TerraLiner:12 m Globally Mobile Beach House/Class-A Crossover w 6x6 Hybrid Drivetrain
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biotect
Designer
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And there are a number of excellent videos on YouTube that demonstrate how the Airstream power awning works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xoEUrQHW4M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiIBB9DcLfI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Jv5s6n6Gtk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbgV_NZFVUo
Even without vertical structural supports at the corners, this type of powered awning seems inherently much stronger than any of the powered models we've seen thus far. I could be wrong about this. So if anyone reading this has the necessary background in engineering and would be able to speak to this issue, please post!!
Unfortunately, I couldn't find any videos on the web that demonstrate the “stress testing” of this powered Airstream awning, as per the Dometic seen above. The only videos I could find address the ability of the older, manually operated awning to withstand rain:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9IrbiWq-ns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiX79Q2ttJY
But it's easy enough to imagine how such an awning could work in concert with a drop-down deck. With vertical poles inserted on the corners, physically connecting the awning to the deck, the arms that drop diagonally would become triangular braces, and the triangle created would brace the awning against lateral motion.
I often like to play around with Photoshop, because it's a quick way to sketch ideas without having to commit to all the rigors of CAD. So here is a very quick Photoshop “sketch” of what I have in mind:
3 images
Note that the horizontally diagonal expansion struts directly underneath the awning would also stabilize the awning structure lengthwise (the trapezoid shaded purple). The resulting structural “box” could probably withstand very high wind loads on the awning, although that would not be the objective. Rather, the objective would be merely to create an awning structure that could be put into place quickly, and a structure that could withstand moderate winds on a sunny day. The only part of this system that would be “manual”, is placing the vertical struts on the corners.
Any and all feedback on this idea would be most welcome!! It's basically just the Paradise Motorhomes set-up, but reinforced by the diagonals provided by the Airstream/Zip-Dee power awning system. So fire away with any and all critiques….. Again, I am not an engineer, so this is just a quick-and-dirty sketch by a designer/artist.
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And there are a number of excellent videos on YouTube that demonstrate how the Airstream power awning works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xoEUrQHW4M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiIBB9DcLfI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Jv5s6n6Gtk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbgV_NZFVUo
Even without vertical structural supports at the corners, this type of powered awning seems inherently much stronger than any of the powered models we've seen thus far. I could be wrong about this. So if anyone reading this has the necessary background in engineering and would be able to speak to this issue, please post!!
Unfortunately, I couldn't find any videos on the web that demonstrate the “stress testing” of this powered Airstream awning, as per the Dometic seen above. The only videos I could find address the ability of the older, manually operated awning to withstand rain:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9IrbiWq-ns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiX79Q2ttJY
But it's easy enough to imagine how such an awning could work in concert with a drop-down deck. With vertical poles inserted on the corners, physically connecting the awning to the deck, the arms that drop diagonally would become triangular braces, and the triangle created would brace the awning against lateral motion.
I often like to play around with Photoshop, because it's a quick way to sketch ideas without having to commit to all the rigors of CAD. So here is a very quick Photoshop “sketch” of what I have in mind:
3 images
Note that the horizontally diagonal expansion struts directly underneath the awning would also stabilize the awning structure lengthwise (the trapezoid shaded purple). The resulting structural “box” could probably withstand very high wind loads on the awning, although that would not be the objective. Rather, the objective would be merely to create an awning structure that could be put into place quickly, and a structure that could withstand moderate winds on a sunny day. The only part of this system that would be “manual”, is placing the vertical struts on the corners.
Any and all feedback on this idea would be most welcome!! It's basically just the Paradise Motorhomes set-up, but reinforced by the diagonals provided by the Airstream/Zip-Dee power awning system. So fire away with any and all critiques….. Again, I am not an engineer, so this is just a quick-and-dirty sketch by a designer/artist.
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biotect
Designer
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12. A Brief Digression: A “Hommage” Gallery for the Bowlus Trailer
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As everyone following this thread knows by now, I am very heavily biased in favor of Airstream, and consider them to be some of the most beautiful trailers ever designed and built.
