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CAPSTOPNE REPORT

FACULTY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING CAPSTONE PROJECT: SMART AIRFOIL BLADE END OF SEMESTER REPORT

TEAM MEMBERS Kosi Ndubisi Adam Jasek Christian Clavijo Abhishek Nayaar Druhmihl Mehta Luis Varon

TEAM SUPERVISOR Dr Vesselin Stoilov

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Contents
ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................................................... 3 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 4 DESIGN METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................... 4 T.S.R (Tip speed Ratio) .......................................................................................................................... 4 SMART TRUSSES .................................................................................................................................... 5 ACTUATORS........................................................................................................................................... 6 SHAPE MEMORY POLYMER (S.M.P) ...................................................................................................... 7 CONNECTORS/JOINTS ........................................................................................................................... 8 FINAL DESIGN ........................................................................................................................................ 9 SCHEDULED DATE OF COMPLETION ........................................................................................................... 10 TESTING AND REDESIGNING ............................................................................................................... 10 BUDGET ............................................................................................................................................... 13 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................................... 14 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................................ 15

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ABSTRACT
The motivation behind this project is to improve the overall efficiency of conventional wind turbines by improving the arms of each turbine with the use of S.M.P (shape memory polymers) to alter the shape of the arms during the different temperature changes and in so doing improve their output efficiency.

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INTRODUCTION
A lot has been done in the field of green energy to design airfoil shapes and turbine blades for better efficiency and cheaper costs. In this paper one such method is discussed in developing an airfoil blade that utilizes the uniqueness of the shape memory polymer and smart trusses. The power output of a wind turbine depends upon its efficiency or power coefficient, the swept area, the diameter of the turbine blades, and the wind speed. To maximize the power output, blades with improved efficiency and thus higher power coefficient can be employed. However this can often be accompanied by increased cost of manufacture and thus negating any benefits. Larger blades can be used to sweep large area but require more money and maintenance. The camber of an airfoil is the curve of its upper and lower surfaces. This curve is measured by how much it departs from the chord of the airfoil. Some airfoils have very little camber, i.e., the airfoil looks flat, while others have a higher degree of camberthe airfoil has more curve. When the curve is away from the chord, the camber is said to be positive. When the curve is toward the chord, the camber is said to be negative. The camber of an airfoil causes an increase in velocity and a consequent decrease in pressure of the stream of air moving over it.

DESIGN METHODOLOGY
T.S.R (Tip speed Ratio) TSR is the ratio of the blade's tip speed to the actual wind speed. We emphasize the word blade because

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TSR is applied to lift type turbines, such as a three bladed turbine or Darrius VAWT.

Fig 4.2

Fig 4.3

Fig 4.2 Shows the direction of the tip speed vector in a three dimensional plane i.e. u(x), u(y) and u(z). Fig 4.3: Pictured above is a graph showing the power coefficient for different values of tip speed ratio. As engineers we are aware that efficiency is measured by the ratio of extracted energy from the wind to the available energy in the wind.

This design will implement an operation at an optimal wind tip speed ratio in order to extract as much power as possible from the wind stream. Wind tip ratios depend on particular rotor airfoil profile as well as number of blades used.

Fig 6.1 Rotor Airfoil Profile

SMART TRUSSES As a consequence of studying the benefits of variable geometry truss in the field of robotics it is amazing to see how an individual truss can develop adaptive features by actively controlling the current passed

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through linked actuators.

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The design consists of smart trusses made of aluminum spokes coupled with actuators, which are hinged so as to allow free movement in the direction as desired. For example if the actuators near the trailing edge are made to expand the nearby trusses adapt and lower the tail thereby increasing lift.

6.2 The figure is a 3-d model, showing internal trusses showing the location of actuators marked as yellow axis.

ACTUATORS

An actuator is a device that converts energy into motion. It also can be used to apply a force. An actuator typically is a mechanical device that takes energy usually energy that is created by air, electricity and converts it into some kind of motion. That motion can be in virtually any form, such as blocking, clamping or ejecting. In this project piezoelectric actuators will be used. These devices produce a small displacement with a high force capability when voltage is applied. Some advantages may include precise movement, small compact size, low energy consumption and quick response. These actuators will be placed strategically to stipulate maximum displacement across the wingspan using less actuation energy. The choice of actuators will depend on a full analysis of the drawing and will be made in regards with the stroke i.e.

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the amount of displacement the actuator can instigate and size to reduce as much weight as possible. For this project, we would be utilizing the L12-P linear Actuator which has a horizontal stroke of 30mm and gear ratio of 100:1. It is also evident that for this project, we will be trying to use as little actuators as possible to cut down cost seeing as this is where most of the expenses originate.

