance.

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 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

The three rope health parameter display on the screen moves as a rope is moved
through the magnetic test head. All data is stored to be viewed and/or printed at a
later stage.

1 meter Increments

Broken Wire Trace

LOCAL Area Trace

1, 2 & 3 Broken Wires

AREA Trace

Figure 4: Ansys Mobile Rope Test Unit's Rope Health Parameters Display.

3 CRMS SENSOR DESIGN

3.1 Measurement and Determination of Internal Diameter

In order to determine the minimum required diameter of the magnetic measurement

head, a magnetic rope position measurement sensor system was constructed and
calibrated with an optical sensor system in order to determine normal rope
movement. Figure 5 below shows the sensor board that consisted of IR transmitters
and receivers as well as Hall sensors. The IR transmitters are located on the right
hand side of the board, 90 degrees offset, to provide the X and Y position of the rope
with respect to time.

Figure 5: Magnetic & Optical Rope Position Measurement Setup.

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 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

Measurements presented in Figure 6 below are those from the Moab Khotsong DP
underlay rope and were assumed to represent "normal rope movement". The shaft
extends over 2000 m and is primarily used to haul rock. The rope in use was a 54mm
diameter 6x33(15/12/6+3T)/F SWR. Maximum movement measured during an up run
was 31.3 mm peak to peak, while maximum movement measured during a down run
was 15.1mm.

Rope movement during a down run was less than half the movement during an up
run on average. This was due to the crossover points on the winder inducing far less
oscillation during a down run as well as the increasing length of rope between the
sheave wheel and conveyance dampening any waves formed on the length of rope.

Figure 6: Rope Lateral Movement during Upward Movement to Bank

Based on these measurements it was calculated that the entire 54mm rope would
remain within a 141mm circle. Hence, an additional margin of safety was added to
the measurements and an initial inner diameter of 166mm was selected as the inner
diameter of the prototype CRMS Head sensor.

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 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

3.2 Rope Health Parameters

The CRMS magnetic test head measures the same rope health parameters as the
RAU301 and as prescribed by the SABS 0293:

1. Area Measurement – a measurement that will yield the rope metallic area
averaged over a typical 3m length of rope. This measurement indicates the
loss of metallic cross sectional area resulting from wear of the outer surface of
the rope.

2. Local Area Measurement – a measurement that will yield the rope metallic
area averaged over a short length of rope, typically 0.3m. This measurement
also detects broken wires crossing the centre of the magnetic measurement
head with a good indication of the number of broken wires. Rope waves and
bends may also be apparent to an experienced rope health inspector from this
measurement.

3. Broken Wire Measurement – a measurement that detects broken wires, wire

deformations and corrosion crossing the centre of the magnetic measurement
head. This measurement gives a high resolution indication of the position of
the broken wires in the rope.

3.3 Magnetic Simulation and Design

When a rope discontinuity or flaw was passed through the head it resulted in
significant differences, with respect to flux density variations in the surrounding air,
when the rope was strongly versus weakly magnetised. It was found that with weak
rope magnetisation the magnetic flux density in the remaining rope increases as a
rope flaw passes through the sensor and only a tiny variation in the magnetic flux
density is detectable outside the rope.

Strong rope magnetisation causes a much larger magnetic flux density variation to be
emitted by a broken wire or flaw in a rope. In the strong rope magnetisation studies
broken wires in the centre of the rope and even on the opposite side of the rope to
where a sensor was located were found to emit sufficient stray flux to be detected by
the magnetic sensors.

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 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

Hence, to measure the metallic area and expose flaws in the rope, the rope was
subjected to a strong magnetic field and surrounded with magnetic sensors, both Hall
elements and coils. Figure 7 below shows the result from some of the 2D simulation
done during the design phase of the CRMS Head sensor.

Figure 7: Magnetisation of Rope – 2D Estimation.

Simulations were run and the design was altered until signals were achieved at the
measurement distance that were theoretically measureable by Hall sensors and
search coils. Once approximate numbers were achieved they were refined using a
full scale 3D simulation model. This was done as 2D simulations are far quicker.
Shown below in Figure 8 is a visual output from the ElectroMagneticWorks package
showing the flux density. The package was used to simulate the magnetic path and
variations caused by various rope flaws. The three section design is visible, as well
as the central rope and various external stray flux paths.

Figure 8: Magnetisation of Rope – 3D Estimation.

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 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

Figure 9: Magnetisation of Rope - Confirmation of Estimation.

Figure 9 above shows the initial cross checks conducted to confirm the theoretical
prediction were in line with the real world values. One can see the value of 1.254 kG
measured at the location of one of the Area Hall sensors with a single head section
and a 20mm rope.