The only real competition might be from Bowlus, which has been recently resurrected as a currently manufactured product – see http://www.bowlusroadchief.com , http://www.bowlusroadchief.com/gallery/ , https://www.facebook.com/BowlusRoadChief ,
http://roadtrippers.kinja.com/bowlus-road-king-makes-traveling-beautiful-again-1091388917 , https://roadtrippers.com/stories/bowlus-road-chief?lat=40.80972&lng=-96.67528&z=5 ,
http://gas2.org/2013/02/19/new-bowlus-road-chief-is-green-and-gorgeous/ ,
http://www.wired.com/2013/02/bowlus-travel-trailer/ , http://www.gizmag.com/bowlus-road-chief-caravan/26259/ , and http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...tes-classic-teardrop-design-1930s-heyday.html :
10 images Bowlus
Sidenote to Thjakits: if you are still wondering what “Art Deco RetroFuturistic” looks like, this Bowlus trailer is an excellent example!! Although it was designed and manufactured about 80 years ago, it still looks more “futuristic” than most contemporary trailers. I wonder why?
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12. A Brief Digression: A “Hommage” Gallery for the Bowlus Trailer
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As everyone following this thread knows by now, I am very heavily biased in favor of Airstream, and consider them to be some of the most beautiful trailers ever designed and built.
The only real competition might be from Bowlus, which has been recently resurrected as a currently manufactured product – see http://www.bowlusroadchief.com , http://www.bowlusroadchief.com/gallery/ , https://www.facebook.com/BowlusRoadChief ,
http://roadtrippers.kinja.com/bowlus-road-king-makes-traveling-beautiful-again-1091388917 , https://roadtrippers.com/stories/bowlus-road-chief?lat=40.80972&lng=-96.67528&z=5 ,
http://gas2.org/2013/02/19/new-bowlus-road-chief-is-green-and-gorgeous/ ,
http://www.wired.com/2013/02/bowlus-travel-trailer/ , http://www.gizmag.com/bowlus-road-chief-caravan/26259/ , and http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...tes-classic-teardrop-design-1930s-heyday.html :
10 images Bowlus
Sidenote to Thjakits: if you are still wondering what “Art Deco RetroFuturistic” looks like, this Bowlus trailer is an excellent example!! Although it was designed and manufactured about 80 years ago, it still looks more “futuristic” than most contemporary trailers. I wonder why?
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biotect
Designer
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Also see the following videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39d0UIpZI3o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJwc1xhl6P4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iysXTCvCILM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zibQeH6hpVY
Here I should confess that I've been itching to post these images of the newly resurrected Bowlus trailer for about 3 months now. This seemed like as good a place as any.
But clearly a digression…. emoticon. So back to awnings!
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Also see the following videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39d0UIpZI3o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJwc1xhl6P4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iysXTCvCILM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zibQeH6hpVY
Here I should confess that I've been itching to post these images of the newly resurrected Bowlus trailer for about 3 months now. This seemed like as good a place as any.
But clearly a digression…. emoticon. So back to awnings!
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biotect
Designer
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13. The Care-Free Paramount Awning
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One problem not directly addressed by the either the power cantilevering or Airstream/Zip-Dee awnings, is the problem of “clearing” a slide-out. If a motorhome has slide-outs (as the TerraLiner does), then an awning can't go out at an angle, but rather, has to remain dead horizontal.
This is clearly a problem for the manual awnings: they just can't do it, because to set them up, they initially angle very strongly towards the ground. Whereas the various forms of power awnings covered so far really have no problem clearing slide-outs, as the images already posted attest. The only problem is that once they've cleared the slide-out, do they continue extending horizontally? If they do continue extending horizontally, they may provide less than fully optimal shading and protection from rain on the sides of very large, very tall (4.0 m) Class-A motorhomes.
