Sound Barrier Rockets (SBR) - Rocket Season 7/4/17 - 2/28/18

[The Raging Sandwich]

Because of the heavy rains here just yesterday and today, production and testing of an F-2 engine will begin very shortly. All I need to do is gather the materials and test it before everything might dry out again. Expect an update within the next couple days.

[NSEP]

Awesome! Will you film the launch or something? Cant way to see it.

[The Raging Sandwich]

48 minutes ago, NSEP said:

Awesome! Will you film the launch or something? Cant way to see it.

I'll either video it or take pictures. Probably the first.

[NSEP]

9 minutes ago, The Raging Sandwich said:

I'll either video it or take pictures. Probably the first.

Ok :-)

[The Raging Sandwich]

As I just did the math on what it would take to build the F-2, I'm going to do a sort of interim rocket to test the effects of scaling up the F-1. Unironically, it'll be called the F 1.5, a .5x scaled version of the F-1. Expect an update on it withing the next couple days.

[The Raging Sandwich]

Just bought the materials for the F 1.5 test motor. Production on it will (hopefully) begin tomorrow.

[The Raging Sandwich]

Long story short: I haven't even started on the F 1.5. But due to me being on Christmas break, I should have more time now. Updates soon!

[Guest]

So uh, any updates? It's been a while.

Also, me and some friends are making a model rocket as well. I'll make a thread later.

[munlander1]

@The Raging Sandwich, it sounds like you live in the U.S. I just wanna make sure you are complaint with all faa restrictions. I think your rocket may be too heavy to launch with out a launch permit.

These are the requirements for no paperwork involved rockets:

1. Uses no more than 125 grams (4.4 ounces) of propellant;
2. Uses a slow-burning propellant;
3. Is made of paper, wood, or breakable plastic;
4. Contains no substantial metal parts; and
5. Weighs no more than 1,500 grams (53 ounces), including the propellant

http://www.nar.org/high-power-rocketry-info/filing-for-faa-launch-authorization/filing-for-faa-waiver/

[The Raging Sandwich]

14 hours ago, Aperture Science said:

So uh, any updates? It's been a while.

Also, me and some friends are making a model rocket as well. I'll make a thread later.

Well, I accidentally broke a fin off of the smaller rocket but it can be fixed, and I'll be gluing the window to the camera platform of the larger rocket soon. I've had no time really to do much of this because I have Track at school, but I have some time on the weekends. Also, I'll be making changes to the engine of the larger one.

[munlander1]

On November 24, 2016 at 9:14 AM, _Augustus_ said:

To carry what? A dime-sized explosive that can't take out a brick?

I think it's the fear of it being used in larger scale. 

[sevenperforce]

On 11/23/2016 at 6:34 PM, Aperture Science said:

I was also thinking of doing this, but if I decide to do this I'll do it in December/January.

So far, what I've thought is:

Use PVC pipes as structure, use sugar+KNO3+aluminium powder as propellant, maybe try to make a nozzle with copper. Use delayed sugar+KNO3+baking soda mixture for automatic chute deploy.

Copper nozzle is a bad idea. If a chunk of the propellant breaks free during launch and plugs the nozzle, the PVC will overpressure and turn to shrapnel. PVC shrapnel can kill you.

If the casing is made out of a frangible material like PVC or aluminum, then the nozzle should be made out of pressed or rammed clay with the nozzle bored/ground out of it. If you want a copper nozzle, the casing needs to be made out of cardboard. You can do a composite overwrap design if you want a higher chamber pressure, as long as no part of the casing is frangible.

Finally, many US jurisdictions require that you follow NAR rules in launching rockets, and NAR rules require a license for launching any homemade motors.

[cantab]

I seem to remember there's a plastic with more benign overpressure behaviour than PVC. ABS maybe? Something that's less likely to cause shrapnel. It came up in discussions of homemade water guns, which usually include an air-filled pressure chamber.

[Guest]

23 minutes ago, sevenperforce said:

Copper nozzle is a bad idea. If a chunk of the propellant breaks free during launch and plugs the nozzle, the PVC will overpressure and turn to shrapnel. PVC shrapnel can kill you.

