Magnetic Part Design of Pipe-Surface Inspection Robot

In this paper, we propose a pipe-surface inspection robot to move automatically along the outside of piping. In dangerous heights, etc., in which a human cannot work, a pipe inspection robot is needed. In recent years, robots designed to inspect the surface of piping have been realised by various manufacturing industries, and are in practical use as mechanical pipe inspection devices in various plants. Some of the robots are equipped with ultrasonic diagnostic equipment that can measure the thickness of the piping along its surface. However, most robots are able to move by manual operation only. Such robots cannot be applied to pipes with flanges and valves, etc. We have designed a mechanism that enables robots to traverse flanges, rise along vertical flanges, and move along the underside of the piping. The proposed robot is composed of three connected units