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WILTON MAK
Wind Turbine
The purpose of this project was to construct a seismically stable wind tower while exploring renewable energy through the design of wind turbine propellers. The wind turbine consisted of a tower and propeller blade that served a simulated duration of thirty years while withstanding an earthquake every ten years.
The tower utilized alternating diagonal bracings on all faces of the structure to account for the seismic effect from multiple directions. In addition, the concept of the tower called for thicker members on the base that built up to thinner members in order to distribute the seismic load efficiently. Designs were virtually simulated on SolidWorks and SAP2000 platforms to ensure stability and structural integrity.
 Tower SolidWorks Model |
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 Tower SAP2000 Model |
The propeller blade design followed the optimal tip speed ratio for a three-blade wind turbine, which produced energy efficiently without a significantly increasing centrifugal and aerodynamic forces acting on the blades. The chord lengths of the tip and the root followed a certain plan-form shape. The airfoils closer to the root were thicker in order to resist torque and forces acting on the blade. The blade had a small angle of twist to create a better angle of attack.
Energy production and seismic stability tested the wind turbine for its performance. The wind turbine was placed in a wind tunnel, and the amount of kilowatts was measured. For seismic stability, a linear actuator pushed the wind turbine. Lastly, the wind turbine was attached to a shake table to simulate earthquakes. The wind turbine was subjected to three earthquakes with each earthquake becoming more detrimental than the previous
 Final Wind Turbine Tower |
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 Seismic Stability Test |
 Energy Production Test |