Smart Scraper in Tunneling

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE

Challenge

During tunnel construction, the belt conveyor plays a crucial role in transporting material, and if the excavated material is not continuously removed, construction work grinds to a halt. Every interruption to conveyor system immediately halts operations and has a significant economic impact on the entire project.

Compared with repairs on open space conveyors, repairs in tunnels are much more complex due to space constraints, greater access obstacles, long belt sections, and the elaborate safety and logistics measures required.

Technical challenges:
Extremely high stresses, sharp stone fragments, abrasive materials, and potential foreign bodies put a lot of stress on the rubber and steel components. The high volumes conveyed, along with the high belt speeds, result in elevated wear and a greater risk of damage.

Tricky localization and access:
Damage can extend over many hundreds of meters or occur inside the belt.
Removing or replacing large belt sections during tunnel construction is costly and time-consuming.

Solution

The STARCLEAN Smart Scraper S³ combines multiple modules (measuring roller, sim, secondary scraper, sensor modules, cloud) into a smart overall system that includes integrated belt damage detection.

Advantages during tunnel construction:

Early detection of damage during operation prevents unexpected stoppages during tunneling work. Precise localization of the problem enables targeted repairs in tunnel areas that are hard to reach. The ability to detect damage early makes it much easier to plan repair work, avoids unplanned stoppages, and reduces economic losses. This transforms the conveyor belt from a potential weak point into a monitored key component for tunnel construction.

To prevent these types of interruptions, the STARCLEAN® Smart Scraper System was installed as part of a large-scale tunnel construction project. The system continuously monitors a conveyor belt stretching for 24 kilometers (14.9 miles) and detects possible damage early.

During operation, the system detected a level 3 belt damage event, which indicated critical damage and required immediate action. The integrated automatic power-down option avoided any further deterioration of the damage. Simultaneously, an email notification immediately informed the maintenance team in real time. The damage was precisely localized at the 3,340.33 meter (10,959 feet) position with the help of an associated signal amplitude.

Thanks to the swift response, the affected belt section was promptly repaired, and the conveyor was able to resume operation in a matter of hours. This successfully avoided a production stoppage that could have lasted several days, involving the loss of kilometers of belt.

Damage data recorded:

Damage level: 3
Position: 3,340.33m

Possible system actions:

0 = no action
1 = trigger scraper
2 = activate relay
3 = trigger scraper and activate relay

Advantages

Early detection of critical damage – prevents major damage and prolonged stoppages
Minimized downtimes – repairs are completed within hours instead of several days of downtime
Increased operating reliability – the automatic power down protects against consequential damage and fire risks
Predictive maintenance based on real-time data instead of reactive intervention
Significant cost and time savings – enhanced system availability and process reliability in tunnel operation
Optimum and gentle conveyor belt cleaning

Material

Muck

Products

Smart Scraper

Industry:

Tunneling

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