Solar Tracking Structure

Design
By: Joshua Belsheim, Travis Francis,
Jiayang He, Pengyan Liu, Anthony Moehling, and Micah
Ziemkowski
Team 07

Project Analysis
Document

Submitted towards partial fulfillment of the requirements for

Mechanical Engineering Design I – Fall 2013

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ 86011
Contents
1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………1
2. Analysis………………………………………………………………………1-13
2.1.Angled Tracker
Design…….…………………………………………………………1-3
2.2.Hydraulic Tracker
Design………………………………………………………………3-5
2.3.Solar Array Tracker
Design………………………………………………………………5-6
2.4.Solar Tracking Angles………………………………………………7-8
3. Project Plan………………………….……………………………………...18-19
4. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….20
5. References………………………………………………….……………….........20
6. Appendix…………………………………………………………………………21
1. Introduction

Last report we came up with seven different concepts to solve the need of our client
Dr. Acker. We narrowed it down to three concepts the Angled tracker, Hydraulic tracker,
and the Solar Array tracker. Having chosen these three designs we modeled them in
SolidWorks to better understand what parts of the designs should be analyzed. While
modeling them in SolidWorks both the Angled tracker design and the Hydraulic tracker
designs changed. Based on the way the designs were modeled in SolidWorks we split
our group into three groups of two to analyze each design. We also realized while
modeling in SolidWorks that we would need certain angles for the slope of the panels in
the designs so we did analysis of the solar tracking systems based upon the book
provided to us by Dr. Acker.

2. Analysis

In this portion of the report our team did static structural analysis on all three of
designs selected from the concept generation. With this information we selected some
material and motors for each design. In addition to the structural analysis we also did
analysis of the angles required to track sun.

2.1 Angled Solar Tracker

Figure 1: Isometric view of Angled tracker

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 Figure 2: Side view of Angled tracker

In the last report of concept generation this design originally consisted of one support
with the upper part of the solar panel resting on a triangular support of two shafts.
However, to save space and to make the analysis of the design easier we decided to go
with only one support on the back.

The Angled Solar Tracker frame using statistical equations. The frame was broken up
into segments and analyzed. Starting with Component A seen in Figure 3, the component
that is attached directly to the solar panel experiences a distributed load over the width of
the solar panel. The general equation is listed below.

Figure 3: Component A

∑ Fy = 0 =Fsolar – F*W

2
 ∑ Fx = 0 = A1x

Where A1 is the reaction at the A joint, W is the width of the solar panel and Fsolar is the
normal force exerted to the solar panel. F is the force of the whole solar panel.

For Component B, seen in Figure 4. The general equations come out to be

Figure 4: Component B

∑ Fy = 0 = -Fsolar + F2 – We1 * sin(θ1)

∑ Fx = 0 = -We1 * cos(θ1)

Where We1 is the weight of the component B bar. Component B is attached to

Component C. Calculating the force in Component C seen in Figure 5 the general
equations are shown below.

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 Figure 5: Component C

∑ Fy = 0 = - F2 + F3 – We2 * sin(θ1)

∑ Fx = 0 = - We2 * cos(θ1)

Component C rest upon two bars that are perpendicular to the ground, which have
been labeled Component D seen in Figure 6 and Component E seen in Figure 7.
Calculating the forces in each component the general equations become.

Figure 6: Component D

∑ Fy = 0 = Ay – (F3/2) * sin(θ2)

∑ Fx = 0 = Ax – (F3/2) * cos(θ2)

∑ Ma = L * F3/2 * cos(θ2)

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 Figure 7: Component E

∑ Fy = 0 = Ay – (F3/2) * sin(θ2)

∑ Fx = 0 = Ax – (F3/2) * cos(θ2)

∑ Ma = L * F3/2 * cos(θ2)

Torque

The Torque was calculated by taking the Force that the solar panels apply times a
frictional coefficient of 0.48 times the radius of 2.54cm

𝛵𝛵 = (𝐹𝐹 × 0.48) × 𝑟𝑟

The Torque is calculated to be 3.254N*m. Then taking this Torque the ratio between
horsepower (HP) and Revolutions per Minute (rpm) was found using the Full-load
Torque equation.

