Group with Chumou Zhang, Week 2-4
Thinking about things that can rotate 360 degrees, we‘ve started to be interested in fans and pinwheels. So we decided to do a project that converts wind energy (airflow) to electric energy.
After researching different types of wind turbines, the vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) is the most attractive to us. Because it can be driven by the wind from all directions, unlike horizontal-axis wind turbines can only work with wind from a specific direction. Besides the design of VAWT is so elegant.
Videos helped me understand wind turbines:
Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Aerodynamics and Design
Are Vertical Axis Wind Turbines Better?
chopstick, can, paper, type
We found this model online after printing put it on a pen to get a sense of how it spins. When there is no motor attached, less friction and it spins smoothly.
