Rocket Fabrication. Preparation. Fin Fabrication and Assembly. Materials. Tools

Transcription

1 Rocket Fabrication Preparation 1. Print the templates for your design. Refer to the Print Template Tutorial for instructions. You can find the tutorial by opening the Help menu in the upper right-hand corner of your screen. 2. Gather materials and tools for fabricating your rocket. Materials Soda Bottle (20oz, 1L or 2L) Transition Cone Card stock (11" x 17") Fin Card stock (8.5" x 11"; 40pt or 70pt thickness) Tube (9" length) Nose Cone Ball (37mm) Packing Tape (Heavy Duty) Tack Glue Materials and Tools Tools Build Board Scissors Hobby knife Awl Permanent Marker (Sharpie) 3. A build board to hold the bottle upright while constructing is very useful. Simply attach a bottle cap to a wood or foam board base with a screw or glue. Fin Fabrication and Assembly

2 1. Align the Fin Template on the stock material blank and attach in place with tack glue or tape. Step 1 2. Following the pattern construction lines, cut to shape with scissors. Heavy duty scissors are recommended. Sheet metal snips work well also. Step 2 3. Be sure to remove the paper template from the fin after cutting. Step 3 4. Align the fin on the bottle. Refer to your engineered design to determine the specified location. Mark the upper fin point on the bottle. Step 4 5. A measurement gauge is needed to space the fins evenly around the circumference of the bottle. Wrap a strip of paper around the bottle at the upper fin point. Mark the circumference of the bottle on the paper. Step 5

3 6. Measure the length of your paper gauge. Divide the length by the number of fins to determine the spacing for each fin. In this example, the length of the paper gauge (bottle circumference) is 33mm. 33mm / 3 = 11mm, therefore, a mark is made on the gauge every 11mm or at 11mm and 22mm. Step 6 7. Wrap your measurement gauge around the bottle and mark the location of each fins. Step 7 8. Alight the top of a fin with the mark. Attach the top of the fin to the bottle using heavy duty tape. Transparent packing tap is being used in this build. Step 8 9. Use a square to insure the fin is perpendicular to the base surface. Once positioned, tape the bottom portion of the fin in place. Add tape to both side to reinforce the joint until the fin is stable. Step Repeat this process to attach all the fins. Double check spacing, alignment and stability. Step 10

4 Nose Cone Fabrication and Assembly 1. Standard designs use less than 1/2 of the 457mm (18") tubes that are provided. Cut the tube in half, 228mm (9"), and share the other half with your classmates for their use. Step 1 2. Refer to your engineered design to determine the specified length of the nose tube. Measure and mark the length using with a ruler. Step 2 3. To ensure a square cut around the tube, wrap the straight edge of a strip of paper or tape around the tube. The line of the paper edge provides a cutting line around the entire tube. Step 3 4. Using a hobby knife, cut the tube to the designed length. Step 4

5 5. Attach the tube to the top center of the rocket vessel with tape. It is important that the tube is parallel to the bottle so check to be sure the tube straight or parallel with the bottle's center line. Step 5 6. Tack glue the transition cone template on the cone stock material and cut to the specified shape with scissors. Step 6 7. Carefully roll the cone into shape. Get the joining edges into position and keep forming the material until it begins to hold the designed shape. Tape the edges in place to secure the cone. Step 7 8. Assemble the transition cone on the rocket and hold in place with heavy duty tape. Step 8 Parachute Fabrication and Assembly

6 1. The parachute is designed to be cut along the dotted lines around the perimeter. If you designed you parachute to be larger or smaller, layout cut lines by measuring point parallel to the dotted lines. Step 1 2. Carefully cut the parachute along the cut lines with scissors. Step 2 3. Add line hole reinforcements to each of the parachute line assembly points. Apply pressure around the ring to insure that it adheres securely. Step 3 4. Use an awl to punch a hole in the center of the hole reinforcement ring. Step 4

7 5. Cut six pieces of string to approximately mm. At a minimum, the length of the parachute line should be longer than the parachute diameter after assembled. If the parachute does not deploy properly, try lengthening the lines. Step 5 6. Thread the string through the hole reinforcement ring and tie using a double knot. Step 6 7. Gather the six lines so the length of the lines from the parachute are equal. Tie the gathered lines with a single knot. Step 7 8. The shock cord of the parachute attaches the parachute lines to the nose cone ball and nose cone tube. a. Cut a length of string approximately 350 mm. It needs to be long enough so the parachute canopy clears the tube when it deploys. b. Tie the cord to the bottom knot of the parachute lines. c. At approximately 30mm from the knot, glue the ball to the cord with hot glue. Step 8 9. Use hot glue to attach the cord to the inside of the tube. Be sure the glue joint is at least 5mm from the top so it does not interfere with the ball seat. Step 9

8 10. Pack the parachute so it fits loosely in the tube. More about that in the Launch section. Step Now you are ready for the launch pad... Step 11