The Design and Performance Investigation of a Split Four-Track Water-Jet Cleaning Robot for Steel Gate Panels

Steel gates are widely used in river and sea engineering to ensure water retention and flow regulation. Due to the attachment and the alternation of dry and wet environments, water retention easily causes corrosion and destruction, while the attachment is mainly cleaned manually at present. Based on stable adsorption, wall adaptability, and movement ability, a split four-track cleaning robot was developed. The split structure combined with a body swing and torsion mechanism can increase the degree of freedom of attitude adjustment and realize stable crawling of the curved panel. Considering the impact force of the water jet during cleaning, mechanical analysis of robot instability and driving torque on a curved surface was constructed to solve the problem of safe adsorption and flexible movement. A remote control system is constructed to complete the cleaning operation, and the coordination relationship between cleaning and crawling speed is analyzed. The performance test results show that the robot can crawl flexibly and stably on a curved surface, and the crawling speed can be greater than 0.052 m/s when the load is less than 5 kg. A continuous cleaning process has an obvious effect on silt and shellfish attachments, and the robot can meet the actual operational needs. The design process can help in the development of this kind of robot.