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**The article explains aeroelastic flutter, which is a phenomenon that can be harnessed to produce electrical current. Shawn Frayne's windbelt, has a flat membrane tightly stretched between two poles that shakes in the wind, just like the Tacoma bridge did before it collapsed. Aeroelastic flutter can be viewed as the iris shape produced by membrane of the windbelt as the wind hits it.  
**The article explains aeroelastic flutter, which is a phenomenon that can be harnessed to produce electrical current. Shawn Frayne's windbelt, has a flat membrane tightly stretched between two poles that shakes in the wind, just like the Tacoma bridge did before it collapsed. Aeroelastic flutter can be viewed as the iris shape produced by membrane of the windbelt as the wind hits it.  


===Materials===
===Total Materials===


{|class="wikitable"
{|class="wikitable"
Line 155: Line 155:
|align="right" |'''$256.79'''
|align="right" |'''$256.79'''
|}
|}
===Materials for "D-Lab Windbelt"===
{|class="wikitable"
!Item!!Quantity!!Our Cost!!Retail Cost
|-
|Magnets
|1 set of 30
|align="right" |$16.01
|align="right" |$16.01
|-
|Mylar Coated Taffeta Tape
|5 Yards
|align="right" |$8.80
|align="right" |$8.80
|-
|Copper Wire
|1 Large Spool
|align="right" |$0.00
|align="right" |$15.00
|-
|Multi-meter
|1
|align="right" |$29.99
|align="right" |$29.99
|-
|LED Lights
|1-20 pack
|align="right" |$2.99
|align="right" |$2.99
|-
|Epoxy
|1-10 oz Tube
|align="right" |$4.79
|align="right" |$4.79
|-
|Various Nuts and Bolts
|Numerous
|align="right" |$5.04
|align="right" |$5.04
|-
|Duct Tape
|1 Roll
|align="right" |$4.99
|align="right" |$4.99
|-
|PVC Pipe 3"
|1
|align="right" |$0.00
|align="right" |$10.00
|-
|Electric Drill and Numerous Drill Bit's
|1
|align="right" |$0.00
|align="right" |$0.00
|-
|Saw
|1
|align="right" |$0.00
|align="right" |$0.00
|-
|Wrenches
|Numerous
|align="right" |$0.00
|align="right" |$0.00
|-
|Clear Tape
|1 Roll
|align="right" |$0.00
|align="right" |$0.00
|-
|'''Total Price'''
|
|align="right" |'''$'''
|align="right" |'''$'''
|}
===Wind Energy===
===Wind Energy===
*[http://cedb.asce.org/cgi/WWWdisplay.cgi?257021 ASCE Journal]
*[http://cedb.asce.org/cgi/WWWdisplay.cgi?257021 ASCE Journal]

Revision as of 21:10, 14 July 2010

Existing Projects

Intro To Windbelt Project

Team S.E.A

  • Shane B.
  • Ana F.
  • Enrique D.
    • We are working with Otros Mundos, to generate clean energy by innovating on the windbelt wind generator. Our goal is to build multiple models of the windbelt with the hope to aid Otros Mundos in an energy cinch.

Windbelt Trademark

  • [Humdinger's]
    • Windbelt technology uses a phenomenon called aeroelastic flutter, inspired by the Tacoma Bridge disaster of 1940(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-zczJXSxnw). Invented by Shawn Frayne, the windbelt is the world's first small scale, turbine free, wind generator. Wind turbines are difficult to scale down in size; The components are expensive and encounter friction as their size decreases. Frayne's study focused on the wind vibrations that caused the failure of the Tacoma bridge, to provide clean, cheap energy to developing countries. During Shawn's work in Haiti he witnessed firsthand the need for small amounts of electricity to power simple lights, radios and even to charge3 cell phones when a socked is simply unavailable. The windbelt is Shawn's solution to this problem. Although the windbelt was originally designed to solve lighting problems of third world countries, the device has many applications. An array of windbelts could generate enough power to fuel a laptop, television, or a house. The windbelt pulls energy from the wind with the use of a tensioned membrane and the phenomenon known as "Aeroelastic Flutter". As wind hits the windbelt, the tensioned membrane captures the flutter of the wind. To turn the oscillations of the wind into electricity the windbelt uses of new type of linear generators. This technology comes in a variety of scales, from small handheld windbelts, to windcell panels that can generate megawatts of energy.

