리니어 구동 구조의 마찰 저감을 위한 수동형 성장 피복

A linearly moving structure in the area where the friction force is dominant – such as ducts filled with grease in the nuclear power plant - experiences increase in friction since the contact surface gets larger as the structure proceeds. To solve this problem is critical for the pipe inspection robot to investigate further area and this makes the system more energy-efficient. In this paper, we propose a passively growing sheath that can be added to linearly moving structures using zipper mechanism. The mechanism enables the linearly moving structures to maintain rolling contact condition against external environment, which provides substantial reduction in kinetic friction. To analyze the effect of the mechanism’s head shape, we establish a physical model and compare to the experimental results.
Finally, we have shown that the passively growing sheath can be successfully applied to the pipe inspection robot for the nuclear power plant.