ALternate water rocket design system

[RaZias]

When I was thinking in a 10 meter rocket I was thinking in a reinforced 10 meter FTC rocket ( that´s a missile ! ), the limitation for that is the amount of money you want to trow away.
If I wanted to make one is not for being accepted or not by the WRA2, it´s just for making incredible (and stupid) device.

I know the legal limits for rockets but one day someone will achive the 1.5 kg perfect rocket in every aspect (relation between weight/volume/drag/stabilization,etc...).
And after that there is no way to improve a rocket without increasing the weight...like that law for chip power processing, if you want more power you will need to increase something.

For example, carbon fiber is the best for reinforcement ( I think), so after someone makes a 1.5 kg carbon rocket there will be no goal for no one.
Maybe the beggining of a horizontal rocket competition ?

[Bonami]

When I was thinking in a 10 meter rocket I was thinking in a reinforced 10 meter FTC rocket ( that´s a missile ! ), the limitation for that is the amount of money you want to trow away.
If I wanted to make one is not for being accepted or not by the WRA2, it´s just for making incredible (and stupid) device.

I know the legal limits for rockets but one day someone will achive the 1.5 kg perfect rocket in every aspect (relation between weight/volume/drag/stabilization,etc...).
And after that there is no way to improve a rocket without increasing the weight...like that law for chip power processing, if you want more power you will need to increase something.

For example, carbon fiber is the best for reinforcement ( I think), so after someone makes a 1.5 kg carbon rocket there will be no goal for no one.
Maybe the beggining of a horizontal rocket competition ?

A rocket that can fly 2000 feet vertically would go how far if launched at an angle? Is there a way to figure this out mathmatically? How big would the firing range have to be for this contest?

[RaZias]

I have no idea if there is a simulator for a non vertical launch.
Anyway it would be more complex than a vertical simulator due to the fact it requires calculation of a parabolic trajectory.
I belive it would require a BIG horizontal space to send a rocket, and there is the complex issue of ejecting water in a angulated rocket, it´s not efficient as a vertical lauch.
You could use only air.

[Cloud Dancers]

I think it would be impractical to make a 10 meter long rocket. It would be too flexible even if it were make out of metal. Something that large would need to be supported by some kind of track like a gutter . If launched with "air only" would not lift off due to all the friction in "the track". In the "ideal world" of simulators it probably gives some really big numbers though. Interesting concept though. I just don't think it would be possible even if you had an unlimited budget.

[CSAldridge]

10m... that'll be alot of water.

instant rain shower.


(lots of water in a droplet trail to great height... what kind of dangers of static discharge would we be facing? just a thought)

[dongfang]

Hi,

I once had a 6 meter long potato cannon, that could take a plastic ball to Mach 1.13. 6 meters was about as impractical as supersonic was loud! I had to cut the piece up to get it moved out of the place.

How about a Vostok-like design with boosters and a central stage?

Regards
Soren

[Spaceman Spiff]

Hi,

I once had a 6 meter long potato cannon, that could take a plastic ball to Mach 1.13. 6 meters was about as impractical as supersonic was loud! I had to cut the piece up to get it moved out of the place.

How about a Vostok-like design with boosters and a central stage?

Regards
Soren

That looks a lot like the stuff batkiter builds!

[CSAldridge]

Currently we do not have plans for more classes. We want to increase participation in the current classes. Actually we are surprised that none of you guys have claimed the class C record. Remember that the first submission will claim the record and will go down in history as the 1st class C champion.

Who will be first??

Tim is correct about the weight limits for our classes. There is also the fact that we do not want to turn the competition into a "who can build the largest rocket" free for all.