Aeroelastic Flutter

  • [Journal Source]
    • The article explains aeroelastic flutter, which is a phenomenon that can be harnessed to produce electrical current. Shawn Frayne's windbelt, has a flat membrane tightly stretched between two poles that shakes in the wind, just like the Tacoma bridge did before it collapsed. Aeroelastic flutter can be viewed as the iris shape produced by membrane of the windbelt as the wind hits it.

Total Materials

Item Quantity Our Cost Retail Cost
Magnets 1 set of 30 $16.01 $16.01
Mylar Coated Taffeta Tape 5 Yards $8.80 $8.80
1x3 Lumber 29 feet $15.38 $15.38
Copper Wire 1 Large Spool $0.00 $15.00
Copper Wire 2-3 Packs/1 Spool $34.00 $34.00
Multi-meter 1 $29.99 $29.99
LED Lights 1-20 pack $2.99 $2.99
Bread Board 2 $23.90 $23.90
Spools 14 $0.00 $10.00
Dowels 28 $0.00 $5.00
Epoxy 1-25 mL Tube $4.99 $4.99
Epoxy 1-10 oz Tube $4.79 $4.79
Flash Drive 1 $8.00 $8.00
Tackle Box 1 $9.80 $9.80
Various Nuts and Bolts Numerous $5.04 $5.04
Batteries 1-4 Pack $4.49 $4.49
Boxes 2 $22.00 $22.00
VHS Tape 1 $1.09 $1.09
Diodes 12 $4.95 $4.95
Capacitors 2 $3.00 $3.00
Shims 1-14 Pack $2.49 $2.49
Screw Driver 1 $4.99 $4.99
Sand Paper 2 Sheets $2.50 $2.50
Alligator Clips 4 $2.60 $2.60
Gorilla Tape 1 Roll $4.99 $4.99
PVC Pipe 2 $0.00 $10.00
Total Price $216.79 $256.79

Materials for "D-Lab Windbelt"

Item Quantity Our Cost Retail Cost
Magnets 1 set of 30 $16.01 $16.01
Mylar Coated Taffeta Tape 5 Yards $8.80 $8.80
Copper Wire 1 Large Spool $0.00 $15.00
Multi-meter 1 $29.99 $29.99
LED Lights 1-20 pack $2.99 $2.99
Epoxy 1-10 oz Tube $4.79 $4.79
Various Nuts and Bolts Numerous $5.04 $5.04
Duct Tape 1 Roll $4.99 $4.99
PVC Pipe 3" 1 $0.00 $10.00
Electric Drill and Numerous Drill Bit's 1 $0.00 $0.00
Saw 1 $0.00 $0.00
Wrenches Numerous $0.00 $0.00
Clear Tape 1 Roll $0.00 $0.00
Total Price $ $

Wind Energy

  • ASCE Journal
    • The ASCE article comments on the rapid growth of wind energy as world demands increase for clean energy. Larger, more efficient wind turbines have been built that are able to function underwater. The new media for wind turbines, the ocean, will pose challenges for designer in building safe off-shore wind turbines.
  • source on commercial applications of wind energy
    • the book talks about the commercial applications of wind energy, dangers, and history. It mentions that wind energy is now being merely reintroduced to a society that forgot about it. Hazards to the environment are the following: Fauna destruction, e.g. birds flying into the rotors, and the potential risk to a community that flying rotors may have.
  • [1]

This is a thesis done by a graduate student (Colin John Ritter Shepperd) at Humboldt State University entitled "Analysis of the measure-correlate-predict methodology for wind resource assessment." This was helpful information because he explains in great detail the ideas behind wind power, as well as the various equations that help us figure out how much actual power we can get from wind. An excellent example of his work: "An important characteristic of wind power conversion is the non-linear re- lationship between the speed of the wind and the available power. Wind power density (WPD) is the amount of power available in a unit area of the air perpen- dicular to the flow of the wind. WPD has units of (W/m2 ) and is calculated by the following expression (Gipe 2004): W P D = 1 /2 ρV 3, where V is the wind velocity (m/s) and ρ is the air density (kg/m3 )." (page 5)

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