𝑇𝑇 = (𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻 × 5252) / 𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟

The ratio of HP/rpm was found to be 0.0006196, using the DC Motor, NEMA 56 C-
Face with Base, 12 VDC, 1/4 hp, 1800 rpm[1]

Solve the general equations using the givens shown in the Appendix A.

Material Selection

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 The material that satisfies the stresses at these points is AISI 1020 steel. AISI 1020
steel has an Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) of 394.72 MPa and a modulus of Elasticity
of 200 GPa which easily satisfies the design requirements. This steal was chosen over
other grade steal since it is cheap and easy to manufacture.

2.2 Hydraulic Tracker

The team decided to design a light weight, yet reliable solar tracking system that not
only meets the objectives and needs but is to perform in a safe and efficient manner.
After applying the decision matrix, the team decided to pursue three potential designs
since the tracking system will be utilized in an environment where there is plenty of
sunshine during the midday and shady in the mornings and evenings. The team figured
that in order to maximize the system’s efficiency, the system and its components would
have to be designed and chosen with reliability in mind. The following is the analysis of
the Hydraulic Tracker.

Figure 8. Isometric View of the Hydraulic Tracker

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 Figure 9. Side View of the Hydraulic Tracker

The original plan was for the design to include a ball joint in the center of each panel
for support it also had magneto-rheological (MR) fluids in the hydraulics. Since the
panels do not weigh as much as the team originally estimated, and it is hard to find a ball
joint with our needed dimensions. The MR fluid is used in damper hydraulics and thus
does not provide and lifting force. There has been a couple modifications done to the
design due to the facts stated above. These modifications includes moving from MR
hydraulic fluid to air and no ball joint.

So for this new design, the team decided to do a stress analysis of a few particular
points. The stress analysis calculated on the system will be located at the points where the
rods are inserted into the upper and lower eyelets of the hydraulic cylinder.

The weight of each solar panel is 266.9 Newton (N) and the weight of each hydraulic
cylinder is approximately 22.24 N. The minimum length of the connecting rods should be
0.06 meters (m) to fit the eyelets of the hydraulic cylinder, nuts, and bolts used to secure
it. The eyelets of the hydraulics have a diameter of 0.02 m. The material that the team
chose for the rods will be AISI 1020 Steel because it is relatively inexpensive and readily
available. The Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) for the material chosen is 394.72 MPa.

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The Modulus of Elasticity of AISI 1020 Steel is 200 GPa. With these known values and
assumptions, the basic hand calculation of the prototype are as follows:

Figure 10. Shear and Bending Moment Diagram Section AB

This analysis is performed for the lower hydraulic eyelet. This location is to be
connected to the cement blocks for support and stability. The reaction force acting on the
connecting rods are the ¼ of the weight of each assembly, panel and 4 hydraulic
cylinders, because there are four supports for each system. For this calculation, the team
assumes static equilibrium because the acceleration of the panels will be slow. Thus,
calculating at static equilibrium, the shear force is 88.97 N and the moment at Point A
turned out to be 5.34 N-m. According to these values, the team did not calculate the
forces that the hydraulic cylinders can withstand because each cylinder will have to
withstand greater values of force due to the high internal pressures that each assembly
must have to move each panel.

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 Figure 11. Shear and Bending Moment Diagram Section CD

The following analysis is of the connecting rods mounted to the solar panels. The
weight applied to this area is ¼ of the weight of each panel. The team made the same
assumptions for static equilibrium case. The shear force is 66.73 N and moment is 4 N-m.
These values are less than the shear and moment in section AB. The driving values of this
shear and moment diagram are 88.97 N and 5.34 N-m.

The determining factor of each connecting rod is the diameter or the cross sectional
area of each rod so it can match the diameter of the hydraulic. We chose AISI 1020 steel
because it is inexpensive and readily available. Using equation UTS=FL/EA the
maximum length that each rod can withstand before failure is 11914 m. Since the length
of the rod we are using is 0.06 m, there is no concern about the rods failing.

