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Wind Turbine Optimization
Wind Turbine Optimization
This is a slideshow displaying the engineering process of my wind turbine (group project.)
Entry:
For the project, we learned about three different types of energy: gas, wind, and solar. The two energy sources I'd say are most similar are wind and solar. Wind and solar energy are both renewable, meaning that they are sustainable and won't dwindle over time. However, due to these power sources relying on something that cannot be controlled (sun and wind patterns), they may be unreliable at times. Additionally, these sources take a lot of space, which can be inconvenient for rural areas who don't have much space to spare. Unlike solar and wind energy, gas energy is not renewable, and has a more detrimental impact on the environment and atmosphere. However, gas is more predictable, and can be extracted/gathered and used when needed.
Knowing this, we decided to make a wind turbine, as it would be the easiest to simulate and model within a short period of time. To start, we made prototype blades to attatch to our turbines. These blades had no defined dimension and we're not very efficient. In order to optimize our turbines, we listed all the variables and properties of our turbines that affect it's productivity and we planned out how we were going to alter them. Some of these properties included the blade size, the number of blades, the distance from the wind source (a fan), and the motor type. For the blades, we split up into groups and were assigned a set of blade dimensions for each group. We all tested out our blade sizes, and foudn that larger blades were more productive. For the number of blades, each group tested a different amount of blades, and decided which one would be most productive. My team found that with our (4"x1 1/2") blades were most productive when only four were attached to our turbine. We also tested the color of our alligator clips, which we found left our voltage unaffected. Next, we tested how the turbine's distance from the wind source would affect it's voltage prduction. We found that the closest distance (12") produced the most volts. Following that, we experimented with the angle of the blades. We experimented with the blades turned at an angle of 30 degrees and 45 degrees. We found that the smaller angle (30 degrees) was more productive and produced more voltage. Finally, we tested the motor type. After experimenting with both motors, we found that the larger motor produced more voltage.
After completing this assignment, I've learned that optimization is altering something to make it more efficient.
10/5/2023 Engineering Box Steps (photos below)
10/5/2023 Engineering Box Steps (photos below)
1) Sketching: To sketch, I had to plan out each dimension of my box and decide how I would maximize my 2x4 wood plank to ensure it could be used for the entire box. During this step, i decided how I wanted my box to look (if I wanted it to be slim, tall, wide, etc.)
2) Table saw : The table saw was used to make sure my 2x4 was an exact width. By the time we got to the table saw, we had already used the band saw and the planer saw to make sure the other dimensions were exact to increase the quality and craftsmanship of my box.
3) Planer saw: The planer saw, as mentioned earlier, was used to flatten the jagged edges the band saw had left on the wood. We placed the smooth side down and the jagged side up so that it could be accurately smoothed out. This process was very tedious and loud, but it was worth having a smooth plank of wood in the end. Because of how loud the machine is, we typically wore ear protection when around the planer saw.
4) Biscuit joiner: Once we perfected our cut list dimensions and used the miter saw to cut our plank into shorter pieces of wood to fit our box size, we used the biscuit joiner to connect our the pieces of our box to make it more sturdy and reliable.
5) Clamps: After biscuit joining, the wood glue could often seep out and make gaps in our wood, which could potentially ruin the quality of our boxes. To ensure our planks were firmly bonded, we clamped them together while they dried so that once the wood glue had solidified, our planks were durable and solid.
6) Miter saw: The miter saw was a crucial step in creating our boxes, as it (along with the table saw) is what we used to cut and trim any loose ends on our box, which is more efficient than sanding it down when it comes to larger ledges.
7) Sanding: As mentioned earlier, our boxes weren't always perfectly aligned once we assembled them. This is where the handheld orbital sanders helped out. We used the handheld orbital sanders outside to sand down any imperfections in our wood, using a larger grain for the majority of the box, then smoothing things over with a smaller grain to ensure our box was perfectly smooth and aligned.
8) Wood putty: Whether it is due to a natural cause, such as a branch, or a manufacturing cause, such as a gap in our box, we often had to fill our holes with wood putty. Each wood putty session required a new batch of wood putty. Luckily, it's fairly simple to make; to make the wood putty, we simply mixed sawdust from the orbital sanders with wood glue. This created a paste-like mixture that we used to fill any gaps or holes in our box. Once the wood putty dried, we sanded it down again.
9) Finishing process: The finishing process was where we assembled, sanded, and stained our boxes. To assemble our boxes, we used the nail gun along with glue. We aligned our walls, lightly glazed them with wood glue, and then sealed them together with the nail gun. This 2-step assembly ensured that our boxes would be sturdy and durable once we completed the process. After assembling, if there we any uneven or un-aligned parts, we simply sanded them down with the orbital sanders. After doing so, we stained our boxes using wood stain, gloves, aprons, a protective cloth (for the table), and snippets of spare cloth to apply the stain.
