- MOUNT AND BLADE MODS THAT DOWLOAD BYTHEMSELVES HOW TO
- MOUNT AND BLADE MODS THAT DOWLOAD BYTHEMSELVES FREE
A nut and washer were then placed on each end of the threaded rod, tightening the pipe, crank connection, but still allowing the plastic tubing spin freely on the pipe. The pipe was then feed over the threaded rod and the plastic tubing over that. The threaded rod was fed through the crank were the pedal would normally attach.
Our hand crank was constructed of an old bicycle crank, a 12" piece of threaded rod, a 10" long piece of 1" steel pipe, and some plastic tubing from an old mop. When the bolts are tightened the ply wood mounts sandwich and tighten on the blades, eliminating any loose fits. After the blades were drilled the whole blade assembly (blades and two mounts) was bolted on to the turbine blade mount.
After the holes were made and proven to be accurate, the mounting portion of the blades were placed between the plywood mounts and arranged in the proper spacing then marked for holes to be drilled. This outline was then used to transfer the hole pattern on the turbine to the plywood mounts. A piece of paper was then placed over the turbine mount and scribbled on, providing an outline of the mount and holes. The plywood was cut into circles the same diameter as the turbines diameter.
MOUNT AND BLADE MODS THAT DOWLOAD BYTHEMSELVES FREE
These plates were made out of free plywood found in the scrap bin at the wood lab. Now we needed to make two mounting plates with holes matching that of the turbine mounting plate. Once the desired shape was obtained, the blades were finish sanded and the tips were rounded off. We found a cross sectional picture of a blade that we wanted to emulate.
MOUNT AND BLADE MODS THAT DOWLOAD BYTHEMSELVES HOW TO
When planning how to construct the blades, we realized it was going to be more of a removal process. We thought it was easier to work with wood than other materials, especially since we had access to the HSU Wood Lab. The blades were constructed of clear (no knots) Douglas fir. Various length 5/16" bolts, nuts and washersġ2" x 3/4" threaded rod with nuts and washersĬonstruction Blades Wheel mount location Materials and Tools Used Materials We designed a four sided pyramid shape frame that would give a wide, sturdy base.(pictured below) It also needed to be mobile, so we wanted to put some sort of wheels on, so when the whole unit is tilted back it will roll on the wheels, just like a shop dolly. This demonstrative model also needed a solid frame. Wood seemed to be a common material used in the construction of blades, as well as being a material that we had the capabilities to work with. The old blades were nowhere to be found, so design was up to us.
Also we wanted to put a volt meter somewhere as well so people could see how many volts they could produce. 2.5V is not much a little less than two AA batteries in series, but we determined that this would be enough to light a bank of LED's. The third wire was determined to be neutral. This alternating between positive and negative was evidence enough to determine the output was AC.
By spinning the blade mounts with our hands, we were able to produce peek alternating voltages of +2.5 VDC and -2.5 VDC through two of the wires. We had three wires to test, and after a few attempts we were able to determine that the turbine was producing AC current. In order to determine what kind of appliances we could run, we had to see what kind of electrical output the wind turbine was capable of producing. Consequently, the wind turbine would also need to be sturdy, safe and mobile while still allowing interaction. Since returning this wind turbine to its former glory was not a very good option, CCAT wanted a demonstrative display that people could interact with and learn how wind turbines generate energy by turning the blades and seeing some sort of results from their input. Also the turbine for this project has had a rough life and is no longer capable of being an efficient energy producer. CCAT was not the best location for a fully functional wind turbine due to obstruction of wind flow. Having a couple of meetings with CCAT, we were able to get a clear picture of what they wanted to do with the wind turbine that was available for this project.