This week we made some huge strides. Since our first prototype, we have mainly been working to improve the same structure. We did this by changing the material and extending the frame. This week we decided to make a more drastic change. Instead of having a flat, triangular shaped kite, we now have a kite that has wings that are bent upwards. This increased the distance the kite glided by a huge amount.
The overall structure of the kite is still very similar to the first prototype. Instead of having one cross bar straight across horizontally through the middle, the cross bar is split in two pieces that are attached at an angle. To increase stability, cross bars, again attached at an angle were added towards the back of the kite. With this structure there is no need to add an extra skewer to the center of the kite. The weight in the back is not needed to balance the kite. The new prototype is shown in the figures below.
As shown in the figures the sail is attached to the bottom of the kite. This allows the kite to catch the air. Having the sail attached this way poses the question of how to attach the line. The idea as of now is to attach the line from underneath through a hole in the sail. This will be a priority heading into next week.
As of right now the kite is being held together with tape. We have observed that after being stored for a few days the kite has flattened out. This is an issue that will need to be fixed before the kite is finalized. This could be fixed by hot gluing the kite together instead of taping it, or by tying the sides to each other.
The overall structure of the kite is still very similar to the first prototype. Instead of having one cross bar straight across horizontally through the middle, the cross bar is split in two pieces that are attached at an angle. To increase stability, cross bars, again attached at an angle were added towards the back of the kite. With this structure there is no need to add an extra skewer to the center of the kite. The weight in the back is not needed to balance the kite. The new prototype is shown in the figures below.
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| Figure One: Top View of kite |
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| Figure Two: Bottom/Back View of Kite |
As shown in the figures the sail is attached to the bottom of the kite. This allows the kite to catch the air. Having the sail attached this way poses the question of how to attach the line. The idea as of now is to attach the line from underneath through a hole in the sail. This will be a priority heading into next week.
As of right now the kite is being held together with tape. We have observed that after being stored for a few days the kite has flattened out. This is an issue that will need to be fixed before the kite is finalized. This could be fixed by hot gluing the kite together instead of taping it, or by tying the sides to each other.
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