Robotic refurbishment of gate wheel tracks

This paper presents an innovative technique to repair head gate and spillway gate wheel tracks at a fraction of the cost and time usually required, without compromising quality. A small portable robot is used to rectify the wheel track to within very tight tolerances. This is accomplished by coupling the small and flexible robot to an accurate measurement system to scan the wheel track surface topography. Robotic grinding is then performed, using a controlled metal removal rate strategy to iterate toward the desired target profile. If required, a stainless steel plate can be welded over the existing track with an innovative method involving post-heat treatment and hammer peening. This particular welding procedure was developed due to the high carbon content of the steel of the existing track. The technique was successfully tested on a few occasions on gates owned by Rio Tinto Alcan and Hydro Quebec.