Week 3 Update

Seventy meters left in the 100 meter dash.  That is where we are now.  On December 14, 1903 the Wright brothers attempted their first flight, resulting in the airplane diving into the sand.  On April 24, 2017, Daniel and Andy attempted the first flight of our two-string indoor stunt kite, which resulted in the kite diving into the concrete.  Similar stories and look where planes are now.  Hopefully our kite will be there some day.

This week was a very busy week.  On Thursday during class, we started by 3-D printing out the nose piece of the kite designed in week 2. And it only took 13 minutes to print! So we decided to print out the rest of the connectors as well, instead of creating the connectors out of plastic tubing.  Choosing to 3-D print will lower the cost of the kite since the plastic used to print the pieces is cheaper then the tubing we were going to use.  The digital version of the 45-degree end corners and the 3-way T-joint connectors are pictured below in Figure 1 and Figure 2, respectively.

Figure 1 - 45-Degree End Corner

Figure 2 - 3-Way T-Joint Connector

While two of the 45-degree end corners and three of the 3-way T-Joint connectors were being printed, a digital model of the kite's frame was created to help facilitate building the kite.  Figure 3 below shows this model, and a digital drawing of the frame can be found here.

Figure 3 - Digital Kite Frame

Using the digital model and drawing of the kite frame, an actual model could be built!  Using the materials listed in the drawing, it was really easy.  After some experimenting with methods to cut the carbon fiber rods to avoid splinters, it took about 10 minutes to build the frame of the kite.  After creating the frame, it was decided to first try the kite with plastic from a lightweight trash bag.  We decided to do the first fitting with this material because of the similarities to nylon and the bag's low cost.  The plan was to make a rough fitting with the plastic that could be used as a template for the nylon. When it comes to fitting the kite with nylon, the more expensive material, hopefully no mistakes will be made.  Figure 4 and Figure 5 below show the kite from two different points of view, fitted with plastic.

Figure 4 - Top Isometric View of Kite

Figure 5 - Bottom Isometric View of Kite

After attaching the strings of the kite in line with the center of gravity of the kite, it was time to fly.  We took the kite to the Myers Hall Courtyard, where most of the wind is blocked.  This gave us a big spot outside simulating the space inside a big room in a building.  During the first flight, we were able to notice that the kite kept stalling.  After building the kite, we did a gliding test, which showed us that the kite was back heavy.  This lead us to add some weight to the nose of the kite.  After adding a penny to the front the kite, it glided really well, so we knew this was not the case outside.  This lead us to the conclusion that the two strings and their bridles where too far back on the kite.

This week, we also came to the conclusion that the easiest way to cut nylon without making it fray is by using a hot soldering iron.  This iron seals the edge of the nylon by melting the strands together.

During Week 4 of the project, we hope to change the material of the kite from plastic to nylon, along with find the perfect position to attach the strings to the kite.  Some of the problems we will most likely encounter in the following week are finding the exact placement of the strings and finding the best way to attach the nylon to the 6 in. vertical carbon fiber rods in the back of the kite.  Since both of our problems that we expected to have last week (creating the connectors for the kite and finding the perfect weight distribution) were both addressed this week, the goals for this week are definitely achievable.  This keeps in line with the schedule that was posted in the Week 1 update.

Week 2 Update

And the race against the ten week term continues!  This week, the design for our first prototype of the two string stunt kite was completed.  After doing some more research, and looking at the video originally posted in Week One, we are pretty confident that our first prototype is going to be a great start.  We took some still shots of the first video and those are below in Figure 1 and Figure 2.

Figure 1 - Screenshot of Video

Figure 2 - Screenshot of Video

Figure 1 shows that the back of the kite is made of one long straight section and two rods running up vertically.  Figure 2 shows that their are three rods running from the back of the kite.  These are at the edges of the kite and run down the center.  We decided that this will be how we build the kite, as well.
Figure 3 illustrates the back view of the frame of the kite, and Figure 4 illustrates the top view of the frame.

Figure 3 - Back View of Kite Framing

Figure 4 - Top View Kite Framing

After drawing these figures, we then started to think about the materials that we are going to use.  It was previously determined that 2 mm carbon fibers rods were going to be used for the frame, and the fabric of the kite that goes over the frame was going to be plastic from plastic bags or garbage bags.

After discussing this matter again this week, we decided to stick with the carbon fiber rods, but we decided to use nylon instead of plastic.  We decided to choose this because nylon is a stronger, but lighter material than plastic that won't let air through it.  We also decided this week to make the connections between the rods with plastic tubing.  This will lead to semi-flexible connection points that are low cost and high strength.  After some consideration, it was determined that this would not work for the front connection point because of the angle measurements and the fact that there are three rods meeting at that point.  In order to make this rigid connection the easiest, the part should be 3D printed.  This connecting part was then built in Autodesk Inventor Pro, and we are planning on printing it next week.  An image of this piece is shown in Figure 5 below.

Figure 5 - Front Connection Point for First Prototype

A lot was completed this week, but we hope to do even more next week.  We hope to complete the first prototype, which includes printing the piece shown in Figure 5.  Hopefully we will also be able to test this prototype to determine the optimal string placement. Some problems we may find in the next week are the low rigidity of our connection points in the kite and the kite's poor weight distribution. Hopefully, if we do encounter these issues we will be able to solve them quickly.

Week 1 Update

And we are off! This week we formed our group and began to formulate our plan for our indoor kite. After doing a bit of research to figure out what an indoor kite was, we found a fascinating video of an actor flying a kite on stage during a show.  Indoor kites look pretty cool!  The video is below in Video 1:

Video 1 - Video of Indoor Kite

We thought this was so cool that we decided, as a team, we were going to design a low cost, indoor, stunt kite like the one shown in the video.  We quickly started to formulate a plan to build this kite and started to sketch the design and make a timeline for the project.  Figure 1 includes the basic sketches of the preliminary kite design, and Table 1 is the proposed timeline for the project.

Figure 1 - Preliminary Sketches

Table 1 - Proposed Timeline

Figure 1 shows a design that has a fully upside down W shape in the back and makes it way to a single point at the front of the kite.  This design, due to the two high points on the top, helps with the kite's stability as it glides through the air.  For the first prototype, the structure will be built out of 2 mm carbon fiber rods and plastic bags.  The rods are light weight but strong and the bags are also light weight but don't let wind through them.  These materials are relatively cheap, around 20 dollars for 5 meters of the carbon fiber rods and the plastic bags can be gotten at any local store.  Another idea for the material of the kite, instead of plastic bags, is different kinds of fabrics.  The size of the prototypes and final design are yet to be determined.  We will also need to test different kinds of string to fly the kite by.  A light weight and cheap string is needed that has a strong tensile strength.

As for Table 1, our proposed timeline, this is pretty set.  If we follow this schedule throughout the term and keep on pace, we will be able to reach our goal, hopefully with few mishaps.  Each part of the design process has a section in the chart with a small amount of overlap for each section.  It is optimal that as one part of the process comes to a close, the next can start up at the same time.  This should lead to a seamless transition from day-to-day tasks.

Also, at the conclusion of this week the project proposal was due.  The completed project proposal can be found here.  The proposal lays out the design of our kite and what we hope to achieve over the coming weeks in more detail.