If the casing is made out of a frangible material like PVC or aluminum, then the nozzle should be made out of pressed or rammed clay with the nozzle bored/ground out of it. If you want a copper nozzle, the casing needs to be made out of cardboard. You can do a composite overwrap design if you want a higher chamber pressure, as long as no part of the casing is frangible.

Finally, many US jurisdictions require that you follow NAR rules in launching rockets, and NAR rules require a license for launching any homemade motors.

Yeah, we've started working on it, our nozzle was made out of epoxy. The casing is going to be made out of PVC, and we're getting help from an aerospace engineer that has made motors before. I think I'll make a thread with pictures, but right now there isn't much to see except for the nozzle and throat.

Also, we live in Brazil. We launch it from a farm, nothing happens.

[munlander1]

34 minutes ago, sevenperforce said:

On November 23, 2016 at 6:34 PM, Aperture Science said:

 

Copper nozzle is a bad idea. If a chunk of the propellant breaks free during launch and plugs the nozzle, the PVC will overpressure and turn to shrapnel. PVC shrapnel can kill you

35 minutes ago, sevenperforce said:

Copper nozzle is a bad idea. If a chunk of the propellant breaks free during launch and plugs the nozzle, the PVC will overpressure and turn to shrapnel. PVC shrapnel can kill you

It is also illegal to use metal as a nozzle. Yeah, pvc is pretty deadly.

4 minutes ago, Aperture Science said:

Yeah, we've started working on it, our nozzle was made out of epoxy

Clay is better. Or cheep kitty litter.

[Guest]

@munlander1 @sevenperforce

Here's the nozzle, top view:

What you see there is the converging part of the nozzle, that silver thing is a flat metal ring, then below it is the diverging part of the nozzle. It'll be glued to that PVC cap next to it, which will be glued to the rocket's casing.

We're going to work on it again this weekend, I'll let you guys know more about it. If you want to see us making the nozzle, let me know and I'll go search for footage/images (likely images).

Edited March 8, 2017 by Guest

[The Raging Sandwich]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. I've been caught up in another project, a homemade spacesuit! (I'll post it here as I go along.) I already have the main suit (a full-body painter's suit) and I ordered the helmet which should come in later this month or early next month. 

[munlander1]

@The Raging Sandwich ? You gonna have full life support?

[Nothalogh]

1 hour ago, munlander1 said:

@The Raging Sandwich ? You gonna have full life support?

Nah, just snacks

[Spaceception]

It better have life support

[The Raging Sandwich]

1 hour ago, munlander1 said:

@The Raging Sandwich ? You gonna have full life support?

Well, I'm going to do something like Adam Savage did on his Mercury suit and put a fan into a sort-of oxygen blower that blows air into the back of the helmet. The helmet I ordered has holes in the back so it would be a good place to do that.

[munlander1]

23 minutes ago, Spaceception said:

It better have life support

Well heating, cooling, waste management, that stuff. Did the Gemini suits have all of those?

2 minutes ago, The Raging Sandwich said:

Well, I'm going to do something like Adam Savage did on his Mercury suit and put a fan into a sort-of oxygen blower that blows air into the back of the helmet. The helmet I ordered has holes in the back so it would be a good place to do that.

Oh, so costume. I thought you were thinking about a full on Eva space suit.

[The Raging Sandwich]

1 minute ago, munlander1 said:

Well heating, cooling, waste management, that stuff. Did the Gemini suits have all of those?

Oh, so costume. I thought you were thinking about a full on Eva space suit.

They probably did. I don't really want to go uber-realistic and have to order size small adult diapers.

[The Raging Sandwich]

So the helmet I ordered came in yesterday. It comes with a neck-guard sort of thing that can be attached to the helmet for cold weather. I'll leave it on and attach a sealing ring to the bottom of it that connects to another sealing ring on the suit, sort of like on the Mercury suit. Ill probably post a picture of the suit so far later today.

Also, should I put the mission patch on the left shoulder or where the Apollo suit had their mission patches?

 

[The Raging Sandwich]

From today to the end of February 2018, I'll be designing, testing, and hopefully launching SBR's first rockets. So far, I hope to:

• Build and static test the F-1.5 engine
• Launch the F-1.5
• Launch the Hornet 1 rocket with an F-1 engine
• Start further production on the Cougar 1 rocket