May 18, 20215 yr Author Finally the first sacrificial 1/2 blade in the eintjiebyter. (incubator) I delayed looked for every excuse and then ran out of excuses. So here we go:: Edited May 18, 20215 yr by Erastus
May 19, 20215 yr Author And the 1st section from the mold. Needs to trim it a bit but as ordered by the doctor. Came out of the mold with no problem. Very pleased with the result. Today the next section
May 19, 20215 yr Author Wood prop & FG result next to each other. Now I can determine the cost for a blade. Resine 400G R 220 Hardener 120G R 70 Carbon Fiber R 330 Total R 620 Thus 3 blades R 1860. At this cost I will now design a aluminum mounting system which I can use to turn the blade. With the mold working well the two parts taking time is the cut of the carbon fiber that must be done at a greater accuracy and then the drying time in this weather is +/- 5 hours. If one chooses to use wood to mount the blade then the extra cost for that will be one 3M 40 x 40 pine. The cost R46 Considered the quote was R22 000 for 3 blades. Now the manufacturing process of the blades I would consider done and the total build will start. Edited May 19, 20215 yr by Erastus
May 19, 20215 yr Author And the second half is done. The two 1/2 sections of one blade is done and matches very well. Final trim and then to glue them together that I will do tomorrow. The two sections/flanges works very well far better that what I expected and if I want to do fiber glass blade then its ready to start the manufacturing. I recon with the infusion process the accuracy of the usage of resin will be far better and I will definitely use less I recon a blade with wood mounting will cost +/- R 550 or R 1650 for a set of three carbon fiber blades. When done I recon I will push for 4 or 5 meter blades. Its easy now that I understand the process and easy to get more done. 🤩 never expected this. This is the top part of the second 1/2. Very chuffed with it. Edited May 19, 20215 yr by Erastus
May 21, 20215 yr Author And we have blade Nr 1. I did not go for purrfection but rather sizing of the FB for CF. Both sides marries well and the final product will be a purrrrfect Carbon Fiber blade. Now the aluminum mountings then blades are ready for manufacturing. Edited May 21, 20215 yr by Erastus Spelling
June 17, 20215 yr Author Today the 20Kg .85mm copper cable arrived. Now the winder can start doing its tricks.
July 1, 20215 yr On 2021/06/17 at 1:34 PM, Erastus said: Today the 20Kg .85mm copper cable arrived. Now the winder can start doing its tricks.
July 1, 20215 yr WOW! Really interesting and fascinating project.I've just installed a sunsynk - pv solar system and searching for a wind turbine to supplement. I'm really interested in the final product, also enjoying watching the process to get there.. Great stuff for sharing and well done!
July 12, 20215 yr Author And finally my vacuum pump arrived and now I can start with the carbon fiber blades. A little 12V suction pump bought from EBay for R680 delivered VAT & customs included. Now to finish the vacuum chamber and then start with the carbon fiber blades process.
July 25, 20215 yr Author Got my vacuum pot going this week will do the carbon fiber blade. The lid I bought 10mm perplex and had the wholes tapped for the vacuum meter as well as inlet and out let. Used white silicon to form a gasket will be interesting to see the results Small 12V vacuum pump works amazingly well with its own 12V power supply and all the connection pipes. Tomorrow I will get the different layers and resin for the manufacturing of the first blade.
July 25, 20215 yr 12 minutes ago, Erastus said: Got my vacuum pot going this week will do the carbon fiber blade. The lid I bought 10mm perplex and had the wholes tapped for the vacuum meter as well as inlet and out let. Used white silicon to form a gasket will be interesting to see the results Small 12V vacuum pump works amazingly well with its own 12V power supply and all the connection pipes. Tomorrow I will get the different layers and resin for the manufacturing of the first blade. Interested in one of those if you willing to make one up. Not for solar use but I've started beekeeping and was looking at getting one to get air bubbles out of the honey after extraction. I use the same bucket for my honey so that's actually the perfect size. Willing to pay for it is its not too much effort to make another one. Also source for the pump.
July 26, 20215 yr Author 20 hours ago, Achmat said: Interested in one of those if you willing to make one up. Not for solar use but I've started beekeeping and was looking at getting one to get air bubbles out of the honey after extraction. I use the same bucket for my honey so that's actually the perfect size. Willing to pay for it is its not too much effort to make another one. Also source for the pump. Will let you know when I have it working
July 26, 20215 yr Author That was not a good idea. Shoe. All was working so well and then we past -60 and 3 times the volume of a thunder flash. Shoe. Still waiting for my heart to return from my ears.
