Design and experiment of climbing robot for steel I-beam girder inspection

Purpose Regular inspection of steel I-beam girders is crucial to ensure structural safety. This study aims to develop a four-wheeled climbing robot capable of traversing typical obstacles on girders, including 20-mm high steps, concave and convex corners and 10-mm thick edges. Design/methodology/approach The robot features a configuration adjustment mechanism, consisting of lead screws and linkages, which allows the wheelbase to adjust for traversing various obstacles. The authors analyze the mechanical and geometric constraints necessary for the robot to traverse these obstacles. Finally, the robot’s feasibility is validated through laboratory and field tests. Findings The experimental results show that the robot achieves a load capacity exceeding 5 kg and successfully traverses the obstacles mentioned above. Meanwhile, the results confirm the validity of the proposed mechanical and geometric constraints. Originality/value Compared to previous studies, the robot can traverse a wider variety of obstacle types and sizes. The authors introduced a steering mechanism that combines multi-joint steering with differential steering, enhancing the four-wheeled robot’s steering flexibility. The proposed analysis of mechanical and geometric constraints provides theoretical support for the future design of climbing robots.