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US 11,143,164 B1Granted
Vertical windmill blade
AssigneeEpic Metals Corporation
InventorsDavid F. Landis, Benjamin Landis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A blade for a vertical windmill includes an arcuate blade member having an interior surface and an exterior surface, the arcuate blade member including at least one aperture extending through the arcuate blade member; and at least one layer of flexible sheet material applied to the exterior or interior surface of the arcuate blade member, the at least one layer of flexible sheet material covering the at least one aperture in the arcuate blade member on the exterior or interior surface.
Claims20
A blade for a vertical windmill, comprising:
- an arcuate blade member, the arcuate blade member being curved about a center of curvature and having an interior surface oriented toward the center of curvature and an exterior surface oriented away from the center of curvature, the arcuate blade member comprising at least one aperture extending through the arcuate blade member;
- at least one layer of flexible sheet material applied to the exterior or interior surface of the arcuate blade member, the at least one layer of flexible sheet material covering the at least one aperture in the arcuate blade member on the exterior or interior surface;
- and
- a rolling arrangement connected to the at least one layer of flexible sheet material, the rolling arrangement being configured to extend and retract the at least one layer of flexible sheet material to selectively cover or expose the at least one aperture.
1 more element
A vertical windmill, comprising:
- a frame;
- and
- at least one rotor assembly supported on the frame, the at least one rotor assembly being configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis, the at least one rotor assembly comprising at least two windmill blades extending parallel to the longitudinal axis,
- each of the at least two windmill blades comprising:
- an arcuate blade member, the arcuate blade member being curved about a center of curvature extending parallel to the longitudinal axis and having an interior surface oriented toward the center of curvature and an exterior surface oriented away from the center of curvature, the arcuate blade member comprising at least one aperture extending through the arcuate blade member;
- at least one layer of flexible sheet material applied to the exterior or interior surface of the arcuate blade member, the at least one layer of flexible sheet material covering the at least one aperture in the arcuate blade member on the exterior or interior surface;
- and
- a rolling arrangement connected to the at least one layer of flexible sheet material, the rolling arrangement being configured to extend and retract the at least one layer of flexible sheet material to selectively cover or expose the at least one aperture.
5 more elements
A method of constructing a blade for a vertical windmill, comprising:
- providing a flat sheet of metal material;
- forming at least one aperture in the flat sheet of metal material extending through the flat sheet of metal material;
- bending the flat sheet of metal material to form an arcuate blade member curved about a center of curvature, the arcuate blade member having an interior surface oriented toward the center of curvature and an exterior surface oriented away from the center of curvature;
- applying at least one layer of flexible sheet material to the exterior or interior surface of the arcuate blade member, the at least one layer of flexible sheet material covering the at least one aperture in the arcuate blade member on the exterior or interior surface;
- and
- adding a rolling arrangement connected to the at least one layer of flexible sheet material, the rolling arrangement being configured to extend and retract the at least one layer of flexible sheet material to selectively cover or expose the at least one aperture.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.