Measuring and Building - Week Four

After finalizing the design, the solar sterilizer is finally going into the building stage of the design process. We purchased a new sheet of glass that is a smaller size than the original, this way the prototype will be a lot easier to transport to and from our dorms. The lid of the solar sterilizer is being built today and the dimensions are based on the size of the glass, which is 12x16 inches. The frame will be constructed out of wood with a notch going around the entire interior edge of the wood pieces to create a channel for the glass to slide into. The wood will be then glued to the glass and it will act like a picture frame. This requires an accurate draft of the design so that the channel is the correct size that the glass can slide in and remain secure. This will be the lid of the box and will be attached to the box with hinges. We also constructed the main body of the box, the base of which is MDF as that was the material that was available to us.

Other materials were purchased to create the insulation. We will be using Quikrete, a pre-mixed concrete, on the inside of the box to provide a source of insulation. Quikrete is accessible to us and can be substituted with clay or mud for insulation purposes.

We also decided to add another component to the solar sterilizer that makes the angle adjustable so it can be angled toward the sun. This will involve a base and a set of 'stilts' for the box that can be adjusted to various angles. The design of this component is still being created and will be added once the design is finalized.

The main goal for today was to get the lid built so we can start making the box and adding the insulative and reflective components to its interior. With the box built, we can begin testing the design of the device and make adjustments as needed.


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