wind turbines 19-20

Objective:

Building on the skills and knowledge that has been developed throughout the course, apply your many talents and wisdom to design and engineer a Wind Turbine. This project will require careful balance of several objectives and priorities. The main objective is design a wind turbine capable of generating as much energy as possible. Teams must do this while planning and designing a holistic system that incorporates form and function with marketing appeal, maintenance, structure and performance. 

Constraints:

Each team will receive a single motor/generator with pre-attached terminals. These terminals will eventually be attached to a voltmeter to measure how much energy is being generated by your wind turbine. Students may use any materials in stock, or may bring in other raw materials. Wind turbines must be design and fabricated using CAD, laser cutter and 3D printer. 3D printed parts must be 3-dimensional, parts that are simply 2D extrusion should utilize the laser cutter. 3D printed parts must also be reasonable in size. It will be the team’s responsibility to appropriately set up and operate each one of these tools. Teams may not use hot glue, only components derived from the same raw material may be adhered to one another. Wires must be organized and managed. Wind turbines must be free standing while operating and may not weigh more than 500g. There are no size restrictions.