After doing some further research, the team found that using a Standard Double-
Acting Hydraulic Cylinder. This system would be the best fit since it can deliver both, a
pulling and pushing motion. These pistons are relatively cost-effective when compared to
other systems such as Double-Rod Cylinders, Spring Return Single-Acting Cylinders,
Tandem, Telescoping Cylinders and so forth.

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 The next set of analyses performed were on the hydraulic cylinders. The hydraulic
cylinders were analyzed to determine the force needed to lift and lower the panel
throughout the day. The hydraulic cylinders are permanently set on the North-South axis,
but do move on the East-West axis. As a part of this analysis, the team did manage to
calculate forces needed to move the panels to effectively track the sun. The following
calculations were completed using Microsoft Excel program. The program was utilized to
calculate forces required to successfully move the solar panels. There were some constant
variables that were used, such as:

• Panel weight = 60 lbs or 266.9 N each (approximately)

• Number of Supports = 4
• Weight at each support = 15 lbs or 66.725 N

After determining the essential constants, the following equation was used to
determine the pushing force that each double acting hydraulic piston would produce:

𝐹𝐹 = 𝑃𝑃 ∗ (𝜋𝜋 𝑑𝑑2 / 4)

Where
F = rod pull force (kN)
d = piston diameter (m)
P = inside cylinder pressure (piston side) (kPa) [1]

Using an excel spreadsheet, numerous iterations were performed of this equation. The
program did supply a large quantity of possible combinations that would be sufficient for
this application. In order to keep the energy consumption down to a minimum, the team
decided to keep the air pressure as low as possible within the cylinder so that the air
compressor would not have to be operating constantly.

After reviewing the calculations found within the spreadsheet (Table 2 in the
Appendix) and comparing them to the options listed within the Parker Cylinder Catalog,
the team found that the best option would be to utilize a cylinder with a piston diameter
of 0.125 m [2]. The reason why we compared results to the catalog was to order an off-
the-shelf part rather than a custom made one because this would lead to money saved.
The team found an assembly that would allow us to use the least power possible and still

10
have a functioning tracking system. This choice was made by assuming that when the
hydraulics located on the east side would be pulling while the ones located on the west
side would be pushing in the morning. Then the hydraulics would operate in an opposite
manner in the afternoon. The reason why the team chose to perform the analysis in this
manner is because it would keep the hydraulics from conflicting with each other and
causing damage to the design. Plus, the hydraulics will be assisting each other in moving
the solar panel. This in return would help save the power required to move each solar
panel. In reference to this idea, the pressure needed to be re would have to be a pump
included within each system that would need to produce and hold 80 bars of pressure.
Therefore, when the system is not in operation, the pressure inside the hydraulic cylinders
will be great enough to hold the solar panel in place until it is ready to move again. This
will help cut down on the power consumption during operation.

In conclusion to the analysis of this design, the team concluded that it would be rather
expensive to assemble this design. The original plan was to include a ball joint in the
design. The ball joint idea was dismissed due to weight issues, because the panels do not
weigh as much as the team thought. Also, the team chose to utilize a different fluid within
the cylinders due to the cost constraint. Lastly, the team believes this design would rank
closer to last than the other two designs.

2.3 SOLAR PANEL ARRAY

The solar panel array can adjust all the solar panels in the system simultaneously
through a pulley and belt system. The design can efficiently reduce the cost and increase
efficiency of the tracking system, since only one motor and one sensor are used in the
system. The design consists of

• a frame made of 3”×3”×0.25” square hollow tube

• four 2” diameter partially keyed drive shafts
• several mounted bearings
• a pulley belt system
• a powerful DC motor
• a light sensor and control system

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Most of the components are made from AISI 1020 carbon steel.

The overall system is shown in Figure 12. As mentioned in the next section, the angle
between the shaft and the ground is 36 degree. Four solar panels are fixed on the rotating
shafts. And a pulley-belt system is installed on the lower end of the shafts.

Figure 12: Isometric View of Solar Panel Array

90

36

Figure 13: Side View of the Solar Panel Array

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 The presented sketch is used to conduct the analysis on each member of the design.
No sensor and motor is included since more calculations need to be done to determine the
locations of the motor and the light sensor.

