Rubber Band Propelled Wind Vehicle

1. Introduction

The wind vehicle has a plastic propeller unit which is connected to a rubber band engine.  When you wind up the rubber bands by rotating the propeller clockwise for about 50 times, you can place the vehicle on a flat surface and release it.  You can see the vehicle move forward very fast.

 

2. Materials and tools:

Propeller unit:

A plastic propeller (cut from square cross section plastic bottle, check the shape in the pictures), a bead, a paper clip (extend and make a hook at one end), a plastic disc, a piece of wood, a compass and a pair of pliers

 

Body of the vehicle:

Four wheels, bamboo sticks, a 50cm copper wire, three rubber bands and a 17cm long with a 6mm diameter plastic straw.

 

3. How to make a propeller

1. Make a hole on the middle of the propeller with a compass needle.

2. Insert the hook clip wire with the plastic disc and the bead.

3. Bend the wire like the picture above.

 

 

 

4. Make a hole on the propeller and insert the free end of the wire.

5. Bend the free end of the wire like the picture above and fix the wire on the propeller.

 

 

 

 

 

4. How to cut straws to make a wind vehicle frame

Cut 5mm diameter straws along the following diagram and make transversal and longitudinal slits on them.

 

 

 

 

5. How to assemble the wind vehicle

When you connect straws, always insert a slit part into a non-slit part.

 

inserted by FC2 system