Design studies on a robotic device for ultrasonic inspection

Abstract

Design studies in progress on a special purpose robot are described. The robot is to be used for ultrasonic inspection of extruded and forged parts immersed in water in a large tank. The studies focus on establishing the best tradeoff between light weigh, with the associated fast movement time for large motion, and rigidity – as characterized by high structural natural frequency. High natural frequency allows high servo bandwidth and consequently faster response to small disturbances and greater dynamic accuracy.