Shading analysis:

The solar panels will be installed on the frame as shown in Figure 14. To avoid the
solar panel shading each other, the distance between two adjacent solar panels needs to
be at least 8 ft. The calculation is shown below. Usually, solar panels absorb the sun light
from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. and the sun light has the incident angle about 30 degrees and
the solar panel will always perpendicular to the sun light. The minimum space of the
solar panel L can be calculated as the follow function:

0.5 ∗ 𝑎𝑎
𝐿𝐿 = ∗2
sin 30

Where:

L: the minimum space between solar panel;

a: short side length of the solar panel;

Figure 14: the geometric sketch of the space analysis

Structure Analysis:

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 As showing above in Figure 15, the shaft will be welded with a solar panel at two
points and the distances between each point are same, assuming the weight of each solar
panel is 60-Ibs, the maximum snow load is 127-Ibs, and the maximum wind load is about
75-Ibs, and self-weight of the steel bar is 10-Ibs, the total load can be regard as the
concentrated load is 272-Ibs of each single solar panel. The reactioin forces and shear
moment diagram will be provide below.

Figure 15: Free body diagram for shaft

Figure 16: Shear moment diagram for the shaft

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 Based on the shear moment diagram above, the maximum moment occurred between
two supports, where is the most likely region of failure. The maximum shear force is 110
lbs. The diameter of the shaft is 2 in. equation below is used to calculate the shear stress
of the shaft:
𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹
Shear Stress =
𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴
Area=1/4*π*D^2
Raw data:
Maximum shear forces: 110 Ib;
Maximum moment: 2640 Ib-in;
Maximum shear stress: 35 Ib/in^2
There are four shafts which will be connected and supported by two parallel beams.
The distances between each shaft are equally. The free body diagram and shear moment
diagram are provided below:

Figure 17: Shear moment diagram for the beam

Based on the shear moment diagram above, the maximum moment occurred at the
mid-point of the beam between the two supports, which is the most likely region of

15
failure. The maximum shear force is 116 lb on the beam made of 3”×3”×0.25” square
hollow tube. The equations below are used to calculate the shear stress of the shaft:

𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹
Shear Stress =
𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴
Area=L^2-(L-2t)^2

𝐴𝐴 = 𝐿𝐿2 − (𝐿𝐿 − 2 ∗ 𝑡𝑡)2

Raw data:
Maximum shear forces: 141 Ib;
Maximum moment: 5041 Ib-in;
Maximum shear stress: 51.273Ib/in^2
The shear moment diagrams indicate the possible failure point and region so that group
can choose the appropriate material for the solar tracker to avoid fracture.
Torque
Assuming that the forces calculated above are used to drive a single shaft of 300lb,
and the shaft diameter is 2 in, The Torque can be calculated by using the equation below:

τ= Fc*D/2
Where:

τ: the torque required to drive the shaft for rotating solar panel.
Fc: forcing act on the shaft.
D: diameter of the shaft.

The Torque for a single shaft is calculated to be 300Ib-in. Once the torque for a single
shaft is known, the sum of the torque for 4 shafts is 1200Ib-in. we can select the
appropriate motor by using equation

T= (𝐻𝐻𝑃𝑃×5252×8.851)/𝑟𝑟𝑝𝑝𝑚𝑚

𝐻𝐻𝑃𝑃/𝑟𝑟𝑝𝑝𝑚𝑚 = 0.026

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 The ratio of HP/rpm is 0.026, using the DC Parallel Shaft Gear motor, 1/2 hp, 18 rpm.
It needs to be mounted a base or flat plate, the figure below is the motor we choose to
power the solar tractor which was chosen from the McMaster website. [5]

