Pipeline systems can degrade over time for a variety of reasons. Pipeline Cleaning Robot are made to operate in hazardous or labor-intensive settings without the need for human intervention, as well as in difficult-to-reach areas. Nevertheless, you will discover that such robots are far too costly if you check at their pricing.
The goal of this project is to build a different sort of robot for pipeline inspection. Because we believe that having a robot that is both more affordable and capable of adapting its construction to the pipe diameter is useful.
Our task is to modify this robot so that it may be used with two sliding mechanisms to accommodate diameters ranging from 260mm to 390mm.
Brutine Mechatronics: VUB/ULB/ERASMUS Project
Members of the team:
- Myimana Dushimyi François
- Houban Houda
- Soumia Khoulali
- Simon Martin
- Ziao Zhao
First, we used CATIA V5 to create a simple design. The robot is made up of two independent sliding mechanisms that are mounted on a PVC core tube. Every sliding mechanism consists of three legs that are fastened to a cylindrical collar and connected by a tiny connection to the sliding cylinder.
A spring enables both the compression and extension movements to glide. Therefore, the diameter of the robot reduces as the legs are squeezed. Robotic extension occurs when this compressive force is released. The electrical component holder, shaped like a long collar, is located between the two mechanisms.
Two highly geared DC motors operate each of the two front legs in our design, which is seen in the above photographs. Since the front legs are strong enough to power the entire machine, the back legs are motor-free.
Tiny controller
One Arduino Uno (any model would do)
Drive Controller
H-Bridge (L298N) 22AWG, one unit 220V SMD Rework Soldering Station Power Supply for Solid Core Wire
Four 9-volt batteries: two for the motors and one for the Arduino
Additional Electronics
Two 12-volt DC motors
DPDT Power switch toggle switch
Slide switch SPDT (Input from user)
Heat-Resistant Tubing
Hardware
Six links that were laser-cut (the motor links differ somewhat from the other links).
Six printed PLA tiny links
Double Collars, printed
Two printed translational components
One printed electronic components holder
Strong, two-row springs (printed)
Two printed motor-wheel pins.
4 printed link-wheel pins
Two motor bushings (printed)
Four 7 mm bearings
Eighteen three-millimetre bolts
Seven 2.5 mm bolts
Seven zip ties
Six pairs of plastic wheels on robot tyres
One x end stopper
Fourteen x 2.5 mm PGP fasteners
36 x 3 mm bolts
Fourteen x 2.5mm nuts
50 pieces of 3 mm shims
One 40mm PVC pipe
Tools
Drill press and electric drill (along with many more bits)
Cutting laser and 3D printer
Soldering using a hacksaw Pliers made of iron
Allen wrench
Various screwdrivers
Strippers of Wire
Clamp Multimeter with Ruler
An H-Bridge chip (L298N) serves as the foundation for the motor controller we constructed for this robot. Each motor using this chip needs two inputs to operate (the motor will turn if one of the H-bridge’s two pins is HIGH and the other is LOW, or the opposite if the two pins are flipped).
You now have to regulate these motors’ precise velocities. This may be accomplished by applying a lower voltage to the Arduino’s “HIGH” pin, understanding that any voltage more than 5V would result in the same motor velocity.
We use 22AWG solid core wires to build connections and solder all of the electrical components in the holder once they are fixed.
The Arduino is powered by a 9V stack. It shares a commonality with the three 9V stacks in sequence.
Three 9V stacks are utilised in sequence to generate a supply of 27V, which powers the H-bridge and the motors.
Among the most crucial components of this robot are its legs, whose construction dictates whether or not it can bear the pressure from the pipe and the weight of the engine. We chose to have two of the six legs each driven by a single motor, while the remaining four legs utilise roller bearings for less friction.
