Surface adaptation robot for defect detection by performing continuously an ultrasound wheel probe

This paper describes the design of an umbilical-free mobile non-destructive testing (NDT) climbing robot for industrial applications that is capable of inspecting oil tanks, pipelines, petro-chemical tanks, bridges, railways, etc. The mechanical design is based on being adapted itself to the surface (flat, convex and concave along a pipe or tank length and width). It can makes transitions between surfaces that have an angle up to sixty degrees between them. The robot is a wheeled mobile robot with magnetic adhesion forces optimised with flux concentrators. It is carrying a NDT wheel probe in order to detect weld defects, wall thickness and corrosion. The robot has an on-board the motion control system, the NDT flaw detector and the high frequency card; the entirely system can be controlled remotely from ground via wireless communication.