Windbelt - Reinventing wind power | Latest Features. If you look up aeroelastic flutter on Youtube, the first thing you’ll find is footage of the spectacular Tacoma Narrows bridge collapse back in 1940. Shawn Frayne has however given the infamous phenomenon a chance to redeem itself as a new form of cheap, clean wind energy. ‘Typically aeroelastic flutter is a destructive effect. But what the Windbelt does is try to capture it for the purposes of electricity production,’ explains Frayne, the brains behind the Windbelt and the founder of Humdinger Wind Energy.
The Windbelt’s key component is a taut membrane of mylar-coated taffeta, which vibrates as wind flows over it – this movement, triggered by airflow, is what is known as aeroelastic flutter (see the windbelt in action in the video below). ‘That oscillation moves a set of permanent magnets that are on the membrane itself at one of the ends,’ Frayne continues. The motion of these magnets between two copper coil induces an electrical current. Wind energy for the developing world Share: Sayings-23.jpg (JPEG Image, 640x479 pixels) HypnoStudio. Free Hypnosis and Self Hypnosis Software. Text-to-speech and Binaural Beats. PhysOrg.com - Science News, Technology, Physics, Nanotechnology, Space Science, Earth Science, Medicine.