10) Hinges (or sliding mechanism): For my box, I chose to use hinges. (With assistance,) I drilled holes in my box, aligned the hinges, then screwed them on. After doing so, I was satisfied with my box.
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Craftmanship: Craftmanship is the quality of a creation or the effort put into it. Typically, goods craftmanship means higher quality, which is what I aim for.
Rate my craftmanship?: If I had to rate my craftmanship out of 10, I would rate it a 9/10. While my box is overall pretty nice, I believe that it could be better. I was fairly undecided on my design at first, which led to me not having a lot of time to perfect it once I was decided. There are a few gaps and the lid is uneven, additionally, the inside isn't stained.
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I am probably the most proud of my staining job. I would say that's one of the best factors of my box.
I'd say that the most difficult part was getting all the dimensions exact and deciding on a box design. I overcame these challenges by realizing my box won't be perfect and doing my best.
Front
In use
Diagonal
Close-up
8/10/23 Engineering Tool Safety Entries
8/10/23 Engineering Tool Safety Entries
Bandsaw:The bandsaw is a saw which uses a rotating strip of jagged metal to slice through wood. This machine is useful, however, it can be extremely hazardous when improperly used. To avoid an incident, the engineer can take several steps. The first step to safely using the bandsaw is ensuring that you are qualified to do so. If you haven't explicitly been given permission to use the bandsaw, you shouldn't use it. Additionally, to prepare for any flying woodchips or sawdust hazards, the engineer should wear PPE. In this scenario, the necessary PPE is eye protection. Ear protection is optional and depends on the situation. Aside from this, the saw can be very dangerous, so to avoid any body parts or clothing from being caught in the saw, the engineer should tuck away any loose clothing or hair. Once the saw is turned on, the blade will begin to rotate at high speeds. When guiding the wood towards the blade, you should make sure you have a secure, firm grip on the wood. This will prevent it from flying away, or towards you. Once you've cut through the portion of wood you want, you have two options. You can either guide the blade to the nearest edge of the wood so that you can then slice from a different entry point. If not, you can reverse the piece of wood towards you, gently guiding the saw through it's path to remove it from the slit. However, when the plant is being reversed, you should never yank it out. Yanking the plank out could result in the strip of saw (mentioned earlier) being removed from its designated area. While this typically would not harm the engineer, it is a hazard and such events should be avoided, when possible. Typically, the bandsaw is used by one user. However, if there are bystanders within the engineer's person space, they become a hazard and put themselves at risk of harm. If the engineer is distracted, it could result in something or someone becoming caught in the saw, which can cause injury/ death.
Nail gun: A nailgun is a type of tool that ejects nails at high speeds. This tool is used to "staple" two pieces of wood together. When using this tool, the engineer should avoid placing body parts in the trajectory path of the nail. While it is rare for a nail to shoot completely through wood, it's best to always practice avoiding any danger incase anything goes wrong. Aside from this, the nailgun should never be pointed at another human being. While they do have safety percausions and triggers, these functions should not be depended on. Pointing the gun at another person or in the air could in some cases result in another engineer (or yourself) getting injured. When preparing to shoot the nail gun, you should first make sure that the two pieces of wood are firmly places and held down.
Table saw: The table saw is a platform with a rotating saw protruding from the center. This tool is useful to make straight cuts on longer pieces of wood. This is also useful for people with less-steady hands. When using this tool, use protection is required incase any chips come flying off. Additionally, eye protection will protect your eyes from sawdust. Aside from this, when operating the table saw, your main focus should be the saw. This is because any distractions could lead to injuries or an improper cut. Aside from this, the table saw can produce lots of sawdust (as mentioned earlier.) You should never leave the table saw messy. In order to keep the classroom clean and proper, you should always clean/ vacuum the table saw after you use it. Sawdust can be messy, hazardous, and annoying when it piles up. When using the table saw, you should always be catious. While it isn't ideal to move slowly, you also shouldn't shove the board/ material you're cutting through the blade too fast. Our saw has a mechanism to prevent injuries (the saw stopper.) However, this mechanism can be falsely triggered by metal/ staples, moist wood, etc. To prevent the saw-stopper from being falsely set off, you should always be catious of any wooden staples, bent wood, and soggy wood. While we do have a saw-stopper, we still need ot be catious. To do so, you should keep your hands a safe distance away from the saw at all times. This will ensure that if you loose balance or something/ someone causes you to slip forwards, your hand won't land on the blade.