Figure 10: Expected Local Area Signal from a Broken Wire.

This Local Area signal, shown in Figure 10, shows that a frequency bandwidth of
200Hz from the electronics is detectable without distortion at 20m/s. The theoretical
Broken Wire signal requires a frequency bandwidth of 300Hz from the electronics to
be detectable without distortion at 20m/s. These were well within electronic capability
and far below those initially expected for testing at full operational speed.

The influence of eddy current losses on measurements were expected to be minimal

considering the wire gauge used to construct ropes to generally be less than Ø5mm,
see Figure 11 as an example. Constant eddy current losses will not influence the
measurement considering the sensors used measure variations in the flux density.

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 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

Figure 11: Construction of the Moab Khotsong DP and Rock Winder Ropes

4 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS OF THE ANSYS CRMS

4.1 System Description

The CRMS consists of a Rope Condition Monitoring (RCM) magnetic measurement

head or sensor that is mounted around the rope close to the sheave wheel in a mine
tower, a RCM computer that is located in the winder house and stores all raw data
and a Rope Health Server (RHS) that processes that data and stores the processed
result. The RHS is also responsible for publishing the results via the internet to all
those provided with the relevant access. Figure 12 below shows the location and
interconnections of the various subsystems.

Figure 12: CRMS Major Components.

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 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

4.2 Rope Condition Monitor Head Sensor

The mounting of the RCM magnetic measurement head is immediately beneath the
sheave wheel which limits the lateral movement of the rope, described in section 3.1.
above. The head consists of three sections and is mounted on a moveable
mechanism to allow for the sensor to be placed in an 'away' position whereby rope
exchange and maintenance can be undertaken without uninstalling the CRMS head.
A three section head allows for improved signal capture when compared to two
sections and eases logistics and handling due to the size. A picture of the CRMS
head is shown in Figure 13 below.

In the unlikely event that the CRMS head sensor is impacted by a humble hook or
any other rope coupling, each head section has been additionally tethered to prevent
the head section from falling down any mine shaft.

Figure 13: CRMS Magnetic Measurement Head Mounting and Tethering.

To ensure continued performance of the CRMS head sensor the sensor is self
diagnosing. Every time the conveyance is stationary at the bank an intrusive Built in
Test (BIT) is executed. During the BIT the operations and functionality of all sensors
are determined. Hence, the user is provided with the assurance of an operational
sensor and opportunity for timeous maintenance. Figure 14 below shows the
magnetic stimulus injected into the sensor that allows for sensor operational
verification.

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 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

Figure 14: Magnetic Sensors & Gain Verification Built In Test

4.3 Rope Condition Monitor Computer

The rope condition monitor‟s raw rope health parameter measurements are sampled
at a high rate. The high rate raw data measurements are then stored in a 30 day
circular buffer. The raw data store will enable the systems maintainer and the rope
health inspector to verify the origin of any anomaly or event. The Rope Condition
Monitor‟s measurement results are down sampled at a low data rate. This data is
appended to a database that contains the measurements of the rope for it's
operational life. The database contains sufficient storage space to hold up to 10
years of rope health parameter measurements. Figure 15 below shows the data flow
from the CRMS head all the way to the rope measurement data base. No processing
has been done at this point, only capture, storage and down sampling.

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 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

Figure 15: Rope Condition Monitor Functions

4.4 Rope Health System

The rope health system then processes the data from the rope measurement data
base and computes rope health indices, as described in Figure 16 below. The rope
health indices, conveyance load and bending cycle data are stored in the rope health
database for the entire operating life of the rope.

Figure 16: Rope Health System Functions

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 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

Any event that is triggered by a rope health value that exceeds an orange or red
alarm limit will be logged in the rope health event log. The relevant parties are
informed of the event via a GPRS SMS message.

All events pertaining to rope health must be acknowledged by the rope health
inspector after the required inspections or corrective actions are completed.

Red alarm events are also capable of issuing an „end of wind‟ trip to the winder
control system.

The outputs of the CRMS are thus:

1. Rope Condition Monitor - Diagnostic and Status Displays.

2. Rope Health System - Diagnostic and Status Displays.

3. Internet Server - Diagnostic and Status Displays.

4. Winder Operator - Rope and System Health Green, Orange and Red Indicator
Lights.

5. Winder Control or Shaft Process Control - Rope and System Health Green,
Orange and Red Voltage-less Electrical Contacts.

