Scanimetrics was commissioned by the preventive maintenance division of a major Alberta oil sands company to install and monitor crack propagation in hauler trucks. The prospect of monitoring cracks electronically, without the need for constant visual inspections, was of great value to the preventive maintenance team.
Wireless Crack Sensors were installed on areas of the hauler previously identified as having critical cracks. Crack propagation data was taken at 10 minute intervals, with data being transmitted wirelessly. The following diagram shows which cracks on the hauler have propagated beyond set thresholds:
A careful analysis of the data indicates that Scanimetrics Wireless Crack Propagation Monitoring System would yield an estimated 335% return on investment for a fleet of 130 haulers. Applied across the entire fleet, the Scanimetrics system would result in total annual maintenance savings of over $4.5 million. Further, hauler uptime would be increased enough to allow the company to reduce its fleet by 4 haulers – saving an additional $4 million in operating costs and $44 million in hauler purchases.