This problem has been beautifully addressed by “CareFree of Colorado”, a technology-driven awning specialist in the United States. I am particularly fond of their super high-tech “Paramount” awning – see http://www.carefreeofcolorado.com/products/paramount.html . The following video describes it perfectly; advance ahead to 2 minutes 18 seconds into the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzGfxi4ts0c
Like the Airstream/Zip-Dee power awning, this is a new product, so there are not many photographs of it on the web yet – or at least not immediately available, using Google's search engine. Here are the five that I could find, including one page from the service manual that provides a useful schematic:
6 images
But the last two are images are of a Tiffin motorhome constructed recently by a husband-and-wife team of “RV Lifestyle” enthusiasts, David and Brenda Bott.
The Botts maintain an enormous website packed with information that you can begin exploring at http://www.outsideourbubble.com , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/about-us , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/live-coach-cam , etc. If you've ever wondered what it's like to live the “RV Lifestyle” in a large Class-A coach, there's probably no better place to start. Sure, the “Class A Lifestyle” is a different world than the one that ExPo participants get excited about, if only because it's a world where travel is limited mainly to the United States and Canada, where the roads are wide and good, there is a system of RV parks with huge “pitches” that can accommodate Class-A motorhomes, and when things break down service is easy to find. And everyone speaks English, except in Quebec, parts of New Brunswick, and the far western coast of Nova Scotia.
The Botts are also keen “Quadcopter” enthusiasts (see http://www.outsideourbubble.com/category/quadcoptor-videos ), who've created countless flyover videos that you can see via their YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWCwzhIDXR0zpnhhCEiaQHg , https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdffGRfAxFhN_rIcCkjkD_RRKAfCu8JIL , and https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdffGRfAxFhMoHiQcX-jn8b3bX0v-2OXl . For some videos that focus on their Tiffin motorhome in particular, see for instance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oqwtQ3Z5s8&list=PLdffGRfAxFhN_rIcCkjkD_RRKAfCu8JIL&index=10 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8g0hbdChEM , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfwq1EjGW5U , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNGyGHDcNnM , , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRRYzUMZT3I , and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oqwtQ3Z5s8 .
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13. The Care-Free Paramount Awning
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One problem not directly addressed by the either the power cantilevering or Airstream/Zip-Dee awnings, is the problem of “clearing” a slide-out. If a motorhome has slide-outs (as the TerraLiner does), then an awning can't go out at an angle, but rather, has to remain dead horizontal.
This is clearly a problem for the manual awnings: they just can't do it, because to set them up, they initially angle very strongly towards the ground. Whereas the various forms of power awnings covered so far really have no problem clearing slide-outs, as the images already posted attest. The only problem is that once they've cleared the slide-out, do they continue extending horizontally? If they do continue extending horizontally, they may provide less than fully optimal shading and protection from rain on the sides of very large, very tall (4.0 m) Class-A motorhomes.
This problem has been beautifully addressed by “CareFree of Colorado”, a technology-driven awning specialist in the United States. I am particularly fond of their super high-tech “Paramount” awning – see http://www.carefreeofcolorado.com/products/paramount.html . The following video describes it perfectly; advance ahead to 2 minutes 18 seconds into the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzGfxi4ts0c
Like the Airstream/Zip-Dee power awning, this is a new product, so there are not many photographs of it on the web yet – or at least not immediately available, using Google's search engine. Here are the five that I could find, including one page from the service manual that provides a useful schematic:
6 images
But the last two are images are of a Tiffin motorhome constructed recently by a husband-and-wife team of “RV Lifestyle” enthusiasts, David and Brenda Bott.
The Botts maintain an enormous website packed with information that you can begin exploring at http://www.outsideourbubble.com , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/about-us , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/live-coach-cam , etc. If you've ever wondered what it's like to live the “RV Lifestyle” in a large Class-A coach, there's probably no better place to start. Sure, the “Class A Lifestyle” is a different world than the one that ExPo participants get excited about, if only because it's a world where travel is limited mainly to the United States and Canada, where the roads are wide and good, there is a system of RV parks with huge “pitches” that can accommodate Class-A motorhomes, and when things break down service is easy to find. And everyone speaks English, except in Quebec, parts of New Brunswick, and the far western coast of Nova Scotia.
