A small wind power generator with Archimedes blades made of polypropylene has been developed for the effective generation of eco-friendly electronic energy. Despite the excellent structural characteristics of the higher performance of an Archimedes blade, its shape is complicated to manufacture, and presents difficulty in guaranteeing mechanical reliability in the outdoor operating environment. Especially, the UV-Light deterioration in a long-term of several years affects the mechanical properties of the polypropylene blade. To evaluate the change of strength depending on the amount of UV-Light irradiation in the outdoor environment, an accelerated UV-Light deterioration test is proposed and conducted using three types of blade materials, such as polypropylene with UV-Resistance material (C₂₀ H₂₅ N₃O) coated and mixed ones. Through the experimental tests, the UV resistant material coating on the blade showed the best properties for long-term exposure to UV light. Based on the test results of property changes, the Archimedes blade was analyzed using a finite element method to predict the reliability of the blade’s underused conditions. As a result of the analysis, the UV degradation resistance of Archimedes blades with UV coating improved by 2.4 times compared to the case without UV coating.

We have designed the structural shapes of a spiral blade and the frame to be used in an Archimedes wind-power system with the objective of increasing its mechanical strength. A conical roll-bending forming process was introduced to fabricate a metallic spiral blade, based on an incremental stepwise approach. From this process, the complicated spiral blade was constructed, and it could be applied to the wind-power mill. We proposed a few structural design concepts for improvement of the mechanical strength of the blade and frame. Fixing rods between the blades increased the natural frequency of the blades three-fold, compared to the original model with no rods. Also, the strength of the frame was increased by introducing edge-flanges with a height greater than 20 mm. This study will be helpful to industrial engineers interested in the structural design of a wind-power system in understanding the structural design process.