Hammer mills are critical assets in mining operations, where unexpected bearing failures can result in significant production losses. This presentation showcases a real-world case study from a New South Wales mining operation where airborne ultrasound monitoring identified the early stages of a non-drive end bearing failure well before conventional condition monitoring techniques would typically provide actionable warning.

Using routine ultrasound trending, a progressive increase in decibel levels and characteristic bearing sound changes indicated developing internal damage, enabling maintenance teams to schedule a planned replacement and avoid an unplanned eight-hour production outage. The intervention delivered an estimated net saving of AUD $8,000 while preventing secondary equipment damage.

The session will demonstrate why ultrasound is particularly effective for monitoring hammer mills and other high-impact, noisy assets where vibration analysis can be difficult to interpret due to dominant structural and process-related noise.

Key topics include:

• The operating challenges of monitoring hammer mill bearings.
• Ultrasound inspection methodology and trending techniques.
• Interpretation of decibel trends and acoustic characteristics for early fault detection.
• Comparison of ultrasound and vibration analysis in high-impact applications.
• Root cause investigation, corrective actions, and lessons learned.
• Quantifying maintenance value through avoided downtime and cost savings.
• Practical recommendations for implementing ultrasound-based predictive maintenance programs in mining and heavy industry.

Attendees will gain practical insights into how ultrasound can provide earlier, clearer indications of bearing degradation, allowing maintenance teams to intervene before failures occur and improve equipment reliability in some of the industry's most challenging operating environments.