Kinematic modeling and stability analysis for a wind turbine blade inspection robot

Abstract

Robots are used to conduct non-destructive defect detection on wind turbine blades (WTBs) and to monitor their integrity over time. However, current inspection robots are often bulky and heavy, and struggle to detect defects in the blade’s main beam, thus presenting difficulties in portability and effectiveness. To address these issues, we designed a wheel-wing composite robot equipped with a curved surface-adaptive phased array ultrasonic detection device for the detection of defects in the WTB’s main beam. We determined the pose equation under different section characteristics and identified the robot’s stable range of motion, thus developing a model of its kinematics. A detection device adapted for variable curvature surfaces was designed to ensure tight coupling between the robot’s probe and the blade. Additionally, element differential and least-square ellipse-fitting methods were employed to analyze blades with irregular sections. The simulation results demonstrated that the prototype can stably traverse an area with a vertical angle of ±14.06° at a speed of 0.25 m/s, fully covering the main beam area of the blade during walking operations. Moreover, the robot can scan the main beam area at a speed of 0.10 m/s, enabling the accurate detection of defects.