July 26, 20215 yr 28 minutes ago, Erastus said: Will let you know when I have it working Thanks 23 minutes ago, Erastus said: That was not a good idea. Shoe. All was working so well and then we past -60 and 3 times the volume of a thunder flash. Shoe. Still waiting for my heart to return from my ears. Was it empty? I think testing with an empty container will do this. You could fill it with water to the level you would use it and test it outside. I don't think you need a full vacuum to remove bubbles from a liquid so you could run a shorter time and just keep it stable.
July 26, 20215 yr Author 9 minutes ago, Achmat said: Thanks Was it empty? I think testing with an empty container will do this. You could fill it with water to the level you would use it and test it outside. I don't think you need a full vacuum to remove bubbles from a liquid so you could run a shorter time and just keep it stable. Yes it was empty. You are right but I wanted to test the little pump. Its a small 40Watt 12V unit and did not expect it to do this. Its not only to remove the bubbles but spread the resin. My heart still beating fast. Will use the same pot and put a 3mm thick plastic pipe inside as I am sure I will forget it when doing the blades. I loose concentration very easy. But now that I know I will take care and hopefully learn from this till the next time. Maybe I can get it swapped out under warranty. 😂😂💣 Edited July 26, 20215 yr by Erastus
July 28, 20214 yr Fluid in the container will make no difference to it surviving or not (in this case). What caused it to fail is the pressure from outside. Placing it under vacuum means pressure from outside, what's inside only matters if it lends support. In this case water will give you very little support at the bottom, none at the top of the water. Vacuum can be very dangerous, so it might actually be good that you had this experience early without any injuries. Ideally only use polymers that will not shatter like that - like polycarb instead of perspex. An aluminium pressure cooker works well if you have a suitable plate+seal to replace the lid with. Looking forward to the next update!
August 10, 20214 yr On 2021/01/22 at 9:21 AM, Erastus said: Who would be interested in a wind generator of 4Kw. I am thinking of getting all done via a lazer cutter and then molds for fiber glass blades. If you are interested leave a comment or a yes please will see to what level I can get it in a kit form with direct orders from suppliers. It will have a MPPT look alike interface to work with a standard inverter and in my case I will have it working on grid tied system.... I am also planning to have a micro to do the feathering so we can control the speed and temperature If this is boring then delete the subject. Definitely not boring. Reading this thread it's definitely something I will look at. Might just invest in a 3rd bank of PylonTech and link into my existing dual generation system with auto switchover driven by Arduino. Like @Achmat I am in the Helderberg and we have buckets of wind to be harvested for the most part of the year. Just one question. Why the propeller design? Would an Archimedes type generator not be more compact and quieter? Interesting thread this. Will definitely keep an eye on it. Regards
August 27, 20214 yr Author The problem with the design of the blades is when they get damaged. My intention is also to use the small blades as a trial run for a 5M unit. Also doing the blades is a lot cheaper than buying them.
August 27, 20214 yr Author After an absence for a few weeks back at it again. I redid the unit that imploded and this is the new vacuum tank. Monday I will start with the manufacturing of the blades.
August 27, 20214 yr Author The inlet out let and vacuum meter with valve control to keep the jar under a negative pressure.
August 31, 20214 yr Author New vacuum chamber and gas traps works very well. I have pushed the limits on this unit and it easily drops to -70 kPa. Followed a video and created the seal with silicon rubber. The Lid" from the top side:
August 31, 20214 yr You really need to do a short vid of this carbon fibre process, I would love to see it. And the finished blade 😍 Edited August 31, 20214 yr by YellowTapemeasure
August 31, 20214 yr Author On 2021/08/10 at 11:42 AM, Sass said: Definitely not boring. Reading this thread it's definitely something I will look at. Might just invest in a 3rd bank of PylonTech and link into my existing dual generation system with auto switchover driven by Arduino. Like @Achmat I am in the Helderberg and we have buckets of wind to be harvested for the most part of the year. Just one question. Why the propeller design? Would an Archimedes type generator not be more compact and quieter? Interesting thread this. Will definitely keep an eye on it. Regards 49 minutes ago, YellowTapemeasure said: You really need to do a short vid of this carbon fibre process, I would love to see it. And the finished blade 😍 Will do.
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