Posted on May 1, 2012
Every day, the sun sends out an enormous amount of energy. It radiates more energy in one second than the world has used since time began! This radiant energy, also known as solar energy, is vital to us because it provides the world directly—or indirectly—with almost all of its energy. In addition to providing the [...]
Continue ReadingPosted on May 1, 2012
Remember to use the scientific method when testing your solar boat! Hold other variables constant as you change and explore individual questions. • Experiment with different propellers. Which propeller makes the boat go faster? • What do you think would be more effective: a small propeller at high RPMs, or a larger propeller at low [...]
Continue ReadingPosted on April 30, 2012
The most important aspect of a good boat is its ability to float in water! This ability is known as the buoyancy of a boat. In the 3rd century B.C., Archimedes discovered the law of buoyancy: “an object that is floating or immersed in a fluid experiences a buoyant force equal to the weight of [...]
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Posted on April 27, 2012
Figure 1 : Position the plywood deck over the balsa blocks with the edge of the deck all the way to one end of the blocks. Push the screws through the deck holes and into the balsa pontoons ( Fig 1). Using a screw driver, very gently tighten the screws. , Assemble the motor mount. [...]
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Posted on April 26, 2012
The solar collector, as used in a Radiantec Solar Heating System, is a shallow aluminum box with a tempered glass cover sheet. Typical nominal dimensions are 4 ft x 8 ft x 4 in, although other sizes are available. The weight will be about 125 pounds. Several collectors are usually connected to each other so [...]
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Posted on April 26, 2012
The “Solar Loop” is where solar energy is collected by solar collectors, turned into heat, and then pumped where it needs to go in order to fill our needs. It is a “closed” system consisting of solar collectors, a plumbing mechanical package and one or more heat exchangers. “Closed” means that the system has its [...]
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Posted on January 31, 2012
The Sketching toolbar is embedded in the Cross section sketch editor. It contains thetools you need to define and save cross sections: Sketching cross sections To sketch a cross section: 1. Click Modeling > Profiles > Define Cross Section in Sketch Editor…. Tekla Structuresopens the: • Cross Section Sketch Editor View and Sketching toolbar • Variables and Sketch Browser dialog boxes 2. Use the following tools on the Sketching toolbar to sketch the outline of a crosssection, and [...]
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Posted on January 27, 2012
Snapping Tekla Structures includes many tools you can use alone or together with other tools to snap to specific locations. These tools are: • Snap switches • Numeric snapping • Orthogonal snapping • Tracking • Temporary reference points See also Snapping examples Numeric snapping Use the Enter a numeric location toolbar to key in position coordinates you want to snap to. TEKLA To display the toolbar, initiate a [...]
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Posted on January 27, 2012
Numbering settings To open the Numbering Setup dialog box, click Drawings & Reports > Numbering > Numbering Settings…: You can use various numbering options: Option Action if checked Renumber all Tekla Structures renumbers all parts. All information on previous numbers is lost. Reuse old numbers Tekla Structures reuses numbers assigned to parts that have subsequently been deleted. [...]
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Posted on December 29, 2011
Units and decimals To configure how units and decimals are input, output, stored and displayed, click Tools >Options > Options… > Units and decimals. Update When you click OK in the Units and decimals dialog box, Tekla Structures updates the format of units and decimals in all open dialog boxes. Input and output Different types of data are separated onto three tabs in the Units and decimals dialog box. Inputdata data appears on the Modeling and Catalogs tabs. Output data appears on the Analysis results tab [...]
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