Building High Power Rockets Why Bother? This is cool but this is - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Building High Power Rockets

Why Bother? This is cool … … but this is cooler *Hand launches no longer required for high power certifications.

What you’ll need Hardware Tools • Nosecone & parachute • Exacto knife • Mailing tubes • Wood glue • Plywood • Epoxy • Climbing webbing & quick links • Popsicle sticks • Rail buttons • Drill • U-bolts or eye bolts • Laser cutter • Tee nuts • Patience • Screws • Washers

Things that may be useful • Super glue • Masking tape • Spray paint • A Dremel or rotary tool • Rivets

Preparing Body Tubes • Cut to length using Exacto or Dremel • Use door frame to draw straight axial lines • Draw fin slots at correct angle (use paper template) • Cut fin slots using an Exacto or Dremel • Draw axial line between two fins for rail buttons

Coupling Body Tubes • Pre-made couplers – Made to fit certain size airframes – More expensive • Custom couplers – Cut length of body tubing – Slice axially and fit into airframe – Cut off overlapping material • Coupler length: ~2 diameters • Bonding – Strip glossy outer layer – Bond one half with epoxy

Bulkheads, Centering Rings & Fins • Design in AutoCAD (measure dimensions first!) • Cut using laser cutters – Recommended 1/8” or 3/16” plywood for Level 1 rockets • Fit bulkheads into couplers, usually • Don’t place a bulkhead in the booster section. It will create a sealed chamber! – Place bulkheads in the payload section, instead • 3-4 centering rings work best

Motor Mounts & Fin Cans • Assemble fins onto motor mount using epoxy – Be sure to install at the correct angular position – Install perpendicular to motor mount – Strip glossy surface from motor mount before epoxying • Install centering rings touching the fin tabs • Install aft centering ring close to the bottom of the motor mount

Recovery Harnessing & Hardware • Shock cord – Typically nylon climbing webbing (0.5” to 1”, cheap) or Kevlar rope (expensive) – At least 20 feet for Level 1 rockets – More is usually better • U-bolts and eye bolts – Anchor to bulkheads or centering rings – Use as tie-off points for shock cord • Quick links or D-links – Tie into shock cord (offset from center by longest body tube length) – Tie parachute into this point

Motor Retention • AeroPack retainers – Expensive – Easy to operate (screw-on) • Metal clips – Inexpensive – Screw into aft centering ring (tee nuts on forward face of centering ring) • Metal rings – Custom made – Relatively inexpensive

Rail Buttons • Use 2 (preferred) or 3 rail buttons • Space buttons by 6-18 inches • Aft button should be 1-8 inches from aft of rocket • For Level 1 rockets and slower Level 2 rockets, use 1010 (standard) rail buttons • Anchor rail buttons with tee nuts where easily accessible, well nuts where not

Good Kits • Public Missiles Explorer • 2.5” Quantum Tubing (phenolic) airframe and fiberglass fins • 38mm motor mount • $73.35 + S/H

Good Kits • Wildman Darkstar Jr. • 2.1” fiberglass airframe with fiberglass fins • 38mm motor mount • $113.39 + S/H

Good Kits • Wildman Jr. • 2.1” fiberglass airframe with fiberglass fins • 38mm motor mount • $113.39 + S/H

Good Kits • Wildman Jart • 2.1” fiberglass airframe with fiberglass fins • 29mm motor mount • $38.81 + S/H

Good Kits • Wildman Blackhawk 38 • 38mm carbonite (graphite impregnated fiberglass) with carbonite fins • 38mm motor mount (minimum diameter) • $125.00 + S/H