Level 1 High-Power Rocketry, As Built

Level 1 High-Power Rocketry, As Built

Background

I began designing this vehicle after 2 years of experience with high-power rocketry in high school. I knew that building and flying a successful vehicle would increase my chances of earning a spot on TAMU SRT.

Goal

The goal was simple: build, launch, and recover a level 1 certification rocket. If successful, I would return to my first day at A&M with a Level 1 HPR Certification on its way, if not, I’d return with a wrecked rocket.

Restrictions

To adhere to the launch site conditions and requirements for an level 1 certification I needed to:

  1. Fly no higher than 2,000 ft
  2. Launch using a L1 motor
  3. Recover the vehicle without major damage

Design

While I may not have designed the vehicle from the ground up, I applied my previous rocketry and engineering knowledge and learned new engineering techniques throughout the design cycle of this project. This vehicle began with the high power rocket model “Hi-Tech” from Apogee Components. I decided on this design due to the reviews of reliability, however, a this model was not without drawbacks. The original simulated max altitude this model reached was 4,000 ft. Due to the altitude ceiling, major modifications needed to be made.
Slowing this vehicle down without affecting the stability proved to be a challenge. This is because high power rockets need to be traveling a minimum speed before fins provide stabilization. Changing the nosecone to a very blunt ellipsoid profile was effective at lowering altitude, but by only changing the nosecone, I could not remain below the target altitude and reach the minimum stable speed. This is when my previous high school physics knowledge gave me an idea.

The major aerodynamic changes included the 3D printed nosecone and the tail transition piece. After iterative testing in the model rocket simulator Open Rocket(Figure 1), I decided on a combination of these parts. I also swapped many of the bulkheads and centering rings to thicker wood and 3D printed supports for ease of construction

Figure 1

Manufacturing

During the manufacturing process I utilized 3D printing, epoxy, and several commercial parts. As this was my first personal project I aimed to minimize risks strengthened many of these commercial components, swapping plywood for thicker boards.

Figure 2

Results

This was an excellent first dive into a personal engineering project. I set clear goals, researched, designed and iterated until I had a polished solution.

Figure 3