http://www.teachengineering.org/view_activity.php?url=collection/wpi_/activities/wpi_building_tetrahedral_kites/tetrahedral_kites.xmlactivitytext/xmlBuilding Tetrahedral KitesCenter for Engineering Educational Outreach, designdragforcesgravitykitelifttensionwinddragliftgravitytensionrelative windindustrial engineeringWorking in teams of four, students build tetrahedral kites following specific instructions and using specific materials. They use the basic processes of manufacturing systems – cutting, shaping, forming, conditioning, assembling, joining, finishing, and quality control – to manufacture complete tetrahedral kites within a given time frame. Project evaluation takes into account team efficiency and the quality of the finished product.
From kite racing to hang-gliders, kites have come a long way in the past 2000 years. Then again, even with the information available to us today, kite design is a challenge due to the number of variables associated with it. This activity focuses on the industrial engineering aspect bringing out the importance of efficient manufacturing processes.
Basic elements of flight.Basic manufacturing systems and processes.5445TeachEngineering.orghttp://www.teachengineering.org/collection/wpi_/activities/wpi_building_tetrahedral_kites/worksheet.pdfhttp://www.teachengineering.org/collection/wpi_/activities/wpi_building_tetrahedral_kites/worksheet.docS1004F3DMassachusettsScience4.1 Describe and explain the manufacturing systems of custom and mass production.68S1018D30MassachusettsScience4.4 Explain basic processes in manufacturing systems, e.g., cutting, shaping, assembling, joining, finishing, quality control, and safety.68S101EA55MassachusettsScience6.4 Identify and explain lift, drag, friction, thrust, and gravity in a vehicle or device, e.g., cars, boats, airplanes, rockets.68S101C9E6MassachusettsScience1. Differentiate between weight and mass, recognizing that weight is the amount of gravitational pull on an object.68S101F4FBMassachusettsScience8. Recognize that gravity is a force that pulls all things on and near the earth toward the center of the earth. Gravity plays a major role in the formation of the planets, stars, and solar system and in determining their motions.68United StatesCopyright 2012 - Center for Engineering Educational Outreach, Tufts Universityhttp://www.teachengineering.org/policy_ipp.phphttp://www.teachengineering.org/2012-03-187Teacher