Running head: PROGRESS REPORT VIII 1

EMWiT Progress Report VIII

Paulina Hall, Lauren Warner, Shannon Woolfolk

February 23, 2017

Dr. Psaker

The Governors School at Innovation Park

Objectives: Finish the construction of the electric motor and order parts for the wind turbine and

construct the turbine. Start testing for the electric motor to ensure it works. Continue updating

the website.
PROGRESS REPORT VIII 2

Abstract

Progress:

The magnets on the frame of the electric motor were glued, first with quick-dry epoxy glue,

then with epoxy putty, but after drying, the magnets starting peeling off of the aluminum sheet

metal. The magnets were taken off the metal, a longer piece of aluminum was cut more precisely,

and the metal was marked and scored where the magnets would be placed. The magnets were glued

again using a stronger epoxy glue. The commutator of the electric motor was constructed, but after

using poor tinsnips to cut the copper pieces, a new pair of tinsnips was ordered and the commutator

was taken apart. The epoxy putty holding the copper pieces together was reapplied higher on the

metal rod, and longer copper pieces were cut with more accurate tinsnips and stuck to the epoxy

putty. The wire was soldered and excess wire was cut, completing the construction of the armature

and commutator. Dr. G reprinted the hub for the wind turbine, because it was too small for the fan

blades. The 3D printed fan blades were inserted into the new hub, but the slots for the blades were

slightly too narrow and have inconsistent widths, making the insertion of the blades tedious and

more time-consuming. The wind turbine blades and hub were finished and are ready for the final

steps of construction.
PROGRESS REPORT VIII 3

Figure 1: The magnets were reapplied to a new sheet metal with a stronger epoxy that takes longer
to dry, so magnets had to be placed on the underside of the metal until the epoxy glue dried
completely. As seen on the far left, the area where the magnets were placed were outlined and
scored to create a stronger and more accurate adhesive for the magnets.

Figure 2: The wind turbine hub and blades were connected, without the need for epoxy glue.
This took longer than expected due to the tight fit for each slot, and the fan blades had to be
inserted using a hammer and buffer.
PROGRESS REPORT VIII 4

Work Planned for the Next Two Weeks:

Research will be conducted on further construction of the wind turbine, including the types

of gears that are necessary to maximize efficiency of the power produced. The gears will be added

to the hub and blades, and then connected to the generator to convert the mechanical energy into

electrical energy. Two circles will be carved out of the aluminum sheet metal to go on the ends of

the frame of the motor, completing the construction of the electric motor entirely. The motor will

be measured using a multimeter to see the amount of volts it produces when attached to a battery.

The website will continue to be updated with more pictures and data for the voltage produced from

the electric motor.

PROGRESS REPORT VIII 5

Data and Results

Not data or results at this time. No experimentation has occurred.

PROGRESS REPORT VIII 6

References

No references at this time.