Zachary Youkhana October 14, 2013 11A IDS Rocketry Report Engineering Problem: The purpose of the project

organized was to create a functioning model rocket which would propel itself through the use of a model rocket engine and then parachute back down to the ground using available materials. The engineer undertaking the project was primarily investigating projectile motion and how drag and other forces affect a projectiles trajectory. Engineering Hypothesis: The engineer predicts that the engine provided for the project will propel the model rocket constructed by generating enough of a downward force (thrust) against the matter surrounding it causing the equal and opposite reaction of the rocket taking off from the ground up to a maximum height of approximately 50 m. The engineer in charge also predicts that the fairly eccentrically elliptical nosecone at the top of the rocket will serve to reduce the amount of drag and air friction holding the rocket down. Also, the added mass of clay placed inside the nosecone will shift the center of mass the proper amount above the center of pressure to act as a guide for the rest of the rocket. The engineer predicts this effect because having more mass near the top of the rocket should allow for a more stable flight as the upper portion of the rocket will easily be able to uphold the lower body of the rocket. This would not be the case if the center of mass was below the center of pressure and the rocket would be less stable.

Materials: Cardboard tube Hot glue gun Styrofoam board Rocket engine Plastic Easter egg Trash bag cutout String Fiberglass insulation Procedures: 1. Cut out 2 rings of appropriate dimensions for the top and bottom of the motor tube and hot glue together. 2. Cut out 4 Styrofoam fins of required dimensions and hot glue to the body tubing. 3. Insert the engine into the motor tube and hot glue edges of the completed motor tube inside the body tubing. 4. Stuff the fiberglass insulation inside the rocket until it is directly above the motor tube. 5. Construct the parachute by poking four holes in the corners of the trash bag cutout and tie a piece of string through each one of these holes and tie all strings together at their ends. 6. Tie the joined strings to the piece of elastic chord and hot glue the end of the elastic chord to a point approximately 2 to 3 inches below the top of the interior body tubing. Stretch chord Plastic straw Fuse Play-dough Engine Scissors Switchboard Motor tube

7. Using trial and error, insert clay into nose cone to adjust center of mass of rocket to desired position (about 3 inches above center of pressure). 8. Tape the nose cone to the top of the rocket. 9. Mass the completed rocket and record. Diagram: Shown below is an image of the plans for the rocket which were designed by the engineer in SolidWorks.

Figure 1. A labeled diagram of the final assembly of the rocket The drawing of the final rocket gives important information concerning the construction of the rocket and will allow others to build the rocket as well. The main dimensions shown by the drawing include the 2 inch projection of the fins coming out of the body tubing, the diameter of the nosecone (2 in), the diameter of the body tubing (1.94 in), and the length of the body tubing (30 in). Having this information will allow the engineer to rebuild the rocket in the future and even modify and improve the current design.

Figure 2. Center of mass of the Rocket Knowing the center of mass and its position relative to the center of pressure allows the engineer to judge and predict the stability of the rocket in flight. The x, y, and z coordinates in inches of the center of mass given by SolidWorks are (0, 0, 16.08). The center of mass in this image can be compared with Figure 3 below, which depicts the center of pressure of the rocket.

Figure 3. Center of Pressure of the rocket

Figure 3 gives the position of the center of pressure of the rocket. The coordinates of the center of pressure given are (0.97, 0.99, 10.83). The z-coordinate of the center of pressure seen is less than the center of masss z-coordinate by 5.25 units. This tells the engineer that the center of mass is 5.25 inches above the center of pressure, which will allow for increased stability of the rocket. Data: The engineers rocket weighed 98.5g and was launched simultaneously with a rocket that weighed 104 g. The engineers rocket reached an estimated height of approximately 90 m while the opposing rocket reached a height of about 75 m. Both rockets performed and were observed fairly well with the exception of the fact that the engineers rocket experienced a minor delay in its launch due to technical failures. The engineers rocket was in the air for approximately 2 seconds less than the challenging rocket. Observations: Both rockets were launched at approximately the same time and reached peak heights of about 75 to 90 meters. After the engineers rocket had reached its peak and began its descent, an issue with the parachute caused the rocket to be in complete freefall for much of the fall and deployment of the parachute was delayed until about halfway through its descent. This was likely caused by the fact that the parachute was folded too snugly and took a longer time to unfold and then deploy. This error caused the engineers rocket to reach the ground seconds before the challenging rocket, even though it achieved a greater maximum height. Compared to the other rockets launched, the engineers rocket was very stable and appeared to be almost unaffected by the wind, going almost perfectly straight up and down. The rocket possessed this

high degree of stability despite the fact that fairly high winds were experienced on the day of the launch. The above average stability of the rocket was likely due to the positioning of the center of mass as well as the fact that the rocket had an above average weight, meaning it would take a heavier wind to alter its path. Data Analysis, Interpretation, and Error: A Java program was used to predict the height that the rocket would achieve by using a for loop to break up the time it was in the air into tenths of seconds and finding the point at which the maximum height was reached. The statement in the program to calculate the height at any
given moment of the flight used the calculation height = ()*(acceleration of the rocket)*time2

+velocity from the previous fragment of time*time+ the height of the rocket from the previous instance. The height of the rocket as predicted by the program was between 107.59m and 107.63m. The velocities of the rocket at these points were .9m/s and .08m/s, respectively. These velocities and heights were achieved at the times 4.73s and 4.83s respectively. The program returned these outputs after being given the inputs of the mass (98.5g), the projection of the fins (50.8mm), the number of fins (4), the drag coefficient (.1), and the diameter of the body tube (49.23mm). The percent error in the predicted value from the estimation of the real value is approximately 20%. This means the program provided a fair prediction, with most of the error possibly coming from weather conditions and the un-accounting for the surface area of the elliptical nosecone in the programs calculations. Conclusion: In conclusion, the rockets design allowed it to perform very well when launched, with the only error coming from the delayed deployment of the parachute. The engineers original

hypothesis was marginally accepted as the rocket did leave the ground but performed even better than expected by approximately a 40 m difference in height. The essential features of a good model rocket are a well-positioned center of mass, a design with the least cross-sectional area possible in order to reduce drag, a good recovery system in the form of a parachute, and an engine that will provide ample thrust to lift off the rocket. The engineers rocket design could have been improved had more materials been available to minimize weight and surface area of the rocket. The engineer could also have used a larger piece of trash bag in order for the parachute to have a greater surface are and increase air resistance as much as possible on the way down.

Citations
"How Do I Build a Model Rocket?" Curious About Astronomy:. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. "Richard Nakka's Experimental Rocketry Site." Richard Nakka's Experimental Rocketry Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. Model Rocketry Basics." Model Rocketry Basics. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.