Figure18: Motor Chose for Solar Panel Array Design

2.4 Tracking Angle Analysis

To understand the analysis we did for the tracking angles of our design some basic
solar engineering concepts must be introduced. The first being beam radiation which is
defined as the solar radiation received from the sun without having been scattered by the
atmosphere, also referred to as direct radiation. [1] There are two parts of the total solar
radiation that solar panels receive the first being beam radiation the second being diffuse
radiation. Diffuse radiation is defined as the solar radiation received from the sun that is
scattered by the atmosphere. For the purpose of our analysis however regarding angles of
tracking for our solar panels all calculations are done with respect only to beam radiation
due to the nature of diffuse radiation being a value that requires extensive modeling
outside of what is necessary to get the tracking angles for a solar panel. The next
important term is Irradiance, which is defined as the rate which radiant energy is incident
on a surface per unit area of the surface. [1] This term is relevant to the irradiance angle
which will be covered later. The last term to go over is the Solar time which is the time
based on the apparent angular motion of the sun across the sky, with solar noon being the
time that the sun crosses the meridian of the observer.
In sections 1.6 and 1.7 of the Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes book
provided to our team by Dr. Acker the topic of “Direction of beam radiation” and
“Angles for Tracking surfaces” the concepts required to analyze the angles of tracking for
our designs is gone over. The goal of any solar tracking system is to minimize the angle
of incidence of beam radiation and thus maximize the incident beam radiation on the
surface of you tracking system which should increase the amount of energy collected by
the tracking system. The book goes over methodology of analysis for North-South and
East-West solar tracking in these sections as well. However, due to the location of
Flagstaff not being in the Arctic Circle the variation of the sun in the North-South axis is
very small our team has decided that all three designs should be fixed in North-South
direction, the slope angle between the solar panel and the ground needs to be calculated
to maximize the energy absorption. As shown in Figure 19, the slope angle (h) in North-
South direction is related to the solar elevation angle.

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 Figure 19: Solar Angle Diagram
The maximum solar elevation angle in Flagstaff occurs at 12:30pm on June 21
(Summer solstice), which is about 78 degrees above the ground. The minimum solar
elevation angle in Flagstaff occurs at 12:27pm on December 21 (Winter solstice), which
is about 31 degrees. Azimuth angles are 180° for both cases. The average of the
maximum angle and the minimum angle is 54 degree, which is the average angle between
the sunlight and the ground in North-South direction over a year. Therefore, the angle
between the frame and the ground is 36 degree (without considering the shading), which
is shown in Figure 20.

Figure 20: Angle between the Ground and the Solar Panel
So the main focus of our analysis relates to the angles required to accurately track the
sun east-west with figures 22 and 23 below from the book you get an accurate picture of
what angles are needed to properly analyze our tracking angles as well as what the
variables mean.

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 Figure 21: important angles for analysis

Figure 22: definitions of all variables required for analysis

Given that the latitude of Flagstaff is 35o and that slope of our solar panels does not
change based on no North-South axis tracking the most important angles for analysis are

19
the Angle of incidence (ϴ), the Zenith angle (ϴz), and the Solar azimuth angle (ϓs). The
incidence angle is important because it should be minimized to increase the amount of
beam radiation that the solar panel absorbs. The Zenith angle is important because it is
the angle that should be maximized to allow for the most absorption of beam radiation.
Finally the azimuth angle is important because it relates to rotation of panel from east to
west to track the sun.

The first things needed for solar angle tracking calculations are the Solar hour angles
(w) in either the North-South axis or East-West axis. Since our design focuses on East-
West tracking in the table below contains the corresponding solar hour angles. One thing
to keep in mind though is that for this analysis per the books recommendation as seen
figure xx (w) must be in increments of 5o which means that the solar panel makes a
tracking correction three times every solar hour.

Table 1: Solar Hour angle for east west tracking

Solar hour angle (w) in degrees True solar time
-90 6 hours before solar noon
-75 5 hours before solar noon
-60 4 hours before solar noon
-45 3 hours before solar noon
-30 2 hours before solar noon
-15 1 hour before solar noon
0 Sun overhead ( Solar Noon)
15 1 hour after solar noon
30 2 hours after solar noon
45 3 hours after solar noon
60 4 hours after solar noon
75 5 hours after solar noon
90 6 hours after solar noon

The first equation needed to analyze these angles relates to the day of the year that
you wish to analyze the angles for.
360
𝐵𝐵 = (𝑛𝑛 − 1) � �
365
Where:
n= day of the year 1-365

