Magnetic adhesion is widely used in wall climbing robots on ferromagnetic surfaces. The Ring and block Neodymium magnets provide the necessary adhesion in permanent magnet-based climbing robots. In this article, the effectiveness of ring and block magnets are analysed using FEMM. for various magnet configurations. The adhesion force generated by ring and block magnets of a similar volume is compared and analysed. The results showed that the adhesion of ring magnets increases with the thickness of magnets. The maximum adhesion achieved in various ring magnets was compared with the adhesion generated by the arrangement of block magnets for two standoff distances and it was found that the adhesion generated by the block magnets were better in both cases. The ring magnets have constant standoff distance as per the rubber coating used and this enables them to operate seamlessly on irregular surfaces while the block magnet configurations provide excellent payload capabilities. In summary, numerical simulation results provided an understanding of the areas where the ring magnets can be used and the areas where the block magnets serve the purpose better.
The focus of this work is to investigate the adhesion characteristics of a permanent magnet arrangement over ferromagnetic surfaces for wall climbing robot applications. The changes in wall thickness affect the adhesion characteristics of the robot, this in turn influences the payload and alters the operating conditions. The effect of varying the wall thickness on the adhesion strength of a wall-climbing robot is an area barely investigated and this is being explored in this work. A two-dimensional model of the adhesion mechanism and the ferromagnetic surface is developed and simulated in this study. The adhesion characteristics are studied for different thicknesses of the ferromagnetic surface with different grades of the magnet. Two different standoff distances which comprise the gap between the magnet and the surface to be inspected are investigated therein. Experimental studies are also carried out to measure the performance, and the results show a strong correlation with the simulation results. Simulation with experimental validation of magnetic adhesion presented will provide better insights into magnetic wall climbing systems.
Ferromagnetic surfaces in the industry such as Gas and oil tanks require periodical inspections for detection of cracks, corrosion, material degradation and welding defects. The workers carrying on these operations have to face hazardous environments and this process is time-consuming. A climbing robot would ease these processes by eliminating the risks of the employees and will improve the inspection time considerably. Thus, the magnetic adhesion remains a growing application area of research in mobile robots for non-destructive testing of various surfaces. Design of such robots requires equipping them with proper locomotion, adhesion mechanisms and the right adaptation for carrying the appropriate tools and sensors. This paper presents the survey of the magnetic systems for the wall climbing robots for inspection with the comprehensive detailing of classification, locomotion and its applications.
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