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How to Build a Non-PVC Turbine

PVC pipe is a useful material for making turbines, but its rigidity can make it vulnerable in some situations. An alternative material is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or ABS. It has all the durability and ease of use of PVC, but it is slightly more flexible. ABS is commonly used to fabricate piping. Cutting turbine blades from pipe has the added advantage of providing a ready-made curve, which makes the blades more efficient for converting the wind energy into rotational force.

Things You'll Need

24-inch-long, 6-inch-diameter ABS pipe
Tape measure
Marker
Try square
Ruler
Hacksaw
Belt sander
5-inch aluminum disk
Drill
Bolts

Instructions

- 1
  Measure around the circumference of the pipe at one end. Divide this length into four and use this measurement to mark four points around the mouth of the pipe. Place the handle of the try square against the pipe and metal blade along its length. Line the blade up each the mark and draw down it.
- 2
  Line up the ruler with the lines and continue drawing the lines down the length of the pipe with the marker. Cut down these lines with the hacksaw.
- 3
  Take one of the sections and lay it in front of you, with the long side close to you and the concave side faced down. Draw a point 2 inches from the right-hand edge and 1 inch from the top edge. Draw straight lines from this point directly to the right-hand edge and the bottom edge.
- 4
  Draw a point on the left-hand edge 1 inch from the top edge. Draw a straight line from this point to the point where the previous line you drew and the bottom edge intersect. Cut along all these lines with the hacksaw. Cut the other four sections in the same way.
- 5
  Sand the edges of the blades on the belt sander. Make the diagonal edge rounded and the straight edge into a tapering point.
- 6
  Position three of the blades around the aluminum disk. Position the blades with the concave face down. Position the protruding square section of each blade over the edge of the disk and make sure that the blades are equidistant.
- 7
  Drill two holes through each square section and into the aluminum disk beneath. Bolt the blades to the disk through these holes. Use the central hole to bolt the turbine to the motor.

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