The Botts are also keen “Quadcopter” enthusiasts (see http://www.outsideourbubble.com/category/quadcoptor-videos ), who've created countless flyover videos that you can see via their YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWCwzhIDXR0zpnhhCEiaQHg , https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdffGRfAxFhN_rIcCkjkD_RRKAfCu8JIL , and https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdffGRfAxFhMoHiQcX-jn8b3bX0v-2OXl . For some videos that focus on their Tiffin motorhome in particular, see for instance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oqwtQ3Z5s8&list=PLdffGRfAxFhN_rIcCkjkD_RRKAfCu8JIL&index=10 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8g0hbdChEM , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfwq1EjGW5U , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNGyGHDcNnM , , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRRYzUMZT3I , and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oqwtQ3Z5s8 .
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biotect
Designer
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My particular interest, however, is the Botts' exhaustive documentation of their Carefree Paramount awnings, and the factory where these were produced – see http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/1 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/2 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/3 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/4 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/5 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/6 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/7 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/8 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/9 , and http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/10 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/a-quick-respite-in-florence-alabama , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/category/travel-notes/page/12 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/author/brenda/page/7 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/page/10 , and http://www.outsideourbubble.com/2014/04 .
Thanks to that documentation, here are some more photos of the Carefree Paramount:
10 images
From the first row of photos, it should be clear why I am bringing up the Paramount: this awning is simply huge. With awnings like this on both sides of the TerraLiner, it could be possible to literally triple the total amount of square meters available for solar cells, albeit of the lower-efficiency, thin-film-flexible kind.
The second row of photos then quite clearly shows what is going on mechanically with the Paramount: it is in effect a “double lateral arm” awning. A shorter set of lateral arms first pushes past the slide-out horizontally; and then a second, longer set of lateral arms that are angled downwards take over, and pull the awning to its maximum extension.
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My particular interest, however, is the Botts' exhaustive documentation of their Carefree Paramount awnings, and the factory where these were produced – see http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/1 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/2 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/3 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/4 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/5 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/6 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/7 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/8 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/9 , and http://www.outsideourbubble.com/carefree-of-colorado-the-caring-company/nggallery/page/10 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/a-quick-respite-in-florence-alabama , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/category/travel-notes/page/12 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/author/brenda/page/7 , http://www.outsideourbubble.com/page/10 , and http://www.outsideourbubble.com/2014/04 .
Thanks to that documentation, here are some more photos of the Carefree Paramount:
10 images
From the first row of photos, it should be clear why I am bringing up the Paramount: this awning is simply huge. With awnings like this on both sides of the TerraLiner, it could be possible to literally triple the total amount of square meters available for solar cells, albeit of the lower-efficiency, thin-film-flexible kind.
The second row of photos then quite clearly shows what is going on mechanically with the Paramount: it is in effect a “double lateral arm” awning. A shorter set of lateral arms first pushes past the slide-out horizontally; and then a second, longer set of lateral arms that are angled downwards take over, and pull the awning to its maximum extension.
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biotect
Designer
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PART K: ENERGY – Using the Paramount awning as a precedent for the size of the TerraLiner's side-awnings.
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In the Paramount awning's service manual, the “slide-out” section (the section that clears any slide-outs that the motorhome may have) is 1.02 m wide; the “window” section then extends this further to 1.83 m wide; and the final “patio” section extends the awning to its maximum width of 2.69 m – see page 2 of the service manual, at https://www.e-carefree.com/documentation/tech/052548-301r8 Paramount Service Manual.pdf . Or, at least that's how I think I am supposed to interpret the numbers. If instead the numbers are cumulative, then the awning would be a whopping 5.54 wide when fully extended, or double the width of 2.55 m wide vehicle!!
This seems highly unlikely, especially given the schematic shown in the previous post, in which the awning fully extended seems only slightly wider than the vehicle itself.
