The engineering scenario that we were given was The Roof Generator where we had to design a turbine for roofs to help residents in Calgary take advantage of the high winds and reduce their electricity bills. Our design had to meet the following objectives:
Once we determined our primary and secondary objectives, we had to decide on a material to use. We concluded that aluminum alloy would be the best choice out of the other choices that were steel and CFRP. This was determined from our weighted decision matrix.
GRANTA MPI chart for Cost vs. Yield Strength
Finally, we needed to determine the thickness so that the deflection did not exceed 10mm. We first modeled the blade the turbine, set the blade material to be aluminum alloy, and ran the deflection simulation. This ended up being about 18mm.
CAD model of the turbine blade with the deflection simulation
For this project, I was the coordinator of the team meaning that I was responsible for the completion of milestones and initiating meetings outside of class. It was a learning experience juggling communication between those in a fully online environment and those that were in-person. Additionally, working with a team with new people over the course of a month was a way to bring me out of my comfort zone.
Overall, I most enjoyed being able to learn the new programs such as Autodesk Inventor and GRANTA. It allowed me to familiarize myself with this technology for future projects. Although there was a slight learning curve, I did not find it as frustrating as I initially thought and motivated me to practice using the program in my own spare time.