Design and development of a modular magnetic wheeled robot for out-pipe inspection

Abstract

This paper presents the design of a modular mobile robot capable of climbing and inspecting vertical ferromagnetic pipes using magnetic wheels. Mobile robots used for climbing ferromagnetic surfaces employ magnetic tracks, wheels, and magnets attached to the robot’s body. When it comes to ferromagnetic pipes, magnetic wheels and magnets attached to the body can be used. Among them, magnetic wheels are commonly used for inspecting ferromagnetic pipes. While current robots are suitable for large pipes, they are not practical for smaller ones. To address this gap, a small-sized robot equipped with a magnetic wheel system that ensures both strong attachment and smooth movement along vertical ferromagnetic surfaces is developed. The robot’s magnetic adhesion performance was analyzed through simulations using finite element method magnetics and validated through laboratory experiments. The results show an average error of only 8.25% between simulation and real-world tests, confirming the system’s reliability for external pipe inspection.