The maximum length of these awnings is stated as 21 feet, or 6.4 m. But as the images above suggest, having two Paramount awnings unfold in a row is perfectly possible. Again, the Terraliner's roof will be about 10 m long, and the minimum length of a Paramount awning is 14 feet, or 4.27 m. So it's perfectly conceivable that the TerraLiner could have two Paramount awnings side-by-side that are either 4.27 m long (14 feet), or 4.57 m long (15 feet), or 4.88 m (16 feet); or some combination of these lengths. There may be design reasons why one awning segment should actually be much longer than the other, perhaps more like 5.49 m (18 feet), while the other is the shortest dimension possible, 4.27 m long. The two segments do not have to be exactly the same length. Carefree simply specifies that it can deliver different lengths of the Paramount in 1-foot increments (14, 15, 16, 17 feet…. etc.).
So let's imagine that the TerraLiner had four such Carefree Paramount awnings, on both sides of the vehicle. Peter Thompson's Manana had exactly the same, and it too was a “Liner” sized motorhome, about 10.5 m long – see post #212, at http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...pedition-RV-w-Rigid-Torsion-Free-Frame/page22 :
Photograph of Manana Awnings
Indeed, on one side Manana's awning had fabric walls that reached down to the ground, to create what some call a “privacy room”, an “awning tent”, or a “screen porch”.
We'll lave that question aside for now. Just suppose that the TerraLiner's two side awnings are 2.69 m wide x 9.5 m long. That would provide another 25.5 m[SUP]2[/SUP] of solar cell surface area on each side of the TerraLiner, or another 51.11 m[SUP]2[/SUP] in total. But in this case, the solar cells will be Thin Film flexible made by Powerfilm. Now recall that the power density of the current generation of “Powershade” Field tent is 44.04 W per square meter. Again, that might be a high estimate, because the size of the Powershad's “clear span” may have changed. But it's good as rough ballpark estimate.
We can then calculate that the four awnings on either side of the TerraLiner, when fully extended, should the potential to add another 51.11 m[SUP]2[/SUP] x 44 W per [SUP]2[/SUP] = 2,249 W. Call it 2.25 KW.
So now, with the solar array on the roof combined with the side awnings, we have a TerraLiner operating with something in the range of 7 or 7.5 KW of disposable solar power.
What if instead we were to use the Alta Devices thin-film flexible panels that safas pointed us to? Recall that in a real-world application, a solar charging mat, their actual power density was 130 W per m[SUP]2[/SUP]. So if these devices were applied instead to the awnings, the TerraLiner might have 6,644 W of additional solar power. That would be really impressive – if it actually worked! It would more than double the solar power available.
Unfortunately, so far we haven't seen any real-world Alta Devices products comparable to PowerFilm's “PowerShade”, or PowerFilm's various roll-up charging mats. Those products demonstrate in a convincing way that a large solar awning could be created. Whereas the product applications depicted on the Alta Devices website have hard surfaces with some curvature, but not a lot; surfaces like the curvature of an airplane wing, or the curvature of a car body. Again, there's flexible, and then there's truly flexible thin-film solar.
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PART K: ENERGY – Using the Paramount awning as a precedent for the size of the TerraLiner's side-awnings.
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In the Paramount awning's service manual, the “slide-out” section (the section that clears any slide-outs that the motorhome may have) is 1.02 m wide; the “window” section then extends this further to 1.83 m wide; and the final “patio” section extends the awning to its maximum width of 2.69 m – see page 2 of the service manual, at https://www.e-carefree.com/documentation/tech/052548-301r8 Paramount Service Manual.pdf . Or, at least that's how I think I am supposed to interpret the numbers. If instead the numbers are cumulative, then the awning would be a whopping 5.54 wide when fully extended, or double the width of 2.55 m wide vehicle!!
This seems highly unlikely, especially given the schematic shown in the previous post, in which the awning fully extended seems only slightly wider than the vehicle itself.
