Jaw Crusher Monitoring: Vibration vs Artesis Electrical Analysis on Slow, Dirty Drives
Jaw crushers run slow, with shock loads and dust — classic vibration struggles. We compare Bently Nevada vibration with Artesis e-MCM motor signature analysis for mining and explain which method wins at low speed.
Мақала орыс тілінде
Мақаланың толық мәтіні қазіргі уақытта орыс тілінде жарияланған. Аударма дайындалуда — толық мәтін үшін орыс нұсқасына өтіңіз.
Орыс тілінде оқуMonitoring jaw crushers is hard: low RPM, impact loads and aggressive dust. Comparing vibration with Artesis e-MCM electrical analysis shows why the MCC-based approach often wins on the crusher drive, while compact vibration systems still fit conveyors.
1. Two fundamentally different approaches
Bently Nevada: direct vibration analysis
Bently Nevada is the gold standard for critical turbomachinery protection. The approach is direct mechanical measurement on the machine.
- Technology: Accelerometers, velocity sensors, sometimes proximity probes on bearing housings and the crusher frame.
- Principle: Physical motion becomes an electrical signal; System 1 uses FFT, time waveforms and envelope analysis for bearing defects, looseness, flywheel imbalance, etc.
Artesis: model-based voltage and current (MBVI / ESA)
Artesis uses electrical signature analysis — often called “sensorless”, though CTs and VTs in the motor control centre are still required.
- Technology: Existing current transformers and voltage taps in the MCC — away from the dirty crusher.
- Principle: Artesis builds a mathematical model of the drive motor. Any mechanical issue in the crusher (bearing wear, jaw binding, eccentric shaft problems) changes shaft torque and instantly appears as distortion in motor current and voltage.
2. Jaw crusher specifics
A jaw crusher is low speed (main shaft often 200–300 RPM) — a serious challenge for classic vibration.
Bently challenges on crushers
- Low frequency: Standard 100 mV/g accelerometers are poor below ~10 Hz. You need expensive low-frequency or MEMS sensors for slow eccentric shaft rotation.
- Impact noise: Crushing granite masks bearing defects in the spectrum; envelope analysis and filtering are mandatory and complex.
- Sensor survival: Sensors and cables on a vibrating, dirty machine fail from flying rock and constant shaking. Field maintenance is painful.
Artesis advantages on crushers
- Low speed is not a problem: Electrical analysis uses supply harmonics (50/60 Hz), not shaft RPM — it works on very slow equipment.
- Remote install: All hardware in a clean MCC room — no sensors on the crusher.
- Load sensitivity: Torque-based diagnosis catches process issues — material jam, liner wear, belt slip.
3. Comparison table
| Criterion | Bently (vibration) | Artesis (electrical) |
|---|---|---|
| Measurement | Direct mechanical on housing | Indirect electrical at MCC |
| Sensor location | On crusher (dirty zone) | Electrical room (clean zone) |
| Low speed (<300 RPM) | Poor without special sensors | High |
| Bearing diagnosis | Excellent if impact noise filtered | Good via torque pulsation, less localized |
| Process diagnosis | Limited | Excellent (jams, liner wear) |
| Installation | High (cable on vibrating machine) | Low (panel wiring) |
| Cost | High | Medium/low |
| Staff skill | Certified vibration analyst | More automated; ESA experience for edge cases |
4. Verdict
Choose Artesis when you want cost-effective health and process monitoring on slow, dirty jaw crushers without field sensors.
Choose Bently when System 1 is already deployed site-wide, or you need exact fault localization (e.g. inner race of a specific bearing) and will pay for low-frequency sensors and impact filtering.
Summary: For low-speed, shock-loaded jaw crushers, Artesis ESA usually beats traditional vibration on cost, reliability and low-RPM performance.
Consultation
Need help choosing monitoring for your jaw crushers?
- 📞 +7 717 264 08 69
- ✉️ info@keg-trk.kz
- 🌐 www.keg-trk.kz
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KEG TRK — Artesis and Bently in Kazakhstan.