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Design and optimization of a magnetic wheel for a grit-blasting robot for use on ship hulls

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2015

Zhengyi Xu ,
Yu Xie ,
Ke Zhang ,
Yongqiang Hu ,
Xiaopeng Zhu  and
Hao Shi
Zhengyi Xu
Affiliation:
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Materials Laser Processing and Modification, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P. R. China
Yu Xie
Affiliation:
Shanghai Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding(Group) Co., Ltd, Shanghai, P. R. China
Ke Zhang*
Affiliation:
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Materials Laser Processing and Modification, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P. R. China
Yongqiang Hu
Affiliation:
Shanghai Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding(Group) Co., Ltd, Shanghai, P. R. China
Xiaopeng Zhu
Affiliation:
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Materials Laser Processing and Modification, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P. R. China
Hao Shi
Affiliation:
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Materials Laser Processing and Modification, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P. R. China
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]
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Summary

This paper describes an optimized magnetic wheel solution for use in a novel grit-blasting robot intended to be used on the hulls of ships. The grit-blasting robot was designed for conducting surface operations on newly-built ships in dry yards. It can be adapted to curvatures of up to 0.833 m−1; can achieve a total payload of 120 kg and can also be steered. The proposed magnetic wheel solution for robots with such payloads and surface adaptability has not been seen in previous work.

As the magnetic force acting on a magnetic wheel is very sensitive to the working conditions, a mathematical model was built to derive the exact force requirements taking into account the mechanical structure of the robot and its disposition on the ship's hull. In this paper, the design of the wheels was optimized based on the model. Wheels were manufactured according to the optimized results and a prototype robot was constructed. The design was then validated using locomotion tests.

Keywords

Grit-blasting robotMagnetic wheelShip hullsSurface conditionMagnetostatic simulation
Type
Articles
Information
Robotica , Volume 35 , Issue 3 , March 2017 , pp. 712 - 728
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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