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Tropos-1 Hybrid rocket Project

Tropos-1 Hybrid rocket Project. Seattle Central Community College, Seattle, Washington Science and Math Department 2008-2009 Members: Colin Webb, Cooper Clausen, Luan Duong, Brian Injugu. Team organization. Team lead: Colin Webb Electronic system: Cooper Clausen

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Tropos-1 Hybrid rocket Project

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  1. Tropos-1 Hybrid rocket Project Seattle Central Community College, Seattle, Washington Science and Math Department 2008-2009 Members: Colin Webb, Cooper Clausen, Luan Duong, Brian Injugu

  2. Team organization • Team lead: Colin Webb • Electronic system: Cooper Clausen • Recovery system: Luan Duong • Logistics: Bryan Injugu

  3. Project’s Goals • To participate in 4th Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition in Utah June 24th-27th, 2009. • The project is student led and researched. • The rocket must be constructed with a minimum amount of cost. • The rocket must clear the launch rail and reach an estimated altitude of 10,000 ft. • The avionics must record data multiple times during flight and be retrieved easily after flights. • The single state recovery system is controlled by avionics onboard the rocket continuously. • The recovery system must land the rocket on the ground safely and in a reusable condition. • Flight data including the peak altitude must be provided within 2 hours after recovery.

  4. Propulsion System • Homemade hybrid rocket engine using Hydroxyl Terminated Polybutadiene (HTPB) as the solid fuel and N2O as the oxidizer. • Why hybrid? It’s a simple and easy to make engine minimizing the overall cost of the rocket. • Weight: 20 lbs N2O + 23 lbs HTPB

  5. Igniters • Homemade igniters using black powder and magnesium filings • Nichrome wire heats up, ignites black powder/magnesium filing mixture

  6. Nozzle • 17-hole showerhead injecting nozzle allows proper vaporization to the igniters. • Graphite thrust nozzle cast directly to the solid fuel grain

  7. Oxidizer Tank and Plumbing system • Reconditioned aluminum storage tank pressurized to 750 psi • Radio controlled fuel plumbing system and fuel hose ejection • Fuel ball valve connected to a radio controlled actuator • Contains 20 lbs of N2O • Estimated thrust is about 600 lb, provided the rocket an initial acceleration of 3.7 G’s.

  8. Recovery System • Single stage deployment • Electronically controlled by G-Wiz HCX flight computer system. • Auto-detected apogee chute release. • Barometric and acceleration sensors provide accurate apogee detection and precise chute release control. • 30 ft diameter military surplus parachute • Spring loaded pilot chute deploys the main chute. • Search radius is about 2 miles from the launch rail

  9. Electronics Launch System • Controlled by radio signals. • Radio transmitter and receiver modules are TLP434A and RLP434. • Digital signal are encoded by an HT12E chip. • 3-event digital signals including: to open or close valve gas, and to eject the fuel hose. • A circuits which detects the orientation of the valve will fire the igniters automatically. • 4 power supplies to minimize supply decoupling issues during design and testing phases.

  10. Structure • A simple structure of 3 aluminum U channels and 9-inch diameter plywood bulkheads. • Reinforced by more U channels, L brackets and riveted together. • Solid fuel grain is attached by an aluminum casing and reducer framing. • The body was reinforced by concrete form tubes. • Due to the lack of composite materials, lowing down the weight is impossible. • As a result, we opted to forego having a payload and attempt to launch the rocket as is.

  11. Nose Cone • Self-constructed nose cone was made from marine type fiberglass laid around a mold and rounded at the tip. • Conical design chosen over ogive in the interest of easy fabrication • Construction road cone used as the mold

  12. Fins • Calculated dimension of the fins was obtained using the Barrowman’s equations and a spreadsheet calculator provided online • 3 fins spaced 120 degrees • Constructed from • Attached directly to engine housing

  13. Launching Process • Step 1: Fill the oxidizer tank with N2O • Step 2: Move rocket to vertical launch position • Step 3: Eject fuel line • Step 4: Initiate fuel delivery / ignition • Step 5: Main chute deployment just after apogee • Step 6: Locate / Recover rocket on ground and retrive altitude information

  14. Possible Failure Points • Will plumbing hold 750 psi? • Will igniters create enough energy to ignite nitrous oxide? • Will injection nozzle vaporize fuel? • Will thrust be sufficient to lift rocket off? • Will thrust be sufficient to achieve altitude and stability? • Will G Wiz detect apogee? • Will parachute deploy properly?

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