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During the senior year in Mechanical Engineering Technology program, a solar tracker was designed and manufactured to be used during Mechanical Engineering Technology labs. The solar tracker will be able to rotate around 15 degrees per hour by keeping it in line with changing position of the sun as the sky daily. The solar tracker was designed by calculating the need of the motor speed, allowable load, estimated solar input, and desired efficiency. From there, the necessary tube lengths and diameters were determined, and the solar tracker base was constructed. T shape base, center arm, rotate shaft plastic cap, aluminum cap and motor support will be manufactured. Furthermore, the solar tracker requires to rotate 15 degrees per hour as 47 angle faced to the sun. Also it requires to be able to fold it and storage in the drawer. Considering those requirement, size, rotation, cost and ease of use were primary intents in the design. Statics, strengths of materials analyses, and mechanical design principles determined placement of features with minimized size and weight to support the loadings created. The result was the rotate shaft can support the solar panel and still be able to rate. This project will show the results of the efficiency of the solar tracker at varying solar inputs and angle, as well as the physics behind the stand design

Welcome

I am graduated in Central Washington University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology.

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