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 Once you have B you must calculate the angle of declination (δ) to be able to
calculate the incidence angle, zenith angle, and the azimuth angle. The equation we used
for calculating the declination is seen below
284 + 𝑛𝑛
𝛿𝛿 = 23.45𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 �360 � ��
365
Where:
n= day of the year 1-365
With the variable B and declination (δ) calculated you can then calculate the angle of
incidence for a plane about a horizontal east-west axis with continuous adjustment using
the equation below

𝜃𝜃 = 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 −1 [1 − 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 2 (𝛿𝛿)𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠2 (𝑤𝑤)]

Where:
δ= the declination angle
w=sun hour angle from -90o to 90o in increments of 5o
After calculating the angle of incidence (ϴ) to see if the device minimizes the angle
of incidence between 90 and -90 degrees. The zenith angle should be calculated using
this equation

𝜃𝜃𝑍𝑍 = 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 −1 [𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐(∅) cos(𝛿𝛿) cos(𝑤𝑤) + sin(∅) sin(δ)]

Where:
Ø= Latitude
δ= the declination angle
w=sun hour angle from -90o to 90o in increments of 5o
Finally when rotating about the East-West axis it is necessary to know the azimuth
angle to rotate the solar panel to properly track the sun which, can be done using the
equation below

cos(𝜃𝜃𝑧𝑧 ) sin(∅) − sin(𝛿𝛿)

𝛾𝛾𝑠𝑠 = 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠(𝑤𝑤) �𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 −1 � ��
sin(𝜃𝜃𝑧𝑧 ) cos(∅)

To effectively analyze the angle of incidence, zenith angle, and azimuth angle we wrote a
Matlab code that calculates all of these angles for any day specified from 1-365. With the
angles calculated for each day this will be useful for the eventual programming of sensor
and tracking system to run on its own further down the line. To demonstrate how the
program works we will display the data for the incidence angle, zenith angle, and azimuth
angle for n=180 which is about half way through the year and about half way through the
earth’s rotation around the sun.

21
 Figure 22: Azimuth angle profile for the 180th day of the year
What Figure 22 shows is the angle that the solar panel will rotate from East-West during
the 180th day of the year. This angle is most important to East-West tracking due to the
fact that our solar panel will only be tracking in the East-West axis.

Figure 23: angle of incidence for 180th day of the year

What this graph shows for the 180th day of the year is that the angle of incidence will
be not exceed -90o or 90o which is necessary for the solar panel to receive the most beam
radiation during the day.

22
 Figure 24: Zenith angle for the 180th day of the year
What this graph shows is the Zenith angle of panel which once again should not exceed
90o to ensure that the solar panel receives the most beam radiation absorption.
The Matlab program also calculates the available hours of sunlight for the day
specified by using this equation where N=number of daylight hours in a day which comes
out most of the time to 12 hours of sunlight per day.
2
𝑁𝑁 = � � 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 −1 [− tan(∅) tan(𝛿𝛿)]
15
The last thing the Matlab program does is calculate the Geometric ratio (Rb) of a tilted solar
panel to a horizontal solar panel using this equation which results in a number ranging from
0 to 2
cos(𝜃𝜃)
𝑅𝑅𝑏𝑏 =
𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐(𝜃𝜃𝑧𝑧 )
In conclusion for the solar angle tracking analysis the Matlab program, which is
available in the appendix of this report, calculates the incidence angle, zenith angle, and
azimuth angle based on the known variables for each day of the year from 1 to 365. The
program itself only produces data for the day specified by the user. As the project nears
completion this program will have to be changed to graph data for every day onto one
graph but for this engineering analysis it is sufficient to only calculate the data based on
the day of the year that you want to know about in question

Gantt Chart Update

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 The team has closely followed the timeline that was created in the beginning of
semester. Since the last update, the team did manage to catch up with the schedule that
was set forth in the beginning. The team has completed the numerical modeling task on
Nov. 15th and is looking forward to choosing and starting the CAD drawings for the final
design on Nov. 19th. The original and updated Gantt charts are shown in figures 28 and
29 below:

Figure 25: Original Gantt chart

Figure 26: Updated Gantt chart

Conclusion

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 For this report, the team did manage to evaluate and numerically analyze the top three
designs that the team derived. Each of the designs were analyzed in their own manner.
First, the team analyzed the Angled Tracker design. Here, the team performed a structural
analysis of the design and the power, torque, and motor required to move the solar panels
to effectively track the sun. The analyses were completed with the material already
chosen. Second, the team analyzed the Hydraulic Tracker. For this design, the team found
the stresses at various locations throughout the design. The pushing force that is required
to move the solar panel was also calculated. Third, the last design, the Solar Array design
was analyzed for shading, structurally, and for tracking. The analyses for the three
designs were all completed using a combination of hand calculations, Matlab
programming, and using Excel spreadsheets. Finally, the Gantt Chart was updated and we
found that the team is on schedule.

