Solar Turbo-generator Project: Hanging the Dish on the Steel Mount

June 2004

Once the dish is separated from the mold, it is relatively easy for two people to carry; my estimation is about 150 pounds weight. You will notice that the dish is also quite flexible, and will require additional support to maintain an ideal shape. A couple of approaches to stiffening the dish include:

Sandwich construction is a process of placing high density foam between the FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic) layers during lay-up. High density foam, such as Divinycell or Klegcell, is used in the marine and aircraft industries to create stiffer and lighter structures. 

One simple method of creating a stiffer dish is to bond a number of 2-inch by 3-inch foam ribs to the back surface, using several strip layers of glass over the ribs. This should be done prior to separating the dish from its mold.

The method we chose was to fabricate four steel, curved ribs and welding them to a central plate in order to form a cradle for the dish. This cradle was then attached to a 2-axis mount on top of a 4-inch by 4-inch heavy steel post. 

The post is in turn attached to anchor rails, and into a 4 ft. by 4 ft. concrete pad -- extending over 4 feet into the ground to resist windage.

Ken Rieli