The maximum length of these awnings is stated as 21 feet, or 6.4 m. But as the images above suggest, having two Paramount awnings unfold in a row is perfectly possible. Again, the Terraliner's roof will be about 10 m long, and the minimum length of a Paramount awning is 14 feet, or 4.27 m. So it's perfectly conceivable that the TerraLiner could have two Paramount awnings side-by-side that are either 4.27 m long (14 feet), or 4.57 m long (15 feet), or 4.88 m (16 feet); or some combination of these lengths. There may be design reasons why one awning segment should actually be much longer than the other, perhaps more like 5.49 m (18 feet), while the other is the shortest dimension possible, 4.27 m long. The two segments do not have to be exactly the same length. Carefree simply specifies that it can deliver different lengths of the Paramount in 1-foot increments (14, 15, 16, 17 feet…. etc.).
So let's imagine that the TerraLiner had four such Carefree Paramount awnings, on both sides of the vehicle. Peter Thompson's Manana had exactly the same, and it too was a “Liner” sized motorhome, about 10.5 m long – see post #212, at http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...pedition-RV-w-Rigid-Torsion-Free-Frame/page22 :
Photograph of Manana Awnings
Indeed, on one side Manana's awning had fabric walls that reached down to the ground, to create what some call a “privacy room”, an “awning tent”, or a “screen porch”.
We'll lave that question aside for now. Just suppose that the TerraLiner's two side awnings are 2.69 m wide x 9.5 m long. That would provide another 25.5 m[SUP]2[/SUP] of solar cell surface area on each side of the TerraLiner, or another 51.11 m[SUP]2[/SUP] in total. But in this case, the solar cells will be Thin Film flexible made by Powerfilm. Now recall that the power density of the current generation of “Powershade” Field tent is 44.04 W per square meter. Again, that might be a high estimate, because the size of the Powershad's “clear span” may have changed. But it's good as rough ballpark estimate.
We can then calculate that the four awnings on either side of the TerraLiner, when fully extended, should the potential to add another 51.11 m[SUP]2[/SUP] x 44 W per [SUP]2[/SUP] = 2,249 W. Call it 2.25 KW.
So now, with the solar array on the roof combined with the side awnings, we have a TerraLiner operating with something in the range of 7 or 7.5 KW of disposable solar power.
What if instead we were to use the Alta Devices thin-film flexible panels that safas pointed us to? Recall that in a real-world application, a solar charging mat, their actual power density was 130 W per m[SUP]2[/SUP]. So if these devices were applied instead to the awnings, the TerraLiner might have 6,644 W of additional solar power. That would be really impressive – if it actually worked! It would more than double the solar power available.
Unfortunately, so far we haven't seen any real-world Alta Devices products comparable to PowerFilm's “PowerShade”, or PowerFilm's various roll-up charging mats. Those products demonstrate in a convincing way that a large solar awning could be created. Whereas the product applications depicted on the Alta Devices website have hard surfaces with some curvature, but not a lot; surfaces like the curvature of an airplane wing, or the curvature of a car body. Again, there's flexible, and then there's truly flexible thin-film solar.
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biotect
Designer
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PART Li: WIND – The Problem of Wind Considered Geographically, and in Tandem with DNI
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1. The TerraLiner's Awnings need to be unusually wind-resisitant
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Now to be honest, I doubt that the Paramount's particular mechanical solution would be appropriate for the TerraLiner. First off, it seems much too complicated for an expedition motorhome, with too many moving parts that can fail.
Second, as the video suggests, like all lateral-arm awnings the Paramount has a wind-speed sensor that automatically retracts the awning when the wind gets too severe. Whereas the TerraLiner will want its awning to withstand a bit more wind than the Paramount might be willing to support. What the TerraLiner will need is an awning system as described iabove: basically the Airstream/Zip-Dee power awning, but with poles attachable on the corners to secure the awning on the drop-down decks:
3 images again of Zip-Dee Sketches
How much more windspeed should we hope that such an awning could handle, than the types of awning currently available?
