I’ve got several specifications/Constraints for my final product, the top 5 are listed below:
Specifications
- Functional
- I feel like the whole concept of making a wind turbine revolves around harnessing wind energy to power a daily use product like lights. The turbine needs to be able to spin and produce some sort of voltage for the motor
- Minimalist
- When we look at renewable energy aesthetics, they are all minimalist. They are made for functionality and the look actually gets worse when more design aspects are added to the product. I want my product to be sleek and have a similar look to an actual turbine.
- Tower not distracting
- If you’ve read my previous posts, I had decided initially on using wood and have since moved on to PVC for the tower of the turbine, but it’s not finalized yet, so whatever I decide to use for the tower, I want it to match the aesthetic of the blades and not pop out in the overall system.
- Needs to stand/Have symmetrical shape
- Building a turbine without a base to support the blades is pretty useless so I want the product I make to be able to stand on its own even at high-velocity winds. I also want the whole system to be symmetrical since that will produce the best results in terms of power.
- The Center hub not too distracting/ doesn’t have holes
- The center hub will be a big part of the design since it will be connecting all the blades to the motor and will literally be at the center of the product. For this reason, I don’t want it to look too out of place.
Constraints
- Size
- Size is an obvious constraint since I don’t want this to be too big. This is an easy fix since I’m planning on making it only 3-4 feet off the ground anyways. This can be done by just cutting the PVC I end up using.
- Time
- With the amount of time being minimal, I won’t be able to make this as refined as I would like, but I believe I can still make a functional prototype. Since the motors I need are sold by websites that require 10-15 days of delivery time, I will need to account for this constraint and figure out the exact motor I need fairly quickly into the project.
- Cost
- Cost is a significant constraint throughout the project, as it is for any project. I Understand that PVC is actually not that expensive so the cost should be too much of a constraint in this aspect, but it will definitely be a big factor on what motor I end up purchasing since most of them are reasonably expensive.
- Functionality
- Since I want my blades to work, making the system integrated with a motor and have some sort of bearing allowing for rotation while the blades are connected to the motor is going to be a big constraint and is definitely going to be a challenge to integrate.
- Equipment
- I will need to cut/fabricate almost all parts of my project so choosing the right equipment will be a constraint. I only have a basic hand saw so I will need to search around for better equipment to cut out the PVC piping.
Accounting for all these specifications and constraints, the fabrication process should go smoothly.
2 Comments. Leave new
Hi Sohan, I’m excited to see you build something that actually generates power. I think that’s a really cool accomplishment to have personally. I was wondering what motor you ended up settling on and why?
Sohan, I like that you are going with a minimalist aesthetic, and I think PVC is a good choice of material to achieve that. Are the blades also going to be made of white plastic of some sort? You also mentioned that you want the whole thing to look minimalist and uniform, so I think that would make a lot of sense. I was also wondering how you plan on making the center hub fit in with the aesthetic and not look out of place? I think this project has a lot of potential, and I hope to check it out further at expo!