Abstract
Weld detection is vital to the quality of ship construction and navigation safety, and numerous detection robots have been developed and widely applied. Focusing on the current bottleneck of robot safety, efficiency, and intelligent detection, this paper developed a wall-climbing robot that integrates multiple sensors and uses fluorescent magnetic powder for nondestructive testing. We designed a moving mechanism that can safely move on a curved surface and a serial-parallel hybrid flexible detection mechanism that incorporates a force sensor to solve the robot’s safe adsorption and a flexible detection of the curved surface to complete the flaw detection operation. We optimized the system structure and improved the overall performance of the robot by establishing a unified mechanical model for different operating conditions. Based on the collected sensor information, a multi-degree of freedom component collaborative flexible detection method with a standard detecting process was developed to complete efficient, high-quality detection. Results showed that the developed wall-climbing robot can move safely and steadily on the complex facade and can complete the flaw detection of wall welds.
Highlights
Steel assembly welding is the main technology in hull construction; numerous welds will be generated
The fluorescent magnetic particle testing technology can adapt to a complex, harsh environment, and quickly display the position and size of the defect shape [3,4,5], which is the most commonly nondestructive testing widely used in the ship maintenance [6]
We develop a wall-climbing robot system for fluorescent magnetic particle testing to meet the
Summary
Steel assembly welding is the main technology in hull construction; numerous welds will be generated. Combining wall-climbing robot technology and the fluorescent magnetic particle testing technology, designing a detection robot that can replace manual operations has become the key to speeding up equipment replacement and process upgrade in the field of ship inspection and repair, and is a research hotspot in robot technology [7,8,9,10]. The design of an adaptive flexible detection mechanism and the accurate measurement method of lifting force without displacement are the keys to ensure the validity of detection results. We propose an array-type permanent magnet adsorption wheel, which uses a mechanical structure to improve the effective utilization of magnetic force and the safe, stable movement of the robot on the space wall.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
