The wall-climbing mobile platform (MP) of a robot for repairing a hydraulic turbine blade onsite is developed. The MP is equipped with ferromagnetic adhesive devices and can work on a spatial curved surface. The contradiction between mobility and load-bearing ability is analyzed, and the problem of self-adaptation to the curved face is solved using differential-driven wheeled locomotion with ferromagnetic adhesive devices. The platform adheres to the blade surface through the force provided by the ferromagnetic devices, and a certain gap exists between the magnetic devices and the blade’s surface. A mechanism of three revolution degrees of freedom, which connects the magnetic devices with the platform’s chassis, is developed to make the platform self-adapt to the complex curved surface of the turbine blade. A proof-of-principle prototype has been manufactured, and experiments prove the success of the MP. The payload of the zero-turn-radius MP with excellent maneuverability exceeds 80 kg. The platform can automatically adapt to complex spatial surfaces, which satisfy the requirements of a hydraulic turbine blade in-situ repair robot.
GUI Zhongcheng, CHEN Qiang, SUN Zhenguo, ZHANG Wenzeng, LIU Kang
. Mobile platform for hydraulic turbine blade repair
robot[J]. Frontiers of Mechanical Engineering, 2008
, 3(2)
: 164
-169
.
DOI: 10.1007/s11465-008-0035-0
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