Vertical Wind Turbine

thingiverse

Now updated with MK3.1 - Which allows you to generate power! A vertical turbine design which will turn freely in the wind, or when printing Base_Motor, you can use it in conjunction with a motor to generate power. The motor used in my design is a 28mm diameter printer motor. If you decide to use a smaller motor, you could possibly print a spacer of some sort. You will also need to print the Arms_Gear and Motor Gear files, or if you wish to run a pulley system instead, then print the Arms_Pulley and Motor_Pulley files and find yourself an elastic band! The Arms_Gear / Arms_Pulley files can be attached to the arms with 2 - 4x 25mm or longer M4 bolts The turbine can be built in layers - I built a two layer version, as per the image. The arms are printed in sets (Arms_Top & Arms_Bottom combine to make one set) For a single tier turbine you need 2 sets, for a double tier turbine you need 3 sets, etc. The design uses standard skateboard bearings and a length of 8mm threaded rod - I would recommend a minimum length of around 200mm for a single tier. The Blades are held on the arms with M4 machines screws/bolts and secured with a nut on the other side - I would recommend at least 20mm length screws for a single blade, or 25-30mm for doubled up blades (Where the arm holds a blade on the top and bottom) For Blog updates, please follow the link to my website - http://samrobmoe-design.co.uk/projects/hobby-projects/vertical-axis-wind-turbine/ (Thanks to 3D_PP for pointing out the broken link!) PLEASE NOTE: The wind turbine must be firmly and securely mounted at your own risk. I am not responsible for any damages to property or people resulting from the turbine coming loose and/or breaking during use. Print Settings Notes: For the Blades and possibly the bottom mount, print with supports on! Post-Printing Attach a nylock nut to the end of the threaded rod, then slide it through the bottom of the mount. Attach another nut on the other side of the mount to ensure the rod is held solidly in the mount. The bearings fit in holes on the part named 'Top' and the bearings should be facing downwards towards the mount. The blades are held to the arms on the 'top' part with M4 machine screws/bolts. The holes cut through the side of the bottom mount are intended to allow you to cable tie the turbine down. I had the turbine attached to a balcony railing. How I Designed This Looking at a few different designs, I have tried to explore the shapes that seem to arise in most designs. This is the MK2 version of the turbine, MK1 had several iterations, mainly looking at blade design.