Manufacturing methane detection robot and increasing its heat resistance by using composite materials

Robots have been widely used in working areas with a high-risk factor since the 19th century. The dense methane gas in garbage factories may explode and cause loss of lives and properties, so security robot usage has become obligatory in this working area. This study developed a mobile security robot that detects methane gas leakage by scanning the area. The robot enables the degasification of methane gas before the explosion conditions are occurred by giving a warning when the leakage is detected. Even though the necessary precautions are taken, the explosion risk will not be eliminated. Thus, the heat resistance of the robot is increased with an isolation process to keep the inner temperature of the chassis below the harmful level to the electronic components inside. Two different materials are used throughout the process. The first material is stainless steel which can protect the cache against flames and igniting, and the second material is ceramic fiber for thermal insulation. After designing and manufacturing the stainless chassis, the isolation process was completed by applying the ceramic fiber to the inner surface of the robot. The robot managed to protect its inner electronic components for 15 minutes at 200 °C during the heat resistance tests. Becoming resistant to high temperatures will allow the robot to transfer the data to the authorized units and prevent the spread of fire.