Biscuit joiner: The biscuit joiner is a machine that consists of two parts: the saw and the biscuits. The biscuit joiner is used to connect two pieces of wood by making an indent and placing small scrap of wood (also known as a biscuit) inbetween them. This will make the two pieces more solid once they are joined. The biscuit joined features a grip on the front of it. This is where you should place your hand. This is the safest place for your free hand because it is above the saw, meaning that your hand is not in the path of the saw. When using the biscuit joiner, (like with all other messy tools), you should vacuum immediately after use. This will make sure the machine is clean and in it's best condition for the next person in line. When using the biscuit joiner, you should always have a tight grip on the saw and plank. This is because improper hand placement/ grip could lead to the piece of wood jerking to either side of you, which could hit someone/ something in the area. You shouldn't cut in line for the biscuit joiner, this is because cutting in line prevents others from getting a turn (and it can cause conflict.) Additionally, you shouldn't ever play around when holding/ using the biscuit joiner. Although the blade is typically hidden and has a trigger to prevent injury, playing around with a power tool is always risky.
Miter saw: The miter saw is another useful power tool that can eb used to make precise/ straight cuts. The miter saw features a ruler on the cutting platform so that you can easily measure a plank/ double check measurement marks before cutting. For this project, it is recommended to cut a 1/2 inch over, just incase. Like any other power tool that can be used to cut wood, the miter saw produces lots of sawdust and occasional flying wood chips/ shards. To guard your eyes from these shards, you should always wear PPE. On our miter saw, there are marks as to where your hands should and shouldn't be. You should never place your hands too close to the blade. While it is unlikely that the blade will come in contact with your hand, you should always take safety precautions, no matter how bizarre they may seem, because they could save you one day. Additionally, you should get in the habit of vacuuming any machine after you use it, and if you see a machine that was left unvacuumed, you should take initiative and vacuum it.
Planer saw: The planer saw is a power tool that can be used to even out wood. It flattens out surfaces so that you can have an exact width of your plank. While this machine doesn't exactly have an exposed saw, it can become dangerous if something/ someone gets caught in the machine. To prevent this from happening, you should always tie your hair back and keep your hands away from the mouth of the machine. Aside from that, the planer saw is one of the loudest power tools in the engineering room. While we typically don't wear ear protection (so that we can hear any warnings or tips from the instructor), the planer saw can be obnoxiously loud, so ear protection is needed. Additionally, because the saw shaves off wood, lots of sawdust and scraps will be produced. You should make sure to vacuum and wear eye protection to protect yourself and others from any sawdust/ wood residue. When using the planer saw, you shouldn't wobble the wood while inserting it. This can lead to ridges in the wood, making the process of shaving it down longer. Using the planer saw is a very tedious process, however, you shouldn't shove nor yank the wood through he machine in an attempt to "speed up the process". Rather than speeding things up, this can damage the machine and your plank, further increasing the length of the process.
Nail gun: A nailgun is a type of tool that ejects nails at high speeds. This tool is used to "staple" two pieces of wood together. When using this tool, the engineer should avoid placing body parts in the trajectory path of the nail. While it is rare for a nail to shoot completely through wood, it's best to always practice avoiding any danger incase anything goes wrong. Aside from this, the nailgun should never be pointed at another human being. While they do have safety percausions and triggers, these functions should not be depended on. Pointing the gun at another person or in the air could in some cases result in another engineer (or yourself) getting injured. When preparing to shoot the nail gun, you should first make sure that the two pieces of wood are firmly places and held down.
Table saw: The table saw is a platform with a rotating saw protruding from the center. This tool is useful to make straight cuts on longer pieces of wood. This is also useful for people with less-steady hands. When using this tool, use protection is required incase any chips come flying off. Additionally, eye protection will protect your eyes from sawdust. Aside from this, when operating the table saw, your main focus should be the saw. This is because any distractions could lead to injuries or an improper cut. Aside from this, the table saw can produce lots of sawdust (as mentioned earlier.) You should never leave the table saw messy. In order to keep the classroom clean and proper, you should always clean/ vacuum the table saw after you use it. Sawdust can be messy, hazardous, and annoying when it piles up. When using the table saw, you should always be catious. While it isn't ideal to move slowly, you also shouldn't shove the board/ material you're cutting through the blade too fast. Our saw has a mechanism to prevent injuries (the saw stopper.) However, this mechanism can be falsely triggered by metal/ staples, moist wood, etc. To prevent the saw-stopper from being falsely set off, you should always be catious of any wooden staples, bent wood, and soggy wood. While we do have a saw-stopper, we still need ot be catious. To do so, you should keep your hands a safe distance away from the saw at all times. This will ensure that if you loose balance or something/ someone causes you to slip forwards, your hand won't land on the blade.
