Tethered GliderP14462

Project Review

Saj SubhaniKyle Ball

Jon Erbelding

Matt DouglasPaul GrossiBill Charlock

BackgroundCurrent wind energy is harvested primarily

using wind turbines; however, these wind turbines are very limited. They require large bases to support large blades, which limits the heights that they can achieve.

A better solution to harvest wind energy lies in high altitude kites. High altitude kites are capable of reaching the faster, more consistent winds in the upper atmosphere.

Project Goals ● Design and construct a

base station to measure and record the position and tether tension of a tethered glider

● Fly glider unpowered using human controlled input

● Fly glider in a circular flight path for 3+ minutes, while maintaining tether tension

Glider

Tether

Base Station

Operator w/controller

Final Design - Glider● RC Plane

o 1 Aerobirdo 3 Bixlers

● 3 Point Bridleo Offset from center

● Dyneema Tethero 55 meterso 1000 lbs breaking tension

● On Site Repairso Foam Glueo Duct Tape

Glider Damages● Major Damages

o Severe nose damageo Wings ripped outo Fuselage snappedo Tail broke offo Control surfaces ripped offo Lost motor controlo Motor support broke in half

Final Design - Base Station● Two potentiometers that

measure horizontal and vertical sweep angles

● Single load cell that the tether attaches to, which measures tether tension

● Sensors wired into NI DAQ device which worked in conjunction with LabView to record and process signals

Experiments

Results● All flights were powered

o Glider lost altitude over time● For 1 loop

o Taut Tether Tension was 23.22 lbs

o During Loop Varied from 0.23 lbs to 5.78 lbs

● Tether tension expected to increase with more loops

● Max glider speed of 45 mph

Engineering Req. Checklist

Future Iterations● Glider lost altitude over time

o Believed to be caused by our bridle setupo Design a plane for a 2 point bridle system

Aileron Control while in flight path More robust plane

o Too difficult for human control Automation would be required

Questions?