Mission Overview Rocket and Subsystems Payload and Subsystems Management

Our Mission: The MIT Rocket Team aims to develop and test methods of analyzing the causes and effects of fin flutter as it pertains to the flight of high powered rockets.

Launch rocket with 6 fins of different thicknesses, geometry, and materials

Successfully deliver high school outreach payload Visually identify flutter effects with high speed camera and custom mirror system
Use image post-processing software to accurately track fin movement

Analytically demonstrate rocket stability with 6 fins and additionally only the 3 non-fluttering fins. Attach strain gauges to fins to measure predicted versus actual strain Purposely induce flutter or failure in 3 of 6 fins

Requirements:
Launch rocket to 5280 ft Induce flutter in 3 test fins Deploy High School Science Payload

Design
90 Tall 6 Diameter 42 Pound liftoff weight

Concept
Solid rocket motor Carbon fiber reinforced airframe Redundant flight computers Dual deployment recovery

Key components
Motor retention Fin Retention Avionics package Recovery package

Airframe

Bulkheads & Centering Rings Fins

PML 6 Phenolic Carbon fiber: Soller Composites Sleeve Aeropoxy 2032/3660 Plywood Wood glued to motor mount tube

Various

G10/FR4 Mechanically attached and removable/replacable

Phenolic tubing: motor mount, avionics package Nylon: avionics assembly components Stainless steel: quick links, eye bolts Nomex: chute protectors, deployment bags
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Center of Pressure
91 from nose tip

Center of Gravity
67 from nose tip

Stability Margin
~3.9 Calibers ~3.2 without test fins
This is known to be excessive. Effects of liberating fins to be seen during multiple test flights. Lower margin will be used if possible.
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Body tube structural tests Ejection Charge Tests Fin drop tests Avionics Tests
Vacuum Chamber Electric match actuation

3 Full Scale Flight Tests on full motors Opportunity for a total of 5 full scale flight tests

Rocket Motor Cesaroni L1395

4895N-s impulse - more than enough to reach target altitude given mass estimates Proven track record and simple assembly Cheaper and more reliable than Aerotech alternative

Full-scale Test Motor Cesaroni L1395

Will provide nearly identical flight profile to test flutter experiment

Thrust to Weight Ratio: 8.1:1 Rail exit velocity: 55ft/sec (assuming 66 of guidance)
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Subsystem Tests
Ejection Charges Avionics Recovery
Fin Vehicle

3 Full Scale Test Launches

1/21 at CRMRC 2/18 at CRMRC 3/18 at CRMRC or MDRA 2/10 at METRA 4/2 at METRA

2 Additional Flight Options

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Motor Retention
Via 3/8 Threaded rod into forward closure Threaded rod passes through avionics bay to recovery attachment point

Avionics
Beeline 70cm Trackers in each section Raven2 as primary altimeter Stratologger as backup Housed in 12 long coupler tube just above motor Trackers attached to recovery cords Avionics bay bulkheads shielded with foil tape
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Fin retention

Airframe

Custom designed glueless unit Will allow easy swapping of payload test fins Will allow reduction in stability margin after first test flight if seen fit.

PML Phenolic reinforced with carbon sleeve Removable

Phenolic coupler reinforced with carbon

Screwed into fin can centering rings Force transferred from aft centering ring through airframe

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Nose cone
PML 6 Fiberglass nose cone Houses drogue parachute

High School Science Payload

6 x 24 cylinder with outreach experiment from local school Mass of no more than 8 pounds Between drogue and main. Extracted by drogue when main deploys

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 5 ft drogue parachute

Final Descent Rate & Energy

14 ft main parachute

Deployment at apogee Shear 2x 2-56 screws 4.5 g black power charge

System Under Drogue Nose/Payload Final Descent Rate Rocket Body Under Main Liberated Fin

55 ft/s

1670ft-lbf 72ft-lbf

19.1 ft/s

Deployment at 700 feet Pulled out by high school payload High school payload released by Tender Descender Deployment Bag used

13 ft/s <40 ft/s

60ft-lbf <25 ft-lbf

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Barometric testing
Deployment sensing Altitude verification

Nose cone release

Shear pin failure force Black powder charge Separation distance

Charge release locking mechanism

Black powder charge

Operational verification

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Tube-Stores payload during flight Charge released locking mechanism - releases sabot at 300 ft Chute Bag ensures clean main parachute opening Separation of rocket and nose cone prevents parachute entanglement
Main Chute Deployment Bag

HS Payload Drogue Chute

Broken Charge Released Locking Mechanism

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Fin flutter measurement system to quantitatively analyze the fin flutter induced modes in the three test fins

Strain Gauges

High-speed Cameras

8 on each fin Saved to SD card via Arduino A Cassio Exilim camera for each fin Recording at 480 frames per second Securely mounted in avionics bay

Mirrors

Software and simulations

Mounted on the outside of rocket Enables head-on view of each fin

Rockety Online Fin Flutter Simulator Rocket Team Matlab Fin Flutter Simulator OpenCV image processing script Matlab strains to deflections converter

Data (Predicted vs Experimental)

Time and velocity at which fins experience flutter Fin deflections versus time and velocity
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Software debugging Mirror mount placement and rigidity Camera placement and stability Operational testing
Strain gauges Radio relay circuits Data logging Electrical components

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2 Fins will be liberated during flight Limiting velocity of 40ft/sec Limiting energy of 25ft-lb Each fin will have a tracker for location Each fin will be painted in a contrasting color for visibility against the sky

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Tracker

Tracker in tip of fin, no streamer

Only acceptable if energy and velocity are low enough, as shown through extensive drop tests Fins must be painted vibrant colors

Fin tethered to rocket body

Tethered by a Kevlar cord from the tip of the fin to the base of the rocket Likely not possible due to motor burning

Kevlar Cord tied to tip of fin, taped to bottom of fin and attached to base of rocket

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Streamer attached to fin, tracker attached to streamer

Streamer stored in small tube in base of rocket Attached by a Kevlar cord tied to the tip of the fin Kevlar cord taped to bottom of fin for aerodynamic reasons

Streamer with attached tracker

Liberated Fin Kevlar cord between streamer and tip of fin

Streamer stored in tube in base of rocket. Tape is used to hold it in. It deploys when fin liberates and pulls it out

Attached Fin

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Month

Date

Task

September
November December

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28 3 17 19

Project initiation
PDR materials due Construct Scale rocket Scaled test launch Initiate materials acquisition for full scale rocket Return from winter break Test MATLAB and openCV software

January

6 6

6
7 7 7 9 9 9 10

Initiate construction of fin unit

Initiate construction of test body tubes Begin machining mirror mounts Initiate construction of payload circuits Perform tests on body tubes (crush, bending, etc). Perform ejection charge tests Perform tests on camera placement and mirror positions Cut out fins

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13 13 15 15 16 19 21

Perform fin unit tests

Initiate construction of flight body tubes Initiate construction of avionics bay Initiate construction of mirror system and avionics mounting system Perform tests on electrical subsystems Start integrating vehicle components Prepare for full scale launch (pack parachutes, build motor, etc) First full-scale test launch

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February March 18 10 17 26 April 2 21

CDR materials due

Second full-scale test launch Optional full-scale test launch Third full-scale test launch FRR materials due Optional full scale test launch Competition launch

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Boston Museum of Science Mid-January MIT Museum: Mid-January MIT Splash Weekend: 20 November MIT Spark Weekend: Mid-March

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