Kites & kiting

[Turtle]

OK. 3 of the 4 strut assemblies are done and assembled. My back is killin' me, but no pain, no gain eh!?

Here's a pic of the newly reborn Golden Rhombus kite. I can feel the bitter cold wind freezing my ear-tips already. :brrr:

[freeztar]

What type of material did you use?
Also, how does that style of kite get lift?

[LaurieAG]

Originally Posted by freeztar

It seems kites are being employed on the open seas now to cut down on fuel consumption. How cool?!

SkySails - Turn Wind into Profit

Hi Freeztar,

So we now have the technology to control kites automatically and harness the winds energy.

When will someone think about hanging a wind turbine underneath the foil?

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by freeztar

What type of material did you use?
Also, how does that style of kite get lift?

The fabric is rip-stop nylon, a type of nylon fabric with a embedded large open-weave square mesh of larger fibers. You likely have seen it in tents and other outdoor equipment.

There are several possible bridle attachments, the simplest being a single line attached to a single spar. I prefer a bridle with a double attachment to a single spar, with an elastic section to allow the kite to flatten out in strong gusts. This dumps the extra air and keeps the thing from breaking up or taking a dive.

As you see in my drawering below, the attachment spar is one of the 2 that is on the 'broadest' span. The angling back of the fabric from the spar is referred to as dihedral, and by going from box to rhomboid I have lessened the dihedral. (the more deviation from completely flat, the greater the dihedral.) The amount the kite lays forward is the angle of attack, and this is determined by the bridling. While I have decreased the dihedral, and so sacrificed some stability, I have increased my effective lift surface by quite a bit.

This baby is gonna rip!!! Not tear....rrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiipppppp! :

[LaurieAG]

Originally Posted by Turtle

OK. 3 of the 4 strut assemblies are done and assembled. My back is killin' me, but no pain, no gain eh!?

Here's a pic of the newly reborn Golden Rhombus kite. I can feel the bitter cold wind freezing my ear-tips already. :brrr:

Hi Turtle,

If you google 'hargreaves box kite' you get the following as well as a couple of his kite designs.

Hargrave, Lawrence - Hutchinson encyclopedia article about Hargrave, Lawrence

Are you going to get a lift out of yours?

[freeztar]

Nice drawering!

So it's the angle of attack, determined by the bridle attachment, that gives it lift?

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by LaurieAG

Hi Turtle,

If you google 'hargreaves box kite' you get the following as well as a couple of his kite designs.

Hargrave, Lawrence - Hutchinson encyclopedia article about Hargrave, Lawrence

Are you going to get a lift out of yours?

Hi Laurie,
I keep the line staked to the ground, and use heavy gloves to work the line. The pull is so great that the kite is walked down, not reeled in. I have never had a spring scale to measure the pull on the line, but it is significant. My purpose is not to fly myself, but my video camera.

Originally Posted by freeztar

Nice drawering!

So it's the angle of attack, determined by the bridle attachment, that gives it lift?

That's the big ticket. We all experience this when we 'fly' a hand out a fast moving vehicle window.

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by LaurieAG

Hi Freeztar,

So we now have the technology to control kites automatically and harness the winds energy.

When will someone think about hanging a wind turbine underneath the foil?

That's a good idea Laurie!

[LaurieAG]

Originally Posted by Turtle

Hi Laurie,
I keep the line staked to the ground, and use heavy gloves to work the line. The pull is so great that the kite is walked down, not reeled in. I have never had a spring scale to measure the pull on the line, but it is significant. My purpose is not to fly myself, but my video camera.

That's the big ticket. We all experience this when we 'fly' a hand out a fast moving vehicle window.

Hi Turtle,

I bet you'd get a fair bit of lift in a strong wind as my small (2.8mx1.2m) stunt kite can drag me along skiing in a 30 knot breeze.

[LaurieAG]

Originally Posted by freeztar

That's a good idea Laurie!

Hi Freeztar,

About 10 years ago I was thinking of something trailer sized that would hold a kite, a generator, the reel and storage batteries. The only thing it needed was some sort of auto control mechanism that would allow the reel to control the kite safely.

Maybe Turtle would like to have a go at electricity generation after he sets up his box kite for a video camera? I wasn't really thinking about a box kite then but it would be perfect and a lot safer than a stunt (delta) kite., and you could use the tethers to move the electricity generated.