FIG 7.1 Showing a 1in displacement actuator

SHAPE MEMORY POLYMER (S.M.P)

Polymers are capable of shape memory effect with basic principle that elevated temperature deformations caused by applied load can be fixed during cooling. Work performed on the sample is stored as latent strain energy if the recovery is prohibited by crystallisation, i.e. cooling and fixing. Shape memory polymers undergoing deformation at higher temperatures, "Retain" the deformed shape when cooled and return to their original configuration when heated above "Glass transition temperature". Such types of materials capable of undergoing thermal shape-transition are a division of smart or intelligent materials. Figure 4.6 depicts the shape memory polymer acting as a skin with convex shape, allowing optimal airflow. A wire mesh is to be sandwiched between two layers of the polymer and heated to the polymers phase transition temperature, which will then allow the airfoil to take desired shape, predetermined by the underplaying frame.

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Shape memory polymers

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Deformed material >100%

Totally recovered shape

Figure 8: Some physical properties of S.M.P

CONNECTORS/JOINTS Throughout the design process we had two completed prototypes. Due to simplicity, weight and cost, we had opted in using the three dimensional, mirrored cross section structure. This design provides a rigid structure that is capable of enduring repeated forces without fatiguing. Because the frame needs to be light weight and durable, it will be constructed using 2mm steel spokes which will be fabricated in a rectangular fashion and properly triangulated to increase its strength. To allow the actuators to alter the camber of the airfoil, the structure needs to be able to rotate freely along the z axis, thus a basic pin joint has been designed as shown in the figure below. This design shows a clear improvement in terms of weight and simplicity compared to the original connector as shown in Figure 9.1. The Actuators will be connected to the frame using a custom bracket design which will have a fixed joint at the actuator and a pin joint at the contrasting side.

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e Figure 9.1: Picture showing the connections between trusses.

FINAL DESIGN This design here will allow us to modify the geometry of the airfoil by the use of carefully positioned actuators located along the top side of the structure. With these actuators, we will be able to adjust the camber and cord length which in turn would alter the lift and drag forces of the wing, improving the overall aerodynamic efficiency. Shown below is a schematic of what the tail section of the final design would look like after all parameters have been taken into account.

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Figure 10.1: Schematic of a section of the Arm

SCHEDULED DATE OF COMPLETION

TESTING AND REDESIGNING After this prototype design has been completed, we would look to see if any improvements could be made to further increase the efficiency results that will be obtained and also see if it will be feasible to UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR Page 10

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make a complete turbine with the allocated funds remaining. For the simulation of this design we will be make use of fluent, Abaqus and Xlfr5 to either compute the computational fluid dynamics or to see what kind of deflections can be obtained with the use of finite element analysis (F.E.A)

Figure 11: Benjamin-Goldberg Low Speed Wind Tunnel

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March 1-31 Finalizing computer prototype design Developing Car Smash Fundraiser with UWSA Finalizing parts and beginning purchase May 1-31 Start building prototype design Partner with Shinerama for car wash fundraiser Purchase additional parts for the final design

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July 1-30 Finish building final design Test Final Design Complete yearend report Thank supporters with plaques

Feb 1-29 Research on design Developing fundraising methods Researching on costs

April 1-30 Car Smash Fundraiser with UWSA Scouting further companies, approaching them for additional financial support

June 1-30 Complete prototype design Test prototype Design, re-test Improve the design Start building final design

August 1-31 Submit Final Design Submit report

Figure 12: Project completion timeline.

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BUDGET Shown below is the final budget for the completion of this project.

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CONCLUSION
This report discusses the current progress achieved through the first month of the design phase of the smart airfoil blade. It has also outlined the design methods and implementation stages involved in the completion of airfoil blade prototype. The fundamentals and knowledge gained have been documented in this report over the course of the first four months. The second four months of the design phase is when the extensive construction and testing of the prototype then begins and the final report, with calculations will include our final observations and room for improvements to be made.

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REFERENCES
[1] Journal of intelligent material systems and structures. Justin K. Strelec, Dimitris C. Lagoudas, Mohammad A. Khan, John Yen. Design and Implementation of a Shape Memory Alloy Actuated Reconfigurable Airfoil. From: http://jim.sagepub.com/content/14/4-5/257.short. [2] Yunus A. Cengel. Heat and Mass Transfer: A Practical Approach Mc Graw Hill series. [3] "Aeronautics - Principles of Flight - Level 2." Aeronautics Learning Laboratory for Science Technology, and Research (ALLSTAR) Network. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. <http://www.allstar.fiu.edu/aero/flight30.htm>. [4] R.N. Sharma and U. Madawala, The Concept of a Smart Wind Turbine System, Renewable Energy v.39, pp.403-410, 2012. [5] Andreas Lendlein and Steffen Kelch, Shape-Memory Polymers, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, v. 41, Issue 12, pp. 2034-2057, 2002. [6] Michael D. Skillen and William A. Crossley. Modeling and Optimization for Morphing Wing Concept Generation. NASA/CR-2007-214860.

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