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Old 06-27-10, 06:33 PM   #61
jwxr7
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I finished building the tower sections. One is 13.5ft and the other is 10.5 ft. I think the connection I made for the 2 sections is quite rigid and the complete 24ft tower feels like a single section of pipe. My wife and I were able to stand it up on the base and I clamped it to the wall bracket on the end of the barn. I'll post pics soon. I ran the wires down the pipe and into the barn too.

I'm working on the electrical panel still (slowly). I need to find a good inexpensive 30-40amp DPDT relay and then things should hopefully come together and work okay.

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Old 06-27-10, 07:54 PM   #62
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Default Nice..

Can't wait to see the pics! And of course a video of power generation..

24 feet is pretty tall.. I've got a 30' ham radio tower and when I get up there to work on it, it feels WAY too high!

Before: http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...r/NCL/HDTV.jpg

After: http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1.../NCL/TVANT.jpg

Anyways, it's not in a real windy area. Too many trees to the N and NW..
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Old 06-27-10, 08:36 PM   #63
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You are frightening me, I built at least 600 small wind turbines in the early 1980's and hundreds of aircraft props at that time.
Your hub is disastrously thin, you might be able to make another plate to go in front of the blades, this may help. You can balance the blade array by suspending it by a fishing line fastened at the center of the hub (you will need to make an insert) hang the blade in a closed room and it should balance perfectly, we used to balance our props both lengthwise and chordwise so that a cigarette paper would upset it. You need to get the turbine well above the barn roof, or it will be in turbulent air, the roof is a major wind deflector, you need clean air. The prop is potentially very dangerous, it should spin at a high rate of speed, I have tested such hubs to destruction and the blades can be lethal and will travel hundreds of feet if they break loose. It is awsome to see, one come apart.
I will talk to you more if you are interested, but right now it is dinner time.
Please be careful and don't hurt yourself or anyone else. I just found this today or would have put in my $.02 sooner.
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Old 07-15-10, 06:45 AM   #64
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nibs View Post
you are frightening me,
booo! .......
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Old 07-15-10, 07:52 AM   #65
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Default But wait, there's more!

When I was a kid, (back around 1955), a friend of mine was out on his front porch reading a book, when he was killed.
A fellow was mowing grass by the roadside, well over 100 feet way, when the blade broke apart in the center.
Half the blade flew across the highway and stuck my friend in the forehead, killing him instantly.

Since then, I've been leery of spinning blades.. They do scare me..
Humm, maybe that's why I still have all my fingers.?.

And, I do agree with Nibs about the thinness of the hub..


However, I'm not so sure about the Nibs cigarette paper story.
Unless they had zero friction bearings back in those days..
Maybe those were ZigZag papers and were being used for ...?..?..
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Old 07-15-10, 10:23 AM   #66
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The method we used for balancing was as follows;
1) we made an insert for the center hole of the prop, the same thickness as the prop at its hub.
2) the insert had a center hole sized for a piece of mono fishing line.
3) the fishing line was inserted through the insert and knotted on the lower side.
4) the prop was suspended by the fishing line.
5) a truly balanced prop would sit horizontally

A zig zag paper would tilt the prop if placed on either side of the prop, or at the leading edge or trailing edge. It was a very accurate scale which we used to sell to ultralight pilots so they could balance their own props.

I will save BS stories for campfires, rather than something as interesting and important as wind turbines.
Cheers.
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Old 07-15-10, 10:43 AM   #67
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The things that need to be sorted out are;
hub design,
matching the prop to the generator,
the large roof area which may cause turbulence.

Not to stop your progress, just to make sure you are on safe ground. The prop we had come apart was being driven by an aircraft engine on a cradle, we were testing hub designs, the blade traveled about 150 ft and went up about that high. Be careful and safe.
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Old 07-15-10, 11:13 AM   #68
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nibs View Post
The method we used for balancing was as follows;
1) we made an insert for the center hole of the prop, the same thickness as the prop at its hub.
2) the insert had a center hole sized for a piece of mono fishing line.
3) the fishing line was inserted through the insert and knotted on the lower side.
4) the prop was suspended by the fishing line.
5) a truly balanced prop would sit horizontally

A zig zag paper would tilt the prop if placed on either side of the prop, or at the leading edge or trailing edge. It was a very accurate scale which we used to sell to ultralight pilots so they could balance their own props.

I will save BS stories for campfires, rather than something as interesting and important as wind turbines.
Cheers.
Wow! That's amazing! I was picturing the prop in the normal vertical posistion.
I can see how the center suspension line could work. I bet even exhaling a little air on a blade would tilt it!
A zigzap paper is SO light, it must have moved the prop pretty slowly..

Magnetize one of the bolts and you would have a really big compass!

That center insert shouldn't be too hard to make on a good lathe..
Pretty dang cool technique. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Rich
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Old 07-15-10, 12:36 PM   #69
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I think what gave me the idea was, watching a 1960's hash dealer whip out a balance made from fishing line and a chopstick, very accurate and very simple.
I prolly could have patented the aluminum hub, but too small a market to justify the expense.
Tony

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