When mobile concrete pumps are in use, sudden pressure surges create significant safety and cost risks. A newly developed IoT solution enables continuous monitoring of critical pipeline parameters and supports early fault detection. This helps prevent downtime, optimize operations, and improve occupational safety.
The expert for this is Perinet GmbH, which implements an end-to-end infrastructure from the field level to IT (including the cloud) based on standards. This allows for direct, smart, and secure integration of sensors and actuators with the cloud, the internet, and company IT.
The challenge: risks from overpressure in concrete pumps
When pouring foundations, constructing floor slabs, or casting large floor areas, construction companies use fresh liquid concrete. It is a time critical and sensitive material that must be processed immediately upon delivery. To do this, companies deploy mobile concrete pumps that convey fresh concrete precisely, even to hard to reach areas of the site.
Critical situations can arise when blockages form in the delivery lines, for example due to excessive flow rates, high concrete viscosity, or foreign objects in the line. In such cases, high line pressure can build up within a short time and discharge abruptly. Pressure monitoring of concrete pumps is therefore essential.
In addition to endangering people and equipment, economic damage occurs through construction delays, repair costs, and the loss of fresh concrete, which can only be processed to a limited extent. Unplanned disruptions also affect scheduling and increase coordination effort on site.
A construction machinery manufacturer therefore sought a robust, mobile, and reliable solution for pressure monitoring of concrete pumps. The goal was to detect overpressure incidents at an early stage to minimize safety risks while avoiding downtime. Together with partner companies, Perinet developed a solution that enables effective pressure monitoring of concrete pumps.
Challenges at a Glance
- Fresh concrete must be processed without delay.
- Blockages in delivery lines cause dangerous pressure spikes.
- Accidents and downtime lead to high costs and time loss.
- A lack of transparency makes machine data monitoring difficult.
The solution: a targeted approach with IoT components
Early detection of overpressure incidents reduces safety risks and prevents downtime. Perinet implemented the application with the HUCKEPACK system, which continuously evaluates vehicle data such as hydraulic pressure. Unlike conventional solutions, it relies on end to end digital sensing with edge computing functionality and real time data processing directly on the vehicle.
Early detection of faults
The HUCKEPACK system enables early detection of blockages before they reach critical levels. It also integrates into existing operating processes, creating the basis for a comprehensive maintenance and diagnostics system for pressure monitoring in concrete pumps.
Measurement values are transmitted via Single Pair Ethernet, which enables particularly simple cabling and reliable data transmission over long distances at high speed. Data is captured by edge devices and stored locally. This ensures immediate availability even with limited network connectivity.
Critical pressure increases trigger alarms that are displayed visually and transmitted to the control center. All communication is TLS encrypted, which ensures a high level of data security. The system operates fully autonomously and can be integrated into new and existing vehicles with minimal installation effort. Power is supplied by the vehicle battery. This reduces the effort for wiring and installation.
Technical foundation and system components
The pressure monitoring system for concrete pumps consists of two components. periNODE adapters capture line pressure directly at the hydraulics. The data is transmitted to a periMICA Edge Computer, which stores it locally and visualizes it in a web based dashboard.
The periNODE Smart Adapter integrates sensors and actuators seamlessly into an existing IT infrastructure. As an intelligent adapter, it turns passive sensors and actuators into active network participants that can communicate directly with your IT systems via Single Pair Ethernet. It is suitable for a wide range of IoT and IIoT use cases in industrial environments using the MQTT protocol.
The periMICA Edge Computer is a platform with a flexible, modular approach. Depending on the application, different hardware modules and software apps can be combined from a building block system and extended with your own hardware and software elements. This enables a tailored solution for any requirement.
Using Single Pair Ethernet allows higher sampling rates, which significantly improves the quality and explanatory power of the measurement data. Functionality is maintained even under harsh operating conditions such as strong vibrations, dust exposure, or extreme temperatures, which contributes to higher operational continuity. Elaborate protective housings are not required, since the system components are mechanically robust.
Extensibility and cloud connectivity
The collected condition data is sent via a cellular gateway to a cloud database, where it enables long term analytics. Consistent data storage provides complete documentation of pumping activity, enabling comparison of historical and current data.
This helps prevent downtime and increases the reliability of the concrete pumps. It enables early detection of inefficient operating phases, for example frequent start stop cycling of the pumps, and helps reduce energy consumption.
Companies can also identify patterns of typical wear processes and operational fluctuations. Analysis allows continuous improvement of maintenance strategies and more precise alignment of maintenance intervals. This yields insights for preventive maintenance and operations optimization.
The result: insights from real world use
The combination of easy integration, robust technology, and strong data security makes the solution economically attractive. The base configuration per vehicle costs less than a single damage incident. Smaller companies with manageable fleets also benefit from greater safety and reduced downtime.
The technology in use is regarded as market leading and opens up applications in other industries such as pulp and paper, water management, and vehicle manufacturing. The project demonstrates how targeted IoT integration reduces safety risks and optimizes operations.
In the long term, the system supports the development of data driven service models. One example is condition based maintenance plans. The system automatically analyzes the operating time and load of individual components and proactively suggests maintenance dates.
Summary of results
- Early warnings for critical pressure values.
- Seamless integration into new and existing vehicles.
- Increased operational safety with minimal installation effort.
- Long term optimization of maintenance processes.
