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

• Nosecone & parachute
• Mailing tubes
• Plywood
• Climbing webbing & quick links
• Rail buttons
• U-bolts or eye bolts
• Tee nuts
• Screws
• Washers

Tools

• Exacto knife
• Wood glue
• Epoxy
• Popsicle sticks
• Drill
• Laser cutter
• Patience

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
• r 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