Rocket Activity_spring 2021

.docx

School

Georgia Institute Of Technology *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

1601

Subject

Mechanical Engineering

Date

Apr 3, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by junsu607

AE 1601 – Rocket Activity Flight Testing in Burger Bowl adjacent to the CRC on Feb 16 th (or Feb 18 th in case of poor weather) 1. Background Information In this project, teams of 3 students will design a modify a stage model rocket using an open source software application called OpenRocket. All teams will be given a target apogee altitude, and the team will perform an iterative design process using OpenRocket to modify their single stage rocket kit to achieve the target altitude as closely as possible. The single stage design will utilize idealized engine thrust profiles that are available in the OpenRocket engine database. Additionally, the rocket design must be able to accommodate a payload which consists of the PerfectFlite Pnut altimeter. A final report will also be required for the activity. 2. Rocket Design The goal of this phase is to modify the existing design (i.e Estes, Apogee, etc.) of a single stage model rocket that, when “flown” via a trajectory simulation, reaches a specified target apogee altitude and accommodates the Pnut altimeter payload. The target apogee for the rocket is 125 ft. The OpenRocket program allows the design and trajectory simulation of model rockets through a user-friendly interface. First, download the OpenRocket program from the website: http://openrocket.sourceforge.net/. Open the program on your computer and verify that it opens properly. You will need to have the JAVA runtime environment installed as well. The website also contains documentation and a Wiki page that will be useful to you. To familiarize yourself with OpenRocket, each student should model your rocket individually. Simulate its flight with various engines and plot results. Play around with adjusting the design to see if you can get your altitude target and take screenshots to be uploaded to canvas as part of your class participation grade. The User’s Guide is accessible through the Wiki page has a “Basic Rocket Design” set of instructions that walks you through an example: http://wiki.openrocket.info/Basic_Rocket_Design . We will work on this in class. Once you have familiarized yourself with the software, you can begin to design your own rocket, which will be a modification of the off-the-shelf kit you have been provided. This will be done as a team. Your rocket design should have a nosecone, body tube, fins, launch lug (this is the tube that the launch rod passes through), payload bay (described below), shock cord & recovery system (a parachute or a streamer), an inner tube (to house the engine), an engine block, and centering rings (to center the inner tube). Each team will be restricted to 1/2A size engines. 1/2A3-4T and 1/2A6-2 engines will be provided on the day of flight, however if teams wish to use a different 1/2A engine they will have to purchase their own. Note that the 1/2A3T and the 1/2A6 have different diameters. You need to check the diameter of your engine and make sure you have an appropriately sized engine mount at the end of your rocket. This

means that you may have to make a modification if you choose to use an engine with a diameter that does not match the diameter of your body tube. Note that you will have to modify the kit you were given to complete this activity successfully . In addition to making design choices about fin shape and configuration (your kits has lots of choices!), you will need to make modifications to include the addition of a payload bay for the altimeter. You may need to make further modifications to ensure for stability and to reach your target altitude and to make sure your engine mounts properly into the rocket. Use OpenRocket to try out your idea for modifications before implementing them on your rocket. The payload for your rocket flight is the PerfectFlite Pnut altimeter (Fig. 1). The altimeter dimensions are 63.5 mm x 15 mm x 11.4 mm, and the mass is 7.3 g. The altimeter measures static pressure, and records altitude as a function of time. The altimeter must be mounted in a payload bay attached to the rocket tube , and it should be returned to Earth via the recovery system. The payload bay should serve to protect the rocket from the heat of the engines. It must be a separate container attached to the nosecone, and it must be above the tube where the recovery system is stored (Fig. 2). Furthermore, the payload bay should include two small holes per the specifications in the Pnut altimeter instructions that can be found on the company’s website. Figure 1. PerfectFlite Pnut altimeter. Figure 2. Example rocket architecture with payload bay Once the rocket is design has been modified, you can then use OpenRocket to simulate the launch trajectory. For this project, we will assume zero wind velocity. Once the data is collected, teams will compare their simulated trajectory to the data collected by the altimeter and show in the final report. The end result of the project will be a flight test contest where the rocket that flies the closest to the target altitude without going over. In addition, the rocket should land in a single piece and be in sufficient condition to be reused in a second flight, meaning that damage needs to be minimized during take-off, flight, and landing. Grading for the overall activity will be based on the following items. a. Quality of the team’s thinking with regard to modification decisions.

b. Quality of the team’s research and information gathering. c. Quality of the team’s rocket construction d. Performance of the vehicle during the flight test experiment. Items a, b, and c above will be most heavily weighted. It is strongly recommended that you read the requirements of the report prior to designing and constructing your vehicle so that you know what you need to keep note of during your design process. This activity should be a lot of fun. Go for it. 3. Final Report The final report should be written using the AIAA format and any references should also be cited using the AIAA format. Final reports should capture the design modification process, specify the final design and rocket kit selection process. The report should compare the trajectory of the rocket using the data collected during the flight with the simulations using the ideal engine thrust profiles. In the modification specification, you should provide enough detail to allow a reviewer to replicate your results in OpenRocket. Reports should be submitted electronically on Canvas as a pdf document. 4. Maker Space Usage The Maker Space is open and may be used for this project. However, the situation around COVID-19 has caused for the space to have revised operating guidelines, and these must be respected in order to work there. Each team that wishes to use the Maker Space time for your rocket assembly will need to reserve a time slot ASAP for your assembly. Please consider that there are 50+ teams that need to get in, and plan to use your maker space time only for your actual building activities. You should also reserve your time early, and then work to make sure that you are ready by your chosen time. Do not wait until the last minute to reserve time, or you may find there are no slots available! If you need to 3D print parts, you will want to submit your jobs via the Maker Space website as early as possible, as jobs are printed on a first- come, first-serve basis by Maker Space mentors. Maker space mentors are a great resource as they have assisted many 1601 classes with this activity and can be contacted via the website for questions and advice outside of your scheduled time. You are expected to follow all safety protocols (both COVID-19 and lab safety) in the Maker Space. Failure to do so will result in your privileges to use the space being revoked. 5. Team Formation Your team may include a remote student in addition to your on-campus students. Although each team member should be involved in all steps of the process as much as possible, remote students should plan to play a larger role in the modeling and analysis aspects of the project while on-campus students should plan to play a larger role in the assembly of the rocket. It will be up to each team to determine how to best include their remote members on launch day. You may either do a video call from the Burger Bowl or record a video for later viewing.

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version