Windmill construction
Opposing windmill airfoil blades extend from a central hub and are connected thereto by a pair of cables secured to the inner ends of the blades and which each freely engages through the opposite ends of a cross member secured to the hub. These cables then extend to a reel on the hub thus forming a triangular configuration to support each airfoil blade. The reel is driven by a small reversible electric motor which extends and retracts the cables and hence the blades depending upon the tension in the cables which is sensed by a sensor which in turn actuates the electric motor. As the wind speed increases in velocity, the cables lengthen and vice-versa. Guide vanes or control tail wings extend from adjacent the inner ends of each of the airfoil blades and are fixed in manufacture thus automatically presenting the desired angle of attack of the airfoil blades to the wind. The rigidity of the cables, due to centrifugal force, allows the rotation of the assembly to rotate the shaft extending from the hub which may drive a generator. Conventional yaw control means are provided to maintain the blades in the desired direction relative to the wind direction.
- Assignee:
- EDB-83-084194
- Patent Number(s):
- US 4335996
- OSTI ID:
- 6463144
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: Filed date 1 Dec 1980; Other Information: PAT-APPL-211891
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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