The Design and Analysis of a Tunnel Retro-Reflective Ring Climbing and Cleaning Robot

Abstract

In response to the challenges posed by the difficult cleaning of tunnel retro-reflective rings and the unsuitability of existing climbing robots for ascending tunnel retro-reflective rings, a tunnel retro-reflective ring cleaning robot is proposed. Firstly, based on the analysis of the operational and environmental characteristics and functional requirements inside the tunnel, the design and planning of the robot’s main framework, motion system, cleaning mechanism, and intelligent detection system are conducted to evaluate its walking ability under various working conditions, such as aluminum plate overlaps and rivet protrusions. Subsequently, stability analysis is performed on the robot. The static analysis explored conditions that can make the climbing robot stable, the dynamic analysis obtained the minimum driving torque and finally, verified the stability of the robot through experiments. After that, by changing the material and thickness of the main framework for deformation simulation analysis, the optimal parameters to optimize the design of the main framework are found. Finally, the three factors affecting the cleaning effect of the robot are discussed by the response surface method, and single factor analysis and response surface regression analysis are carried out, respectively. The mathematical regression model of the three factors is established and the best combination of the three factors is found. The cleaning effect is best when the cleaning disc pressure is 5.101 N, the walking wheel motor speed is 36.93 rad/min, and the cleaning disc motor speed is 38.252 rad/min. The development of this machine can provide equipment support for the cleaning of tunnel retro-reflective rings, reducing the requirement of manpower and material resources.