Скачать или смотреть Sub-centimeter pipeline inspection robot

Abstract

In complex systems like aircraft engines and oil refinery machines, pipeline inspection is an essential task for ensuring safety. Here, we proposed a type of smart material–driven pipeline inspection robot (weight, 2.2 grams; length, 47 millimeters; diameter, less than 10 millimeters) that could fit into pipes with sub-centimeter diameters and different curvatures. We adopted high–power density, long-life dielectric elastomer actuators as artificial muscles and smart composite microstructure–based, high-efficiency anchoring units as transmissions. Fast assembling of components using magnets with an adjustable number of units was used to fit varying pipeline geometries. We analyzed the dynamic characteristics of the robots by considering soft material’s unique properties like viscoelasticity and dynamic vibrations and tuned the activation voltage’s frequency and phase accordingly. Powered by tethered cables from outside the pipe, our peristaltic pipeline robot achieved rapid motions horizontally and vertically (horizontal: 1.19 body lengths per second, vertical: 1.08 body lengths per second) in a subcentimeter-sized pipe (diameter, 9.8 millimeters). Besides, it was capable of moving in pipes with varying geometries (diameter-changing pipe, L-shaped pipe, S-shaped pipe, or spiral-shaped pipe), filled media (air or oil), and materials (glass, metal, or carbon fiber). To demonstrate its capability for pipeline inspection, we installed a miniature camera on its front and controlled the robot manually from outside. The robot successfully finished an inspection task at different speeds.

Movie S1 Fast assembly of two types of pipeline robots.
Movie S2 Motion of the 3D flextensional motion amplification structure at different frequencies and its weight withstanding capability.
Movie S3 Comparison of the pipeline robot driven by 1 Hz sinusoidal wave and 1 Hz square wave.
Movie S4 Comparison of the pipeline robot driven by 100 Hz sinusoidal wave with different phases.
Movie S5 Motion of Type-A robot in a horizontal, straight pipeline at different frequencies.
Movie S6 Motion of Type-A robot in a vertical, straight pipeline at 1 Hz and 100 Hz.
Movie S7 Motion of Type-A robot in a straight pipeline filled with insulating oil.
Movie S8 Motion of Type-A robot in a diameter-changing (10 mm-9 mm-10 mm) pipeline.
Movie S9 Motion of Type-A robot in a pipeline made of carbon fiber.
Movie S10 The demonstration of the pipeline robot equipped with a camera
conducting a simulated inspection task in a metal pipe.
Movie S11 Bidirectional motion of Type-B robot in a horizontal, straight pipeline.
Movie S12 Motion of Type-B robot in an S-shaped pipeline.
Movie S13 Motion of Type-B robot in an L-shaped pipeline.
Movie S14 Motion of Type-B robot in a spiral pipeline.

Chao Tang, Boyuan Du, Songwen Jiang, Qi Shao, Xuguang Dong, Xin-Jun Liu, and Huichan Zhao. A pipeline inspection robot for navigating tubular environments in the sub-centimeter scale. Science Robotics. 25 May 2022. Vol 7, Issue 66.
DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.abm8597