6. GPRS SMS Messages – Sent upon the detection of CRMS or Rope Health
Events.

7. Internet Pages – Near Real Time output of CRMS Performance and Rope
Health.

4.5 User Interface

All information that has been processed is available in near real time displays as
shown below in Figure 17. All users are provided with various options based on their
log-in identification and provided privileges. Ansys personnel are able to perform
CRMS maintenance tasks, a rope health inspector may set and change alarm limits
and view rope health data while mine maintenance may wish to draw monthly reports
detailing any changes in rope health. The internet pages will enable the rope health
inspector and the CRMS system maintainer to monitor the CRMS results at their
respective offices anywhere in the world.

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 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

Figure 17: Internet Output of CRMS Results.

Although the results of the rope health measurements (cycles, area, local area and
broken wires) will be indicate in graphical form to the users, users may also be
supplied with the measurement data for further analysis.

Figure 18 below shows the CRMS main display screen that enables the users to
immediately gauge the health of both the CRMS as well as all ropes on an entire
operational shaft. By selecting any of the zones on the CRMS main display screen
the user is provided with the additional required information, either in graphical format
or as a CSV data file.

Figure 18: CRMS Main Display Screen.

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 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

5 CRMS TEST RESULTS

5.1 Results From 16m/s Rope Testing

The following data was captured during normal operation of the AngloGold-Ashanti
owned Moab Khotsong mine DP underlay rope. The rope was only three months old
at the time the measurements were conducted. The length of rope displayed below in
Figure 19 is representative of 2486m.

Figure 19: Area Test Data from Moab Khotsong at 16m/s (3 Runs Up and Down)

The measurement above in Figure 19 is of the volume of steel within the sensor. One
can clearly see the reduction in the steel cross sections area as the rope length
increases due to the mass of the rope itself (12.47kg/m). The winder layer crossovers
as well as acceleration regions are also clearly visible. The up runs are the bottom
three and show a general offset (reduction) in their cross section area as they are
carrying an additional load of about 11.5 tons of rock.

Figure 20: Broken Wire Signal During a Down and Up Run.

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 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

Figure 20 above shows the signal from the Broken Wire sensor. This is a differential
sensor pickup and is generally used to locate broken wires, however, corrosion is
also seen to exhibit a specific signature by means of a variation in the stray flux. This
can clearly be seen in the above graph via the mirror image produced, where even a
three month old rope is seen to have a measureable increase in the front-end
corrosion.

Considering the age of the rope it was not surprising there were no broken wires
found. However, to prove the Broken Wire and Local Area sensor would perform as
promised, a Ø0.8mm - 250mm long wire was inserted onto the outside of the rope.
Figure 21 below shown the signal output from the Local Area sensor as the Ø0.8mm
wire passed through the CRMS magnetic measurement head. Considering the filler
wires in the rope are 1.6mm in diameter and this added wire was only 0.8mm in
diameter, accounting for a mere 0.04% change in the local cross sectional area of
steel, this was an impressive feat.

Figure 21: Local Area Signal of Added 0.8mm Wire

6 CONCLUSION

 The CRMS head sensor is currently in final stages of field testing. Initial tests
proved all sensors are operating with high correlation to theoretically predicted
performance. All parameters: Area, Local Area and Broken Wire, were
measured successfully at speeds up to 16 m/s.

 Continuous measurement of rope health during dynamic operational

conditions (speed, acceleration and load) opens a new dimension in rope
health monitoring. This has the potential to improve mine safety as well as
productivity.

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 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS ROPE MONITORING

 Continuous rope health monitoring will provide a tool to better understand the
factors influencing rope degradation (winder crossover points, winder layer
crossover, corrosion, worn grooves, poor alignment of sheave wheels, large
loads, etc.). This will enable the user to fully understand the influence of rope
maintenance, and hence may extend rope serviceable life.

 Offsite rope monitoring is a major advantage for rope operators distributed

over a large geographical region. This will provide the rope health practitioners
with near real time rope health indication.

 The system allows the rope health practitioners the ability to set the
appropriate rope health index limits. Should a limit be exceeded the pertinent
personnel will be immediately notified (e.g. SMS, Email), and rope health via
green/orange/red lights indicated to the winder operator.

7 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

First and foremost thanks go to AngloGold-Ashanti, and more specifically

Moab Khotsong mine. We have been given fantastic support by all personnel
at the mine and almost unlimited access to their tower and ropes to conduct
the necessary testing.

Secondly to AFS, who have provided the authors and Ansys Limited with
unrivalled support and information.

Lastly to Ansys Management who have entrusted the rope testing team to
deliver this product into the market.

8 REFERENCES

[1] South African Standard, Edition 1- 1996, Condition assessment of

steel wire ropes on mine winders, The South African Bureau of
Standards.

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