Design of Adsorption Track Wheel for Underwater Wall-climbing Robot

Abstract

The integrate of underwater structure of dams and bridges are very important for the safety of the projects. However, due to the complex flow field near the underwater structure, it is a challenge for the underwater robot to maintain stable near the underwater structures when performing inspection tasks. Moreover, it is difficult for underwater robots to absorb on the surface of underwater structures due to rough surface. This paper proposes a design of an adsorption track wheel for underwater wall-climbing robot, which combines the swirl suction cup and track wheel. The relationship between the water flow velocity, the wall gap and the suction cup adsorption force are analyzed. The influence of the surface curvature diameter of the structure and the diameter of the suction cup on the suction force is explored, and the structure of the suction cup is optimized to resist the influence of the water flow on the suction cup as much as possible while considering the flow velocity. After the suction cup improved, a prototype is designed and built. The final experiment demonstrates that the track wheel can provide sufficient adsorption force and friction force, which helps the structure to resist the water flow velocity up to 2.5m/s. Finally, it proposes the track wheel prototype can provide stable adsorption on the surface of underwater buildings for complex flow field.