Wind generator blades were in the past made from
wood, but that has now been replaced by PVC. Wood
turbines have had the problem of spinning to fast
in high winds and causing damage to your generators.
PVC is an easier material to work with. First of all
the blades are easy to make. Second of all PVC is
more readily available than wood. Third, of all PVC
wind generator blades are more fexible in strong winds.
PVC wind turbine blades tend to work well with
most small and medium sized generators regardless of
whether you are using a stepper moto, a sturmery
archer dynohuh or the larger choice which is the
permanant magnet alternatorrs.
Here are some pictures of PVC turbine blades…
If you are planning on making your PVC blades at home
you can use a jigsaw or hacksaw to cut out individual
blades out of PVC. In order to improve the lift from the
aerofoil you get from your wind the recommened optimum
design involves you cutting your trailing edge moving it
away from the centreline.
Usually when it comes to making a PVC Wind Generator
bladesusually the two to three foot section of either 6″ or 8″PVC pipe will do the trick.
Here are two quick tips you can adopt when creating your
blades. It has proven the longer your blades are the more
“swept area” you have to gather energy from and easier
your blades will spin in low winds, but the slower your
rotation speeds will be
Another great tip is, according to phyics the tips of your
PVC wind generator blades always will spin faster than the
base, therefore you have to take into account what is
called the “tip speed ratio” (TSR) when designing your
blades that may be the reason why old windmills can spin
all year long at 40 repetitions per minute.