Explore My Work
Renewable Energy Challenge
The Rooftop Generator
For this project, my team and I designed a wind turbine blade for residential wind turbines so homeowners are able to reduce their electricity bills. This project definitely helped me gain a better understanding of the engineering process as well as allowed me to further develop my 3D modelling skills using Autodesk Inventor.
Project Takeaways
-
Creating sketches in Autodesk Inventor
-
Manipulating 3D models in Autodesk Inventor
-
Graphing MPIs in Granta EduPack
-
Deriving MPIs
-
Comparing materials
Through this project, I was able to create stress simulations in Autodesk Inventor as well as manipulate sketches to create the final design of the wind turbine blade. Using Granta EduPack, I was able to compare various materials and determine which one was best for the given scenario based on different material performance indices. Mostly, this project helped me work on my collaboration skills as well as improve many technical skills.
Project Details
Design Considerations
Material Selection
Final Design
The main constraint on this design was it's size considering it's placement. A main objective was stiffness as it had to withstand possible harsh weather conditions including strong winds and rain. Through simulations in Autodesk Inventor and the midpoint method, we were able to determine a final thickness of 28.125 mm. This allowed for a max deflection of 9.488 mm.
An important step in this project was to determine the material needed for the wind turbine blade. This process was done by plotting various material performance indices and comparing the top materials based on other criteria like price, weather resistance, conductivity and ease of maintenance. The material that we selected as a group was low alloy steel as it met all of the requirements set by the team.
Since this project was mostly just to introduce the engineering process and get students used to using various software, the final design was not a realistic solution for our scenario. This project emphasizes the importance of considering the entire system when designing any part/mechanism.
