WearMetrics^TM is Motion Metrics's solution to Tooth-wear Monitoring problem. It provides the necessary information to operators and mine engineers regarding the wear of the shovel teeth. Operators see the wear status of the teeth in real-time on Motion Metrics's display in front of them and mine engineers receive a detailed report including the history of wear change in a file.



Continued operation with worn shovel teeth reduces the effectiveness and efficiency of the shovel, resulting in increased cutting forces, longer fill times, and an increased likelihood of missing teeth or adaptors. To prevent loss of productivity due to tooth failure, careful monitoring of the shovel teeth and an optimal change-out strategy is crucial. An unplanned changeout can result in up to two-hours of unexpected downtime. According to a 2009 case study of an American copper mine, when factoring in the opportunity cost of lost production, an unplanned change-out of shovel teeth can cost the mine 13.8 times more than a planned change-out.

With WearMetrics^TM, the shovel teeth status is logged at periodic intervals, allowing the mine manager to review the history of tooth-wearing on a specific shovel. The information is stored on the system memory in an open ".CSV" format, which can be easily accessed using Microsoft Excel^TM. By analyzing the data and trends in the wear rate of the shovel teeth, the change-out strategy can be optimized to maximize shovel productivity, while minimizing maintenance costs.


The WearMetrics^TM system continuously monitors each tooth on the shovel dipper, providing the mine management and the shovel operator with valuable feedback on the status of the shovel. The system uses a rugged camera mounted on the shovel with a clear view of the dipper and implements advanced image processing algorithms to automatically monitor the shovel tooth-wear status. A toothline indicator, displayed on the user-friendly system display, provides the shovel operator with instantaneous visual feedback on the status of each shovel tooth.