We still have the design and fabrication to finalize. We are still taking suggestions.

i am hoping to launch a class c rocket next weekend (barring mishaps), but I wont be able to get my hands on cameras and such for a while.

so for the time being I'm afraid I'm unable to participate in the contests.

my rocket is made out of 500ml soda bottle with 25lb fishing line reinforcing and balsa wood fins attached to 1/4" dowel rods.

the recovery system is simply a nose cone made from another bottle, with grooves that slide onto the dowel rods a bit. as long as the rocket stays somewhat vertical the nose is settled onto the dowels but as it tips over the nose comes off, dragging the chute with it. (or at least thats the plan) the nozzle connect is a garden hose quick disconnect. with the nozzle flange on the inside of the soda cap the nozzle doesnt snap into the quick disconnect right, so that's hurdle #1.
also I am having trouble coming up with a way to transition from air hose to garden hose disconnect. thinking i'm going to have to use a couple copper pieces and weld them together. I was hoping i could find a connector that would connect air hose size to garden hose size but I cant find anything like that. that's hurdle #2.
I got a check valve that is the right size for a garden hose but the threads are different than the disconnect or garden hose... that's hurdle #3.

as far as i can tell those 3 things are all that stands between now and a rocket launch.

[dongfang]

Hi,

the nozzle doesnt snap into the quick disconnect right, so that's hurdle #1

My advise: Don't use a bottle cap. Grind down the threads on the bottle neck, and grind away most of the threads in the 3/4 inch male Gardena. Then, epoxy them together.

Hurdle #2: I think you can find hose-to-hose adapters, if you look hard enough. There are certainly hose adapters and reducers for compressed air that will work. Or something like http://shop.maagtechnic.ch/ishop/produc ... G-9631.xml.

I use PVC pipe - 16 mm will after some heating in boiling water plug right into the small hose Gardenas; 20 mm into the larger ones. In the other end of the pipe, I have an end cap with a hole drilled in it, and a 6 mm brass pipe epoxied in.

Why do you want to use a garden hose sized check valve - or a check valve at all, except that in the pump?

Regards
Soren

[CSAldridge]

Hi,

the nozzle doesnt snap into the quick disconnect right, so that's hurdle #1

My advise: Don't use a bottle cap. Grind down the threads on the bottle neck, and grind away most of the threads in the 3/4 inch male Gardena. Then, epoxy them together.

Hurdle #2: I think you can find hose-to-hose adapters, if you look hard enough. There are certainly hose adapters and reducers for compressed air that will work. Or something like http://shop.maagtechnic.ch/ishop/produc ... G-9631.xml.

I use PVC pipe - 16 mm will after some heating in boiling water plug right into the small hose Gardenas; 20 mm into the larger ones. In the other end of the pipe, I have an end cap with a hole drilled in it, and a 6 mm brass pipe epoxied in.

Why do you want to use a garden hose sized check valve - or a check valve at all, except that in the pump?

Regards
Soren

well I already destroyed the nozzle to make it fit into the bottle cap, so I guess i'll get another one and try what your said. downside to your approach is that on a normal non spliced bottle, thats the only way in or out of the bottle (hopefully) and would be a pain to fill in the water through the nozzle. also, I would then have to get a nozzle for each rocket design instead of using the same one for multiple rockets. I have seen other rockets with it in the cap and seemed the ideal solution, but the added thickness of the cap doesn't allow it to seat properly in the disconnect.

I'll keep looking for the hose adapters then.

regarding the check valve, I hadn't really thought about it like that. I was just thinking i want the pressure to stay until release. oh well, i'm sure i'll find a use for it sometime.

[dongfang]

Hi,

OK, I see your point with putting male disconnects in caps .. well I guess I just bought a pile of them, and glue them to different rockets. I have managed to re-use a few, after the rockets were scrapped.

It's not hard to fill water into those: Just get a piece of thin metal pipe (6 mm maybe) and glue that into a hole in a bottle cap. You now have a nozzle baby bottle Or make a deluxe version, where you have a chamber between the pump and the rocket, that you fill with water before pumping.

As for a valve, I have more often wanted to have a discharge valve, in case I wanted to cancel a launch safely.

Regards
Soren

[CSAldridge]

I shudder at the pressures required to even lift such a thing off the ground, much less the pressures required to get a decent flight. you would almost have to build it as a tall pyramid shaped multi stage rocket.