A wind Turbine is a generator. This means it converts mechanical energy (wind) into electrical energy (voltage). The wind turns the propellors which causes the magnets to turn with it. As these magnets spin, they are surrounded by coils of wire. Because the magnets are spinning, the magnetic fields are then changing, causing the electrons in the wire to move, creating a current. This current is then run through the alligator clips, and measured as voltage.
Materials
- Paint Roller
- Cardboard
- Hot Glue
- Wood Glue
- Paint Stirrers
- 4 Magnets
- 2 Coils of Wire
Uses
Our entire propellor was made up of two things: a paint roller and cardboard. We used a saw to cut the end off of a paint roller, and bent the bars out to create propeller arms. We then added cardboard flaps to each arm to increase air resistance, creating our propellor
We attached 4 magnets around the center axel of this propellor using hot glue
We then created a small wooden frame out of paint stirrers and wood glue. Within this frame, we placed our 2 wire coils on opposite sides. We then brought the entire frame to the rotating magnets at the center of the propellor, creating a generator.
Problems
One problem we encountered was in trying to hot glue the magnets to the propellor, they kept sticking together. Also, we worried that the heat and the force from these collisions would weaken our magnets.
We also found difficulty in making sure our frame and coils had a stable base, which we ended up solving by simply holding it up to the propellor, creating a mobile generator.
Results
Our group was me, Maiya and Princess. As a Result, our group ended up generating .3 volts. This had less to do with the speed of our turbine, which went pretty fast, but rather the stability of our wire coils. If we were to make this a more successful generator, we would need to stabilize the coils around the magnets.
Our Turbine
No comments:
Post a Comment