Once you've put a large vertical rudder on the back of the turntable at the top of the tower, you can hang a sheet of plywood off the back of the turn table from a hinge like the horizontal tail wing of a plane. A stop can hold it at about a 45 degree droop. As the wind speed rises, the sheet of plywood rises closer to horizontal. A triangle shaped bracket on top of the wing near the front hinge can move a horizontal rod forward to the turbine head unit as the wing rises.
If your turbine head is made from a car front spindle and brake disc, the stock spindle steering spur is a perfect attachment point for the furling actuator rod. As high winds raise the horizontal tail wing, the forward moving rod turns the spinning turbine to an angle off to the side, slowing it. Probably more complex than a proper furling turbine head purchased from a catalogue, but robust, simple, and almost free from junk.
Start with a wing that is too big and gradually cut it down until it furls just the right amount, and if you cut it too much, just add some weight to the top of the wing.
For a non-angling turbine head, I'm looking at extending the turntable out in front of the blades, and having several vertical planks in front of the center of the turbine. The furling rod will gradually close off the wind at the front of the turbine like mini-blinds on a window.
Most car differentials a have a ratio of about 3:1, so if the horizontal turbine shaft fed the diff input yoke (in place of a store-bought turbine head), and the wheel flange was pointed down, a turbine spinning at 300 RPM would spin a vertical shaft pointed down to the ground at 100 RPM. Some driveshafts are two-piece with a center carrier bearing, and that bearing would be a handy place to mount a support. A 4-wheel-drive front spindle provides a large disc to mount the turbine blades, a high speed heavy duty bearing, a pivoting wrist, and a central hole and U-joint to attach the shaft to. For a non-pivoting head, a rear axle from a solid housing diff with a disc brake provides a bearing with a carrier housing that could be mounted on a support (also good for making a Pelton water wheel). -Ron
Statistics: Posted by spinning-magnets — Sun Jul 01, 2007 2:27 am
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check out
under the info + projects there is full pics/instructions on how to build a furling windmill using a F+P washing machine motor .
Gives a nice view of how the furling tail works.
Simple and effective
Havent quite finished my unit yet (tail left to mount) but great design.
Cheers
Adam
Statistics: Posted by adam666 — Thu Jun 07, 2007 5:24 am
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Statistics: Posted by 12volt dan — Sun May 27, 2007 7:04 pm
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I have the plans for Hugh Piggott's 8-footer which is an off set tail design
Statistics: Posted by 12volt dan — Thu May 24, 2007 10:27 pm
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uses this but, they don't show to easily how it works.
So my question is does any one know how the "furl up" system works and how to put one togather(with pics would be awesome)?
Any help would be greatly appreciated,
-Randy
Statistics: Posted by Etownlax — Wed Oct 04, 2006 6:39 pm
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