3D Model-Based Nondestructive Scanning of Reactor Pressure Vessels with 6DoF Robotic Arms

Abstract

In this paper, we present a method for scan planning of a system for nondestructive testing of reactor pressure vessels (RPVs). The system consists of a central nacelle hanging on the cables from the top of the RPV. The central nacelle supports two robotic arms with 6 degrees of freedom (6-DoF), which can be equipped with various tools for nondestructive testing. We present a method for calculating a 2-parameter scan path based on the known 3D model of the RPV. We also present a method for calculating a feasible trajectory in the joint space of a robotic arm based on the calculated path. The method is tested both in simulation and on the mockup system.