In its product literature for the Paramount awning, Carefree only states that the wind-speed sensitivity of the sensor can be adjusted; it does not mention what the recommended setting should be, or the range of possible values. In the owner's manual for the “Mirage”, however – also a fairly premium product in the Carefree lineup, and a later-arm awning – on page 3 a small graphic suggests that the wind-speed sensitivity can be adjusted from 12 mph to 31 mph – see https://www.e-carefree.com/document...irage, Manual and Motorized, Owner Manual.pdf , http://www.carefreeofcolorado.com/products/mirage.html , and http://www.rvawningsonline.com/Mirage_110V_Box_Awning.php :
2 images
However, notice the warning above, which is found in virtually all manuals for awning products. They were not designed to sustain extended periods of wind and/or rain.
So let's be absolutely clear: the TerraLiner's awnings need to be different. The TerraLiner's awnings will not just provide shade, but so too, power. And so they need to be able to withstand exactly what this warning counsels against: “Extended periods of wind or rain.”
Getting even more precise, the instruction manual for the Dometic WeatherPro, an awning with an “elbow” mechanism, clearly states that the factory-set recommended wind speed for auto-retraction is 18 mph – see http://www2.dometic.com/39ddef5d-f22c-400b-a781-ccd9b38c2008.fodoc .
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PART Li: WIND – The Problem of Wind Considered Geographically, and in Tandem with DNI
****************************************
1. The TerraLiner's Awnings need to be unusually wind-resisitant
****************************************
Now to be honest, I doubt that the Paramount's particular mechanical solution would be appropriate for the TerraLiner. First off, it seems much too complicated for an expedition motorhome, with too many moving parts that can fail.
Second, as the video suggests, like all lateral-arm awnings the Paramount has a wind-speed sensor that automatically retracts the awning when the wind gets too severe. Whereas the TerraLiner will want its awning to withstand a bit more wind than the Paramount might be willing to support. What the TerraLiner will need is an awning system as described iabove: basically the Airstream/Zip-Dee power awning, but with poles attachable on the corners to secure the awning on the drop-down decks:
3 images again of Zip-Dee Sketches
How much more windspeed should we hope that such an awning could handle, than the types of awning currently available?
In its product literature for the Paramount awning, Carefree only states that the wind-speed sensitivity of the sensor can be adjusted; it does not mention what the recommended setting should be, or the range of possible values. In the owner's manual for the “Mirage”, however – also a fairly premium product in the Carefree lineup, and a later-arm awning – on page 3 a small graphic suggests that the wind-speed sensitivity can be adjusted from 12 mph to 31 mph – see https://www.e-carefree.com/document...irage, Manual and Motorized, Owner Manual.pdf , http://www.carefreeofcolorado.com/products/mirage.html , and http://www.rvawningsonline.com/Mirage_110V_Box_Awning.php :
2 images
However, notice the warning above, which is found in virtually all manuals for awning products. They were not designed to sustain extended periods of wind and/or rain.
So let's be absolutely clear: the TerraLiner's awnings need to be different. The TerraLiner's awnings will not just provide shade, but so too, power. And so they need to be able to withstand exactly what this warning counsels against: “Extended periods of wind or rain.”
Getting even more precise, the instruction manual for the Dometic WeatherPro, an awning with an “elbow” mechanism, clearly states that the factory-set recommended wind speed for auto-retraction is 18 mph – see http://www2.dometic.com/39ddef5d-f22c-400b-a781-ccd9b38c2008.fodoc .
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biotect
Designer
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CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS POST
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How serious is 18 mph as a limit, from a geographic, global point of view? Where would such an awning be able to stay open on most days without a problem? And where would it be closed more than half the time? Again, as with solar, let's get geographically realistic.
