Breakthrough in Fatigue Monitoring Detects Rig Danger, Before You Even Leave the Dock
by Cyclops Marine 19 Nov 09:00 UTC
Breakthrough in Fatigue Monitoring Detects Rig Danger, Before You Even Leave the Dock © Cyclops Marine
What if you knew your rig was about to fail due to fatigue, before even boarding your yacht? You could simply book in for a service and get back to safe sailing as soon as possible.
Anyone who has experienced the danger of rig failure first hand, knows how valuable this advanced warning would be, preventing an extremely costly & dangerous accident, and potentially even saving lives.
Nominated for the DAME Design Award, breakthrough technology from Cyclops Marine empowers sailors with the foresight to protect their rigs. Once implemented, it will be embedded within Cyclops' existing range of sensors, multiplying the value of their market-leading load monitoring solutions, at no extra cost to sailors.
Revolutionising safety, service, and maintenance, the technology will also deliver higher resale values for yachts with proven fatigue data, and reduced insurance premiums for Cyclops-equipped sailors. For charter fleet operators, the System will help maintain high operational capacity.
Fatigue: The Invisible Threat
Existing load sensors currently monitor live rig loads, helping to avoid overloading in real-time, as sailors can take action before reaching maximum working loads. But rig failure often occurs due to gradual, invisible stress fractures. Over time, the mechanical properties of rigging degrade - hidden stress weakens key components - which can cause failure at lower loads. Cyclops' Fatigue Monitoring System assesses rig health & lifespan based on comprehensive load data, collected over time.
Making The Invisible Visible: How it Monitors Rig Health
By integrating new firmware directly into Cyclops' existing range, the System uses well-established & internationally recognised algorithms to process the same load data in a new way - storing fatigue data within the sensor, which is then analysed and displayed intuitively in the Cyclops App.
Fatigue accumulates over time in load cycles, and every structure has a defined load cycle limit it can withstand. During installation, the breaking load of the rigging (supplied by the manufacturer) is entered into the app, tailoring the system to the rigging.
When the data is displayed in the app, if there is a clear gap between the cycles and the curve, the user can continue uninterrupted sailing, with reassurance that their rigging is not nearing its limit.
A New Era For Safety, Service and Maintenance
Currently, owners negate fatigue with a service schedule based on rigging age and mileage. This has major limitations - ignoring variations in sailing style, weather, boat type, and changing payloads. Riggers occasionally use methods like x-ray to provide a snapshot of rig health, but apart from being a very expensive way to assess fatigue, it does not provide an ongoing picture and is not accessible to the ordinary sailor at their leisure. The Fatigue Monitoring System will replace these methods with a new level of accuracy, practicality, and cost-effectiveness, based on actual usage data, at the owner's fingertips.
Like a car service indicator, the System empowers sailors to take data-driven preventative action to ensure safety and peace of mind. Equally, monitoring rig health extends the lifespan of equipment and saves owners time and money. With an optimised service schedule based on real usage, rather than more arbitrary factors like age or mileage, owners avoid unnecessary maintenance, service, and premature replacement.
For its intelligent integration and potentially industry-changing impact, Cyclops Marine's Fatigue Monitoring System has been nominated for the prestigious DAME Design Award. The system will be on display alongside fellow nominees in Hall 13 (Elicium) at METSTRADE 2024.
If you're visiting METSTRADE, head to the Cyclops stand (Hall 3, Stand 03.211) to learn more. Or contact one of the experts.