Fieldlines.com || Make your electricity from scratch!

Front Page - [Homebrewed Electricity-- (wind) (solar) (hydro) (steam) (controls) (storage) (mechanical)] - Classifieds - Site News
Everything - Newbies - [Remote Living-- (housing) (heat) (light) (water)] - Reviews - Diaries - Our Products

Wacky windmills....
By windstuffnow, Section Wind Posted on Thu Aug 19, 2004 at 02:14:05 PM MST
Just for thought and fun

I was going through a bunch of parts and pieces in my shop looking for just the right piece to fabricate into another stupid idea and ran into a couple old projects that I thought I'd share... These were disassembled and in the pile so I dug out what I could to partially assemble them.... don't laugh now...

This one was based on the lift theory and I wanted as much speed as I could get. Each wing follows its own lift path and provides constant torque on the shaft. Well It sort of worked spinning at around 1000 rpm in a 15mph wind but the power output was so low I decided it wasn't worth pursuing and ended up in the pile....
This next one should get a chuckle... Another lift based design. I had figured my ultralight wing would lift 1200 lbs at 30 mph it has a wing span of 29 ft and a cord of around 4ft. This little gem was an off spring of what a wing will lift...

The wing span on this is 2 ft and a cord of 8 inches. This actually works quite well ( still ). In a 15 mph wind it will lift 50 lbs 1 inch 60 times per minute. It runs fairly slow ( 30 rpm). Each wing runs opposite of the other when one is on its way up the other is on its way down. It runs on a crankshaft and the wings are timed to change angles at the top and bottom of each stroke. The timing on the wing angle change is simply 90* from the power stroke. It basically works like an engine only using the wind as the input power and the wings would be the "pistons". Its built and timed just like a stirling engine and the offset of the crank throw reangles the wings properly. Slow turning and an extreem amount of torque. I had always planned to build a larger one to put on the barn and have a spare 14 ft wing section I saved for the project....
Here is a closer shot of the crank...j

Ok you can laugh now.... I really should put together all the parts and pieces in their original form and post them on my site... could be fun! There are probably a dozen or more out there that are just as strange or stranger....
Just having fun as always...
Windstuff Ed

Wacky windmills.... | 12 comments (12 topical)

Re: Wacky windmills.... (3.00 / 0) (#1)
by LEXX on Thu Aug 19, 2004 at 05:35:32 PM MST

I've gotta say Ed, even your wierd stuff looks good, do you power your workshop with homebrew?

Re: Wacky windmills.... (3.00 / 0) (#2)
by Electric Ed on Fri Aug 20, 2004 at 10:53:04 AM MST

A true windmill addict would never laugh at any new design, no matter how bizarre. I am always impressed by your workmanship.

Here are a couple of my wacky windmill models.

Electric Ed

Re: Wacky windmills.... (3.00 / 0) (#5)
by windstuffnow on Fri Aug 20, 2004 at 01:45:14 PM MST

Electric Ed,
Thats a pretty slick little unit !!! Are the blades stationary or do they have some articulation?
I've found just about anything will turn, twist, flop or break when placed in the path of mother nature. I have alot of odd ideas, some are downright stupid but I like to tinker with my dumb ideas because usually they all lead to some really good ideas as well as what not to do next...

Just lots of fun

Windstuff Ed

Have Fun! Windstuff Ed
[ Parent ]

Re: Wacky windmills.... (3.00 / 0) (#3)
by hvirtane on Fri Aug 20, 2004 at 11:52:54 AM MST

The second one is really interesting.
I have had some thoughts like that,
but never built any working model.

You've got any figures,
how much it produces power?

- Hannu

Re: Wacky windmills.... (3.00 / 0) (#4)
by windstuffnow on Fri Aug 20, 2004 at 01:37:44 PM MST

Hannu,
It will lift 50lbs 1 inch 60 times per minute so that comes out to about 250ft lbs/33000 = .00757hp or 5.65 watts in a 15mph wind. The model is fairly small, with a 2 ft wing span. The frontal area, depending on how its measured comes in at around 1.33 sq ft. I guess that makes it around 24% efficient.
With the wings oposing each other it's like the blades on an HAWT and has a rotational torque on the machine which switches each 1/2 revolution. This causes some massive vibration even at low rpm. If I were to build a larger one it would only have one wing. The power was drawn from the back of the trailing arms which increases leverage from the crank movement. The crank was basically used for a timing device and a way to move the blades.
Definately a fun project in any case...

