News

Inflator Kite Test

2/21/12

We tested the inflator on a kite in the shop on Friday. The overall performance of the pump, pressure release valve, and radio link exceed our requirements. The firmware crashed after several hours of operation, however, so we will need to fix this bug and ensure that any future errors do not result in a deflated or exploded kite. The test showed that the inflation rate is 1.4 psi/hour and deflation rate is 5.6 psi/hour with a 40 sqm kite in the pressure range of interest. This is fast enough to handle small leaks, temperature-related pressure changes, and minor inflation adjustments for performance optimization.

Foil cassette panel

2/20/12

Today we added the upper section that connects the box to the rails.

Sunday update

2/19/12

Today we worked on:

1. The fillets and taping around the beam to the hull intersection at the outer skin.

2. The foam wedges between the bulkhead assembly and the ama decks.

3. The backfill Nomex edges on the bulkhead assemblies.

4. Additional operations on the lower foil cassette panel.

Saturday work party

2/18/12

Gabe and Joe showed up to get a few things done.

1. The foil cassette panel, which supports the point-loading of the lower rollers using a core, which is a combination of airex foam and 1.5mm thick webs of carbon spaced 12mm apart.

2. Sea anchor deploy tunnel, which connects to and also drains the dry well storage area.

3. Secondary filleting and taping of the inboard ama hull halves.