Eventos Anais de eventos
COBEM 2021
26th International Congress of Mechanical Engineering
A Methodology to Field Testing Friction Between Aluminum Wires and Wheels of Cable Riding Robots
Submission Author:
Marina Baldissera de Souza , SC , Brazil
Co-Authors:
Marina Baldissera de Souza, Gustavo Fernandes, Rodrigo de Souza Vieira, Lauro Nicolazzi, Roberto Kinceler
Presenter: Marina Baldissera de Souza
doi://10.26678/ABCM.COBEM2021.COB2021-0890
Abstract
The failure of any electrical component of overhead power lines may lead to the inefficiency or even to the complete interruption of energy distribution. Robotic systems for inspecting overhead power lines have been designed in an attempt to automate the inspection process and make it faster and more reliable. Most of the robotic systems rely on wheels to move along the conductors of overhead lines. Thus, the friction coefficient of the contact wheel-wire plays a fundamental role for the proper design of those robots. Preventing slippage in both dry and wet conditions, precisely selecting traction motors and developing the control system are some of the design steps that depend on knowing the friction coefficient. This paper proposes a method to estimate the static friction and the rolling resistance coefficients between the surfaces of a robot’s wheel and a conductor wire cable. The measurement is made in a field test, where a mass is attached to a wheel’s replica through a rope parallel to the conductor. A real standard conductor cable connects two poles with different heights. The mass is carefully increased until it slightly pulls the replica along the conductor. The mass’ weight that moves the replica determines the friction coefficients. A Polyurethane wheel of 50 Shore A hardness is used as case study, considering dry and wet conditions. Average values for static and rolling friction coefficients for both conditions are obtained. The impact of the water on the static friction is quantified, aiding to define the robot’s operation conditions The method proved to be effective for estimating a friction coefficient. The method has simple execution and it does not require special equipment, so it can be easily performed in any environment involving wheels and wire ropes.
Keywords
inspection robot, friction on wire cables, friction coefficient, inclined plane, overhead power lines
