Launcher Rigidity/Stiffness (US Rockets1)

Discussion about Compressors, hose, pipes, fittings, launchers, release mechanisms, and launch tubes.
T86157
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Launcher Rigidity/Stiffness (US Rockets1)

Post by T86157 »

Instead of making a new thread I will ask here:

In regards to the launcher here found here (http://www.uswaterrockets.com/construct ... torial.htm), how is the vertical portion of the launcher able to stay up? I see you have the U-bolts fastened down to the PVC fittings but do the bumps on the fittings able to secure it strongly with a fueled T6 - T10 FTC rocket sitting on the launch tube? That is one issue with my designing aspect since the majority of the launch tube is not reinforced structurally but within the FTC; a higher center of gravity than I would feel comfortable with...
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Re: Launcher Rigidity/Stiffness (US Rockets1)

Post by U.S. Water Rockets1 »

T86157 wrote:Instead of making a new thread I will ask here:

In regards to the launcher here found here (http://www.uswaterrockets.com/construct ... al.htm[url][/url]), how is the vertical portion of the launcher able to stay up? I see you have the U-bolts fastened down to the PVC fittings but do the bumps on the fittings able to secure it strongly with a fueled T6 - T10 FTC rocket sitting on the launch tube? That is one issue with my designing aspect since the majority of the launch tube is not reinforced structurally but within the FTC; a higher center of gravity than I would feel comfortable with...
There are molded bumps on the threaded PVC fittings which prevent the pipe from rotating. We also made a few of these launchers with fittings that have a hexagonal shape so they have flat sides and we lined them up to sit flat to the board and that style does a really nice job of being very solid. We made those with a slightly larger footprint (longer boards for added stability). There was no "blueprint" for them, so each batch would be a little different than the others.
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