Below will follow maps for average or “mean” wind speeds worldwide, as well as a few for maximum wind speeds. I deliberately tried to find maps that expressed values in mph or kph, instead of m/s. But here aren't that many, so here is a simple table to help with “translation” of the scale used by most of the maps, in m/s:
3 m/s = 6.7 mph
4 m/s = 8.9 mph
5 m/s = 11.2 mph
6 m/s = 13.4 mph
7 m/s = 15.7 mph
8 m/s = 17.0 mph
9 m/s = 20.1 mph
10 m/s = 22.4 mph
11 m/s = 24.6 mph
12 m/s = 26.8 mph
13 m/s = 29.1 mph
14 m/s = 31.3 mph
There's not much point going above 14 m/s for mean annual wind-speed, because almost no place on earth on land or sea has an “mean” (i.e. sort of the same thing as average) annual wind-speed above this:
3 maps
However, storms are another story, and here it seems useful to take our cue from the “TORRO” Wind/Damage Scale, which begins at 39 mph:
2 images
Here is another translation from m/s to mph, in which the increments become wider:
17.4 m/s = 39 mph
20.1 m/s = 45 mph
22.4 m/s = 50 mph
24.1 m/s = 54 mph
55 mph
60 mph
65 mph
72 mph
80 mph
92 mph
93 mph
114 mph
At 73 mph and above, one will have bigger things to worry about than the awnings getting damaged. And at 93 mph and above, unless the TerraLiner is sitting securely inside a storm-proof building, it may topple over. As the Torro scale makes clear, it's above 73 mph that serious damage to mobile homes begins to occur.
The question we are asking, however, is not how to construct the TerraLiner's awnings so that they can remain in place during storms. Rather, we are asking what might be a “reasonable” wind speed limit that they should be able to sustain, so as to maximize their potential for solar energy production.
The question we are asking, however, is not how to construct the TerraLiner's awnings so that they can remain in place during storms. Rather, we are asking what might be a “reasonable” wind speed limit that they should be able to sustain, so as to maximize their potential for solar energy production.
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CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS POST
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How serious is 18 mph as a limit, from a geographic, global point of view? Where would such an awning be able to stay open on most days without a problem? And where would it be closed more than half the time? Again, as with solar, let's get geographically realistic.
Below will follow maps for average or “mean” wind speeds worldwide, as well as a few for maximum wind speeds. I deliberately tried to find maps that expressed values in mph or kph, instead of m/s. But here aren't that many, so here is a simple table to help with “translation” of the scale used by most of the maps, in m/s:
3 m/s = 6.7 mph
4 m/s = 8.9 mph
5 m/s = 11.2 mph
6 m/s = 13.4 mph
7 m/s = 15.7 mph
8 m/s = 17.0 mph
9 m/s = 20.1 mph
10 m/s = 22.4 mph
11 m/s = 24.6 mph
12 m/s = 26.8 mph
13 m/s = 29.1 mph
14 m/s = 31.3 mph
There's not much point going above 14 m/s for mean annual wind-speed, because almost no place on earth on land or sea has an “mean” (i.e. sort of the same thing as average) annual wind-speed above this:
3 maps
However, storms are another story, and here it seems useful to take our cue from the “TORRO” Wind/Damage Scale, which begins at 39 mph:
2 images
Here is another translation from m/s to mph, in which the increments become wider:
17.4 m/s = 39 mph
20.1 m/s = 45 mph
22.4 m/s = 50 mph
24.1 m/s = 54 mph
55 mph
60 mph
65 mph
72 mph
80 mph
92 mph
93 mph
114 mph
At 73 mph and above, one will have bigger things to worry about than the awnings getting damaged. And at 93 mph and above, unless the TerraLiner is sitting securely inside a storm-proof building, it may topple over. As the Torro scale makes clear, it's above 73 mph that serious damage to mobile homes begins to occur.
The question we are asking, however, is not how to construct the TerraLiner's awnings so that they can remain in place during storms. Rather, we are asking what might be a “reasonable” wind speed limit that they should be able to sustain, so as to maximize their potential for solar energy production.
The question we are asking, however, is not how to construct the TerraLiner's awnings so that they can remain in place during storms. Rather, we are asking what might be a “reasonable” wind speed limit that they should be able to sustain, so as to maximize their potential for solar energy production.
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