25
References

1. Beckman A., William, Duffle A. John, 2006, “Solar Engineering of Thermal

Processes”, Third Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey

2. Budynas G., Richard, Nisbett J., Keith, 2011, “Shigley’s Mechanical Engineering
Design”, Ninth Edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, New York

3. Hibbler C. R., 2010, “Engineering Mechanics Statics”, twelfth edition, Pearson

Education Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey

4. Hugh , M. (1995). The design of hydraulic components and system . London :

Ellis Horwood

5. “Mc-Master-Carr”(Nov,2013) http://www.mcmaster.com/#electric-
motors/=pfvl6a

6. Parker Cylinder. Hydraulic and Pneumatic Cylinder Appendix Application

Engineering Data.
http://www.parker.com/literature/Industrial%20Cylinder/cylinder/cat/english/010
6c002.pdf

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Appendix A

Given

Width = 4’ = 1.2192m

Length of Component D = 1.9m

Length of Component E = 1m

Weight of Component B = 10lbs = 44.5 N

Weight of Component C = 10lbs = 44.5 N

Θ = 21.1

Raw Data

Fsolar = 325.4 N

F2 = 341.42 N

F3 = 357.44 N

Ay = 64.34

Ax = 166.737

By = 64.34

Bx = 166.737

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Appendix B

Table 2: Calculated Push Force

Push Force generated by Standard Double-Acting Hydraulic Cylinder

Piston Diameter (m) Piston Area (m²) Weight(kN) Cylinder Pressure (kPa) Cylinder Pressure (bar)
0.025 0.00049 0.0334 68.00 0.680
0.035 0.00096 0.0334 34.69 0.347
0.040 0.00126 0.0334 26.56 0.266
0.045 0.00159 0.0334 20.99 0.210
0.050 0.00196 0.0334 17.00 0.170
0.055 0.00237 0.0334 14.05 0.140
0.060 0.00283 0.0334 11.81 0.118
0.065 0.00332 0.0334 10.06 0.101
0.070 0.00385 0.0334 8.67 0.087
0.075 0.00442 0.0334 7.56 0.076
0.080 0.00502 0.0334 6.64 0.066
0.085 0.00567 0.0334 5.88 0.059
0.090 0.00636 0.0334 5.25 0.052
0.095 0.00708 0.0334 4.71 0.047
0.100 0.00785 0.0334 4.25 0.043
0.105 0.00865 0.0334 3.85 0.039
0.110 0.00950 0.0334 3.51 0.035
0.115 0.01038 0.0334 3.21 0.032
0.120 0.01130 0.0334 2.95 0.030
0.125 0.01227 0.0334 2.72 0.027
0.130 0.01327 0.0334 2.51 0.025
0.135 0.01431 0.0334 2.33 0.023
0.140 0.01539 0.0334 2.17 0.022
0.145 0.01650 0.0334 2.02 0.020
0.150 0.01766 0.0334 1.89 0.019
0.155 0.01886 0.0334 1.77 0.018
0.160 0.02010 0.0334 1.66 0.017
0.165 0.02137 0.0334 1.56 0.016
0.170 0.02269 0.0334 1.47 0.015
0.175 0.02404 0.0334 1.39 0.014
0.180 0.02543 0.0334 1.31 0.013
0.185 0.02687 0.0334 1.24 0.012
0.190 0.02834 0.0334 1.18 0.012
0.195 0.02985 0.0334 1.12 0.011
0.200 0.03140 0.0334 1.06 0.011
0.205 0.03299 0.0334 1.01 0.010

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