Wind Car - Defy the Wind

thingiverse

Harness the Wind's Fury with This Tiny Wind-Powered Car! Take On the Opposing Force and Turn It into Motion. This Little Car Proves You Can Tap into the Wind's Energy and Convert it Directly into Forward Motion Against the Wind. - Challenge Objectives Harness the Power of the Wind Engineer Connections Transfer Energy Assemble Moving Parts - Force Breakdown 1. The Wind Cups Harness the Wind with Their Large Surface Area and Cone Shape, Creating Clockwise Rotation and Preventing Counterclockwise Rotation. 2. The Wind Cup Shafts Translate the Force to the Top Fitting, Using Their Long Length to Create a Larger Moment and Higher Torque. 3. The Top Fitting Transfers This Torque Directly to the First Vertical Shaft and "Small Gear." 4. The "Small Gear" and "Large Gear" Work Together to Reverse the Direction of Rotation and Gear Down, Increasing Torque Further. 5. The "Large Gear" Shaft Brings the Torque to the Transfer Gears, Rotating the Axis of Rotation 90 Degrees to the Axle. 6. Finally, the Axle Sends the Torque to the Wheels, Bringing the Wind's Energy to the Ground and Resulting in Forward Motion. - Revisions & Challenges (1/22/16) User green_horn Designed a Support for the Shafts to Help the Gears Mesh. I Added It to the Files List, but You Can Also Find It Here - http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1284996 All the Gears Were Tested and Revised Three or More Times to Ensure Solid Connections. The Wind Cups Were Revised from Circular to Cone-Shaped and Increased in Diameter for Better Wind Performance. ***The Model Can Be Built with Some Dexterity and Works Fine to Demonstrate the Concept, but I Believe the Gears and Connections Could be Optimized Further for an Easier Building Experience*** - Concept Introduction This Model is a Great Example of Engineering Connections and Energy Transfer. One Possible Assignment Could Include Requiring Students to Estimate How Many Times the Wind Cups Will Rotate When the Car Travels a Specified Distance, Calculated After Measuring the Wheel and Gear Diameters. The Video Link of It in Action - http://youtu.be/eJ2HLBYwLqE Video Close-Up of the Gears in Motion - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m45Ot9xe7VM&feature=youtu.be