Biscuit joiner: The biscuit joiner is a machine that consists of two parts: the saw and the biscuits. The biscuit joiner is used to connect two pieces of wood by making an indent and placing small scrap of wood (also known as a biscuit) inbetween them. This will make the two pieces more solid once they are joined. The biscuit joined features a grip on the front of it. This is where you should place your hand. This is the safest place for your free hand because it is above the saw, meaning that your hand is not in the path of the saw. When using the biscuit joiner, (like with all other messy tools), you should vacuum immediately after use. This will make sure the machine is clean and in it's best condition for the next person in line. When using the biscuit joiner, you should always have a tight grip on the saw and plank. This is because improper hand placement/ grip could lead to the piece of wood jerking to either side of you, which could hit someone/ something in the area. You shouldn't cut in line for the biscuit joiner, this is because cutting in line prevents others from getting a turn (and it can cause conflict.) Additionally, you shouldn't ever play around when holding/ using the biscuit joiner. Although the blade is typically hidden and has a trigger to prevent injury, playing around with a power tool is always risky.
Miter saw: The miter saw is another useful power tool that can eb used to make precise/ straight cuts. The miter saw features a ruler on the cutting platform so that you can easily measure a plank/ double check measurement marks before cutting. For this project, it is recommended to cut a 1/2 inch over, just incase. Like any other power tool that can be used to cut wood, the miter saw produces lots of sawdust and occasional flying wood chips/ shards. To guard your eyes from these shards, you should always wear PPE. On our miter saw, there are marks as to where your hands should and shouldn't be. You should never place your hands too close to the blade. While it is unlikely that the blade will come in contact with your hand, you should always take safety precautions, no matter how bizarre they may seem, because they could save you one day. Additionally, you should get in the habit of vacuuming any machine after you use it, and if you see a machine that was left unvacuumed, you should take initiative and vacuum it.
Planer saw: The planer saw is a power tool that can be used to even out wood. It flattens out surfaces so that you can have an exact width of your plank. While this machine doesn't exactly have an exposed saw, it can become dangerous if something/ someone gets caught in the machine. To prevent this from happening, you should always tie your hair back and keep your hands away from the mouth of the machine. Aside from that, the planer saw is one of the loudest power tools in the engineering room. While we typically don't wear ear protection (so that we can hear any warnings or tips from the instructor), the planer saw can be obnoxiously loud, so ear protection is needed. Additionally, because the saw shaves off wood, lots of sawdust and scraps will be produced. You should make sure to vacuum and wear eye protection to protect yourself and others from any sawdust/ wood residue. When using the planer saw, you shouldn't wobble the wood while inserting it. This can lead to ridges in the wood, making the process of shaving it down longer. Using the planer saw is a very tedious process, however, you shouldn't shove nor yank the wood through he machine in an attempt to "speed up the process". Rather than speeding things up, this can damage the machine and your plank, further increasing the length of the process.
Infinity table Brief
Infinity table Brief
slide 1
Infinity table Brief
Infinity table Brief
slide 2
4 Patterns Documentation (Feb 4, 2024 at 7_38 PM) (1).movCode
Code
This is the code that resulted in the display to the right. This code programs how long each light should be on, what order they'll flash in, and which 'GP' each jump wire needed to be plugged into.
4 Patterns Documentation (Feb 4, 2024 at 7_39 PM).movDisplay
Display
This is the result of the code shown to the left. Each light briefly blinks before being programmed to stop, and allow each following light to illuminate before lighting up again.
Physics of infinity Mirrors
Physics of infinity Mirrors
This is a sketch of the infinity mirror prototype shown to us on 2/6/24. In this image, we sketched and labeled a diagram of the infinity mirror. Infinity mirrors produce a "multiplied" image of the led lights placed inside of them. There are two reflective surfaces surrounding the lights. The walls of the prototype are made out of non-luminous, opaque cardboard. Due to it being more for function, rather than aesthetics, the bottom mirror is complete opaque as well, with it's inner-mirror side facing the interior of the box, towards the lights that are placed along the cardboard walls of the prototype. However, the top pane is where we would see the exhibit, so it is translucent (semi-transparent) and made of one-way-glass. A result of this feature is us being ble to see in, while the light on the interior side is reflected off. As a result of this phenomenon the photons from the luminous LED lights are reflected off both the translucent reflective lid and the opaque reflective base. This causes less light to be reflected each time, giving the impression that the lights are getting dimmer as they multiply, resulting in an illusion of a deep hole.
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