College - Author 1
College of Engineering
Department - Author 1
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BS in Mechanical Engineering
College - Author 2
College of Engineering
Department - Author 2
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree - Author 2
BS in Mechanical Engineering
College - Author 3
College of Engineering
Department - Author 3
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree - Author 3
BS in Mechanical Engineering
College - Author 4
College of Engineering
Department - Author 4
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree - Author 4
BS in Mechanical Engineering
Date
6-2023
Primary Advisor
Ramanan Sritharan, College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Department
Abstract/Summary
The Cal Poly Wind Power Club (CPWP) tasked this senior project to design, manufacture, test, and deliver a mechanism to pitch the blades for their small-scale horizontal axis wind turbine. CPWP competes in the Collegiate Wind Competition (CWC) against schools across the country, and as such it was critical to comply with the provided competition rules in addition to the design requirement from CPWP. The purpose of the pitching mechanism is to improve the performance and efficiency of the wind turbine by allowing the blades to adjust angles with different wind speeds. Specifically, this project aimed to minimize hub size, minimize power draw, minimize axial depth, increase blade strength, decrease blade switch time, in addition to being a durable and lightweight mechanism. The mechanism was designed with safety and reliability in mind and has been integrated into the CPWP wind turbine. The system utilizes two actuators to push and pull a swashplate connected to a 4-bar linkage to create the rotational motion in order to effectively pitch the blades. The team used a combination of CAD software and physical prototypes to evaluate the effectiveness of the mechanism. All of the manufacturing was completed by the team in the Cal Poly machine shops using a combination of manual machines and CNC. In addition, the team conducted various component and mechanism testing, including full turbine wind tunnel tests to validate the design. The final product was delivered to CPWP in time for the CWC competition, where it was put to the test against other universities' wind turbine designs.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/mesp/705
Project Video
ME_S2023_F96_Poster.pdf (1160 kB)
Project Poster
ME_S2023_F96_SOW.pdf (334 kB)
Scope of Work
ME_S2023_F96_PDR.pdf (3629 kB)
Preliminary Design Review
ME_S2023_F96_CDR.pdf (4374 kB)
Critical Design Review