How Should Wind Turbine Blades Be Designed for Maximum Efficiency?

[lukedimarco]

We are looking to effectivley build a wind turbine to capture the wind and create energy. What would be the most effective and easisest way to construct the windmill?

I would like to focus on the design of the blades themselves. What design of the blades would provide maximum support and energy? I am aware that an odd number of blades (3 is ideal) is great because then the windmill will always even out.

What are we thinking? This would most likely me manufactured from cardboard.

 

[RandomGuy88]

What size are we talking about here?

By "design of the blades" are you referring to the airfoil? You can find airfoils that are currently used for wind turbines here.
http://www.ae.illinois.edu/m-selig/ads/coord_database.html

But I don't know how you would build a turbine blade out of cardboard. And for that matter it seems like building a wind turbine out of cardboard is a bad idea all around. I would expect it to just blow away or get ruined in the rain.

 

[lukedimarco]

It is a miniature model for a engineering competition. Doesn't need to withstand elements. They are giving us materials and a time, I have heard that most of the materials are cardboard and tape.

 

[rcgldr]

Airfoil plays a role, but the main factor in efficiency is the length of each roter blade. This is why wind turbines at wind farms use such huge rotor blades on their windmills (20 to 40 meters). This isn't pratical everywhere, so smaller designs are used:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_turbine