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Kite performance measurements in natural wind

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2016

S. E. Hobbs
S. E. Hobbs*
Affiliation:
Cranfield Institute of Technology, Cranfield, Bedford
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Abstract

Kites are currently used in a number of applications (anemometry, aerial platform, traction), but very little information is available for the systematic design of kite systems. An experimental technique based on an instrumented tether for single-line kites is described. This was used to measure the performance of a variety of single-line kites. The analysis techniques are briefly outlined, and incorporate allowances for kite unsteadiness, the displacement of the kite from the anemometers, extrapolation of the line tension from the tether to the kite, and the kite’s velocity relative to the ground. The results are correlated with aspects of kite design, and specific recommendations for kite applications are made.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 94 , Issue 932 , February 1990 , pp. 59 - 66
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 1990 

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