Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a portable non‐destructive testing (NDT) robotic arm that can be carried by climbing and walking robots (CLAWAR). The arm is required to maintain, during a scanning trajectory, a desired NDT probe contact force and orientation to evaluate defects in geometrically complex industrial infrastructure and products such as turbine blades.Design/methodology/approachA seven‐axis arm transportable by CLAWAR was developed to deploy NDT probes with suitable dexterity. It was equipped with a force sensor to scan a complex shape by keeping the NDT probe normal to the surface while maintaining a constant contact force with it. Two approaches were used. One used permanent magnet adhesion to obtain secure contact while the other used position‐force‐moment (PFM) feedback to adapt the arm.FindingsTests were performed on turbine blades with eddy‐current inspection techniques to assess the quality of defect data using manual inspection and automated inspection. Significant improvements in the quality of inspection were observed when using robotic scanning as compared to manual inspection.Practical implicationsThe results have practical implications for the remote inspection of very large infrastructures such as petrochemical storage tanks, bridges, pressure vessels, etc. or where the inspection is performed in hazardous environments and the test surface is not known a priori with any accuracy.Originality/valueThe work is a novel application of the PFM control of a seven‐axis robot arm to scan unknown contoured surfaces to ensure reliable NDT data acquisition at scanning speeds of up to 0.5 mm s−1.
Highlights
Robotic system for inspection of test objects with unknown geometry using NDT methods Alina-A Brenner, Tariq
Wall-climbing robots are increasingly employed to provide access to large vertical structures to evaluate the condition of the structure using Non-Destructive Technology
The wall-climbing robot, in combination with a scanning robot arm, can operate on structures with more complex geometry and provide accuracy; thereby creating a flexible all-round inspection system which can adapt to diverse environments
Summary
Robotic system for inspection of test objects with unknown geometry using NDT methods Alina-A Brenner, Tariq. Many industrial NDT applications, such as on aircraft structures, nuclear pressure vessels, off-shore oil platforms, large bridges, hulls of ships or chemical storage tanks, etc., require climbing and walking robots so that access to structures in hazardous environments can be provided. Automation promises to improve the quality of defect data and detection by utilising the greater repeatability, accuracy and rigidity of robots.
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