Procedure for Testing Wind Turbine Blade Shape
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Decided on the length and the width for the turbine blades (10cm by 4cm).
Decided to make the turbine blades out of card stock (file folder material).
Researched potential blade shapes.
Decided on 6 blade shapes to test.
Split up into groups.
Made a template blade and cut it out. Used it to trace 6 more.
Cut out the 6 blades.
Hot glued the 7 blades onto the turbine.
Hot glued the wood block onto the support shaft and then glued the fan onto the block.
Taped the wire to the support shaft.
Clamped the support shaft to a retort stand and made sure that the height of the turbine was at the same height as the centre of
the fan.
Used a metre stick to position the fan one metre away from the turbine.
Aligned the photo gate so the blades would block the beam as they spun.
Turned on the fan to maximum power.
Waited 5-10 seconds for the turbine to reach top and constant speed.
Started photo gate and counted the blockages for approx. 10 seconds.
Used the data to calculate the RPMs.
Procedure for Testing Wind Turbine Blade Length
Controlled Variables:
*Width= 3cm
*Material= File Folders
*All other variables are consistent between classes
Building the Wind Turbine
1. Measure and cut 7 blades using the file folders provided (each group was assigned a different blade length- see data table).
2. Using a hot glue gun, glue the block onto the top of the wooden stick. Ensure the wooden stick is centered on the wooden
block.
3. Glue the 7 blades onto the back side of the computer cooling fan.
4. Glue the base of the fan onto the middle of the wooden block.
5. Tape the wires from the cooling fan onto the wooden block and stick to ensure they will not be in the way when collecting
data.
Testing the Wind Turbine
1. Attach wind turbine to the retort stand and clamp (adjust wind turbine so that it is lined up with the fan- middle of wind
turbine needs to be in line with the center plastic piece of the fan).
2. Adjust photo gate so that when the blades spin it will clear the device and it is centered in the middle of the wind turbine.
3. Measure 1 meter between the center of the fan and the center of the wind turbine.
4. Turn the fan onto high speed (dark gray button) and it let the wind turbine reach a consistent speed.
5. Start timer and record data for 10 seconds.
6. Using the total count, use the formula (given) to calculate the RPMs (revolutions per minute) of the blade length.
7. Record RPMs in data table.
8. Repeat “Testing the Wind Turbine” process for each blade length (5 lengths total).
Procedure for Testing Wind Turbine Blade Width
Controlled Variables:
*Length= 12 cm *Material= File Folders
*All other variables are consistent between classes
Preparation:
1. Using file folders, cut 7 blades that are12 cm long and 1-6cm wide (depending on assigned independent variable).
2. Glue wooden block to stick using hot glue gun. Make sure that the wooden block is centered at the top of the stick.
3. Glue file folder blades to the back of the computer fan blades.
4. Glue the wind turbine (computer cooling fan) to the front of the wooden block (side without the stick attached).
5. Tape the wire along the block/stick so that it is out of the way of the blades.
Testing:
1. Clamp wind turbine onto the retort stand.
2. Adjust fan so that it is 1 meter away from the wind turbine and it is level with the center of the fan and center of the wind
turbine.
3. Place the photo gate under the blades so that the blades clear the device and it is centered under the wind turbine.
4. Turn fan on high (dark gray button) and let wind turbine run to ensure there are no complications in rotations (example:
blades hitting the photo gate).
5. Turn on the photo gate and record for 10 seconds.
6. Calculate and record RPMs (formula given) in the data table.
7. Repeat testing process for all other blade widths (total 6 times).
Procedure for Testing Wind Turbine Blade Materials
Step 1 - We gathered the needed materials for the turbine.
Step 2 - We plugged in our hot glue gun to get it warmed up.
Step 3 - We glued the wood block to the wooden stick, to make the base of the turbine.
Step 4 - We cut out 7 ''3''x''10'' cm pieces of the chosen material for the blades of the turbine.
Step 5 - We glued the blades to the propeller of the turbine, using the hot glue gun.
Step 6 - We brought the turbine we made over to the photo gate, for testing.
Step 7 - We put the turbine into the vice and locked it in, and made sure the fan was 1 meter from the turbine.
Step 8 - We turned the fan on, on the highest setting.
Step 9 - We used the computer program to measure the amount of times the blades broke the light beam on the photo gate, for a ten
second interval.
Step 10 - We calculated the number of revolutions per minute by dividing the number of revolutions by 14, then times that number by
60 to get the total number of revolutions per minute.
Step 11 - Repeat steps 4 - 10 but with the other 4 materials.