Windstuff Ed
Have Fun! Windstuff Ed
[ Parent ]

Re: Wacky windmills.... (3.00 / 0) (#6)
by Ungrounded Lightning Rod on Fri Aug 20, 2004 at 07:00:37 PM MST

With the wings oposing each other it's like the blades on an HAWT and has a rotational torque on the machine which switches each 1/2 revolution. This causes some massive vibration even at low rpm. If I were to build a larger one it would only have one wing.

Well I think it's a great design. And if I were going to scale it up I'd have MORE blades, not less, in a balanced configuration of at least four, times two or three phases (8 or 12 total). You'd still get bending vibrations on the internal structure. But you could cancel out the vibration on the support.

Hmmm... Could get away with half as many if you stacked them rather than having a pipe in the middle and spreading them out horizontally.

Imagine several hundred feet of 6' fence built of this. (With an outer protective barrier to keep the critters from getting squashed between the wings.) Even low to the ground you could collect quite a bit of power.

[ Parent ]

Re: Wacky windmills.... (3.00 / 0) (#7)
by windstuffnow on Fri Aug 20, 2004 at 08:46:37 PM MST

Ungrounded,
It has alot of potential as far as torque, like I said a 29 ft wing will lift 1200 lbs in a 30 mph wind, unfortunately it also runs quite slow. Since it runs and moves the wings from the crank, a bicycle base would work well, like a 12 speed in high gear. Another problem is its not easily moved into the wind although could be set up to do so even with a large wing span. I really don't think it would make a good generator being sort of ground based but on a hillside it may have some potential. It would also work great with the wings submerged in a stream with a reasonable flow rate. Lots of possibilities for the wind motor.
I have another wing based chain drive system that works on a similar principal but the wings are vertical, very slow moving and quite powerful and has it's own built in redrive... a little more complicated than the one shown here... I got a bunch of oddballs...

Have Fun
Windstuff Ed

Have Fun! Windstuff Ed
[ Parent ]

Re: Wacky windmills.... (3.00 / 0) (#8)
by Norm on Sat Aug 21, 2004 at 05:54:48 AM MST

Ed, This second one looks like something that anybodys neighbors might not complain too much about... 2 wings slowy rising and falling about as hazardous appearing (except for the crank mechanism which you could enclose), as a couple of sheets hanging on a clothesline.
( :>) Norm.
( :>) Norm

Re: Wacky windmills.... (3.00 / 0) (#9)
by Norm on Sat Aug 21, 2004 at 06:03:55 AM MST

Re: Wacky windmills.... (3.00 / 0) (#10)
by windstuffnow on Sat Aug 21, 2004 at 08:19:14 AM MST

Norm,
It might look safe from a distance but with a large wing on it I certainly wouldn't want to be under it on its down stroke. Unfortunately, ground winds are usually fairly tame since alot of the energy has been removed by obsicals along the way so unless it was on a platform it really wouldn't make a massive amount of power.
Possibly, if it were mounted on a hillside collecting updrafts.... I built a wing for a larger one but never completed the project...

Maybe some day...

Windstuff Ed

Have Fun! Windstuff Ed
[ Parent ]

Re: Wacky windmills.... (3.00 / 0) (#11)
by rotornuts on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 08:57:54 AM MST

You make me feel better ed. Actually this whole board is great for accepting peculiar plans. I'll have to put my hand up as well for liking the second one. I'd consider bolting it vertically to a collar with a tail out the other end half way up one of your windmill towers. Split collars so you can fit around the pipe without having to slip over the top.

Cool stuff ed.

Re: Wacky windmills.... (3.00 / 0) (#12)
by picmacmillan on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 12:44:32 PM MST

hi ed...this kind of post is the reason i hang around fieldlines..its nice to have some folks like youself who are innovators...good job....keep up the good work..pickster

http://www.frecklefarmloghomes.com

Wacky windmills.... | 12 comments (12 topical)

Menu

� create account
� How to use the board
� FAQs
� search the board
� Google search the board

Login

Make a new account

Username:

Password:

Total Views

��179 Scoop users have viewed this posting.

Related Links

� Also by windstuffnow

You must be a registered user to post here. It's easy and free, and the link is on the upper right side of your page.
All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective companies. Postings are owned by the poster, but may be deleted or moved at the ADMIN's sole discretion. The Rest � 2009 Forcefield.
You can Email the board ADMIN here. PLEASE include the username you signed up with!