On-line calculation of fatigue in hydraulically actuated heavy equipment using IoT and Digital Twin concepts

Abstract

The method and its implementation is proposed for on-line calculation of fatigue in structure components of hydraulically actuated heavy equipment. The method does not use any stress or strain gauges and relies just on the data about the pressure and position of hydraulic cylinders. This data is measured in real-time during the machine operation and is transmitted via internet for processing in the cloud. The simulation model of the machine (Digital Twin) is used for simulation of machine motion on the basis of received data. The Digital twin provides input for finite-element analysis of machine’s components in order to calculate the stress history of each component. The results of these calculations are used for fatigue life estimation of the component. Applicability of the method is tested by comparing its results with similar simulation verified by experimental measurements.