Modeling of a Hydraulic Rock Drill for Condition Monitoring

Abstract: This thesis aims to investigate the possibility of using a mathematical model to detect several common faults in a hydraulic rock drill. To this end, a parameterized state space model of the hydraulic drill, which simulate its behavior, is created. The model parameters are divided into two categories where different estimation methods are used to determine their values. The first category consists mainly of the parameters that are assumed to be invariant and independent of the various operating conditions. Experimental data are used to estimate these parameters. The other category is the variables that change depending on the machine’s current condition and operating settings. These include the response from the rock and internal leakages in the hydraulic drill. These parameters are estimated by integrating the impact piston position measurements in the simulation algorithm. The model is simulated for different fault modes, and the resulting estimated parameters are studied. It is shown that the resulting distributions for some of the estimated parameters differ between the fault modes, which makes fault detection possible. Furthermore, a condition monitoring system based on the estimated parameters provided by the model is designed and evaluated. It is shown that the performance and the robustness of the monitoring system depend on the machine’s operating settings and condition, where the system performs best for an operating pressure of 220 bar and the internal cylinder leakages.