FC Aerospace Corperation Morgan Fink and Euri Cerrud

Design questions What is the best way to produce wind power? How can we use our materials to maximize efficiency? How many blades should we use? What is the best gear ratio to use? How will we attach the generator to reduce friction?

Design Our design includes: Three blades An 84-12 gearbox A generator A standard base

The Blades We decided on three blades because they had the most area with least amount of air resistance At first, we attached dowels that were too large for our design, and the blades did not stay in place After remaking the blades, we attached them to the turbine at roughly a 20 degree angle

The Gearbox At first, we tried to use a compound gear train in order to maximize the power out. We tried to use an 84 tooth to 12 tooth, attached to an 84 tooth to a 12 tooth. However, the turbine did not spin. We tried replacing the 84 tooth gears with 60 tooth. It still did not spin. Finally, we decided to instead convert it to a simple gear train, using only an 84 tooth gear to the blades and a 12 tooth gear to the generator.

The Generator The generator was very difficult to attach to the gearbox, as it could not be screwed in. We tried to tape it on, but this generated too much friction. We tried to use zip ties and a moveable strip to easily adjust the height of the generator, but the generator was too tight. We finally decided to use a C- channel to attach the generator.

The Base We decided to use the base provided to attach our gearbox. The base provided is a trusted quality, and we wanted to ensure the windmill had a very sturdy base.