A Structural Health Monitoring System for Earthmoving Machines
William Allen, J.N. Sundermeyer · 2006
The Structural Health with Integrated Electronic Life Determination (SHIELD) System is under development by Caterpillar Inc. in conjunction with Motorola Inc., Mictrostrain, Inc., and Native American Technologies. The development is entering its final year of funding from the National Institute of Standards and Technology as part of its Advanced Technology Program. The system is an information management system for earthmoving machines with a focus on structural health. It consists of a suite of wireless strain, load, pressure, and other machine sensors, and a centralized machine processor. The system is designed to analyze the sensor data in near real-time to determine the machine's structural loading, assess its remaining structural life, and identify structural failures early, before damage is severe.