Multi-Objective Design Optimization of the Leg Mechanism for a Piping Inspection Robot

TL;DR

This paper presents a multi-objective optimization approach to design an adaptive leg mechanism for a piping inspection robot, balancing size minimization and force transmission in nuclear plant environments.

Contribution

It introduces a multi-objective optimization method for selecting the best mechanism architecture and parameters considering environmental and design constraints.

Findings

Optimal mechanism designs on the Pareto front are identified.

Trade-offs between size and force transmission are analyzed.

CAD models of selected solutions are provided.

Abstract

This paper addresses the dimensional synthesis of an adaptive mechanism of contact points ie a leg mechanism of a piping inspection robot operating in an irradiated area as a nuclear power plant. This studied mechanism is the leading part of the robot sub-system responsible of the locomotion. Firstly, three architectures are chosen from the literature and their properties are described. Then, a method using a multi-objective optimization is proposed to determine the best architecture and the optimal geometric parameters of a leg taking into account environmental and design constraints. In this context, the objective functions are the minimization of the mechanism size and the maximization of the transmission force factor. Representations of the Pareto front versus the objective functions and the design parameters are given. Finally, the CAD model of several solutions located on the Pareto front are presented and discussed.