SEEBALUCK KAVISH

1214517
Beng (Hons.) Mechatronics Engineering
Level 4
Supervised By: Mrs R. Ramjug Ballgobin
 Introduction
Problem Definition
Aim and Objectives
Existing Models
Proposed Design
Design and Implementation
Prototype
Problem Encountered
Further Works and Improvements
Conclusion
 Construction of concrete structure such as skyscrapers
and bridges has gained ground throughout the past
decades. However with age even concrete gets
degraded resulting in cracks.(to modify)

To perform inspection on those cracks, massive

scaffolding are required.

It is important to ensure human health and safety when

performing inspection in dangerous and inaccessible
sites.

NDT such as ultrasonic method and infrared

thermography are the usual ways of inspecting crack on
concrete structures.
 At certain height it becomes
difficult to perform inspection
which might lead to poor
results.

Scaffolding required to
perform these inspection are
costly.

Operators might be at risk of

falling and being injured while
performing inspection.
 Aim: To design and implement a wall climbing robot
that will be able to inspect cracks on vertical concrete
walls surface.

Objectives:
Operate on both smooth and rough surfaces.
Moves at a climbing speed of at least 1m/min.
Can be controlled remotely.
Able to process results instantaneously.
Minimise weight of robot.
Stable when at stationary position on vertical walls.
Stable motion during ascend and descend.
 Adhesion Mechanism Advantages
Magnetic Adhesion High payload
Vacuum suction High payload
Weak Van Der Waals force Low power consumption
Electro adhesive principle Low power consumption
Aerodynamic attraction Fast climbing speed

Ultrasonic method Infrared Thermography method

Accelerometer
and Gyroscope
EDF

RF Receiver Microcontroller
DC Motor

Ultrasonic
Sensor

Display
Camera Wi-Fi
Device
 Forces
Force of Friction: Ff
Suction Force: Fs
Weight: Fmg
Reaction Forces: N1,2,3
Mass: 800g
Wheel diameter: 65mm
h and r: 70mm
 From previous Figure:
Solving forces along the Z axis:
Fs = N = N1,2 + N3 (1)
Solving forces along the Y axis:
Fmg = Ff = N (2)
Taking moment about point X:
rFs = h Fmg + (2r)*N/3 (3)
Ff = N (4)
Ff = Fmg (5)
Replacing equation 4 into 5
N = Fmg/ (6)
Replacing equation 6 into 3
Fs = hFmgr+ 3r(2r) (7)
h = 70mm, r = 70mm, Fmg = 7.85N and = 0.8
Solving the following equations yeild to:

Fs = 14.39N FT > 19.36N

 For the robot to adhere to the
wall. A traction force (FT),
according to equation 8, is
required to move the robot
on vertical walls.
FT > N + Fmg (8)
FT > 19.36N
Therefore a 12V DC Motor is
selected for driving
mechanism (28rpm)
Differential Drive is used to
drive robot.
Winchester Models For EDF
 Required suction = 14. 39N
Assumption: Fan diameter is 70mm
 Referring to Figure, Air
enters the blades at angle 1
at a relative velocity w1 at R1
and leaves at an angle 2 at a
relative velocity w2 at R2.
For an axial fan the velocities
Vm1 and Vm2 are almost
equal.
v1and v2 are the absolute
velocity air enters and leaves
the fan.
The radial components are
Figure: Velocity triangle ( William. C) vm1 and vm2 whilst vu2 is
the tangential component of
v2. The outer velocity of the
impeller is u2 = wr2
 Using fan velocity triangle from previous slide,
rotational speed of EDF may be calculated.
Assuming Vm1 = Vm2
To create a pressure of 3739Pa, a rotational speed of
35000 rpm is required.
As a safety factor, a tolerance of 15% is taken resulting
in a rotational speed of 40000rpm
An EDF rated 3000KV (44400rpm) of diameter 70mm
was selected.
Power consumption of fan is approximately 375W.
 Calculated value of static pressure is 4435 Pa and the
minimum static pressure obtained from the simulation is
5122Pa (101325 96203). There is a difference of 14% between
calculated and simulated value since during calculation
efficiency was taken to be 86%.
The maximum displacement that occurs on the
structure is 0.3885 m as illustrated above.
Selected 4s LiPo battery consists of four cells connected in
series
The LiPo battery consists of a balancer circuit through
which all the cells are connected in series.
We can make use of the balancer circuit to monitor the
voltage of battery as shown in Figure above.
 Ultrasonic
Sensor Microcontroller

LiPo
Battery

DC Motor and
EDF 65mm Wheel

ESC and Dual

DC Motor
Driver
 Problem Encountered
Chassis vibrates, hence inspection
results are affected and MPU6050
catches noise.
Sometime robot deviates from
original position due uneven
distribution of pressure from EDF.
Robot might not move in a straight
path due to asynchronous motion
of the DC Motors
Solutions
Make use of damping materials
such
as foam between chassis and
components.
Use of position sensor to measure
initial position of robot.
Implementation of a PI control to
make sure each motor is rotating at
the same speed.
 Use of computer vision to detect cracks.
Implementation of PI control for uniform motion
on wall.
Damping materials should be used on the chassis
to isolate components from vibration.
Raspberry Pi instead of Arduino microcontroller
should be used so as to avoid conflicts between
libraries.
A four-wheel drive mechanism should be used
in order to allow the robot to move faster and
accommodate more payloads.
 Most of the objectives for this project were achieved
during implementation. It was also possible to control
the robot remotely to move up and down and rotate
to desired position.
A Wi-Fi camera was used to transmit live results for
inspection. Whenever the robot stopped at a specific
point on the wall, it was able to stay stable.
The climbing speed of the robot was approximately
4m/min.
The total weight of the robot was approximately 900g
and it had the capacity to carry an additional payload
of 500g.