Vanderbilt University Aerospace Club

1. USLI FRR Presentation Vanderbilt University Aerospace Club

2. Agenda • Changes made since CDR • Launch Vehicle Design Features and Dimensions • Motor Selection • Mass Statement • Recovery System Information and Testing • Payload Status and Testing • Payload Integration • Requirements Verification Status • Educational Outreach

3. Changes Made Since CDR • Vehicle Criteria • Carbon fiber added to reinforce fins • Payload Criteria • Kerosene and Cryogen tank positions have reversed (to reduce amount of tubing needed) • Reduced number of thermocouples from two to one • Electronics components have been adapted for flight use – instead of ground based testing. Circuit diagrams updated accordingly

4. Launch Vehicle Design/Dimensions • Length: 120 in. • Nominal diameter: 6 in. • Sections • Lower body tube • Coupler body tube • Upper body tube • Nosecone

6. Key Design Features • Payload Bay Access Panel • Payload equipment needs to be accessed on the launch pad • Bolted to rocket after cryogen and kerosene are inserted securely into rocket • Payload Hardware • Cryogen Container • Evaporation creates the working pressure for the fuel • Kerosene Container • Injected into fuel line • Designed for both positive and negative G injection • Payload Hardware Retention • Steel brackets bolted to wooden frame after containers are set in place

7. Key Design Features • Pathway for Fuel line and Instrumentation • Holes have been bored out of centering rings and bulk head • Steel piping used for fuel containment from kerosene tank to aft of rocket • Flexible tubing used to connect fuel line to ramjet • Additional Centering Ring • Needed for additional beam to record thrust from ramjet • Designed to maximize length inside of rocket

8. Key Design Features • Aerodynamic sleeve • Folded sheet metal – greatly streamlines pylon assembly and reduces overall drag

9. Motor Selection • CesaroniPro-75 L1115 • Impulse: 5015 N-s • Burn Time: 4.48 s • Max Thrust: 1713.25 N • Thrust to Weight: 7.9 • Projected Altitude: 5082 ft • Rail Exit Velocity: 77 ft/s • Max Velocity: 567 ft/s • Max Acceleration: 199 ft/s^2 • CG/CP/Margin: 74.7 in./101 in./4.36

11. Rocket Flight Stability and Static Margin Diagram

12. Thrust-to-Weight and Rail Exit Velocity • Thrust-to-weight ratio is 7.9 • Rail exit velocity is 77 ft/s

13. Mass Statement

14. Recovery System • Dual deployment using redundant MAWD altimeters • 48” drogue • descent rate of 42.82 ft/s • 144” main at 700 ft. • descent rate of 11.39 ft/s • KE’s—57.4 ft-lb, 10.27 ft-lb, and 5.74 ft-lb at landing.

15. Kinetic Energy at Key Flight Phases

16. Altitude at Various Wind Speeds

17. Predicted Drift

18. Full-Scale Flight Test • Full-scale flight test delayed due to weather • Launch planned for 3/27/2012. • Additional report on launch results will be provided. • Rocket and payload are completely ready

19. Recovery System Tests • Successful ground-based test

20. Recovery System Tests • Altimeter functionality tested • Pressure chamber • Continuity • Successfully ignited electric matches • Full scale test launch

21. Payload Status • Construction of both ramjets complete • Flame holder • Wire mesh (“turbulator”) • Fuel injector • Strain pylons fully instrumented, secured, and waterproofed • Thermocouple probe interference fitted into combustion chamber and epoxied with high temp epoxy • Payload bay construction complete • Cryogen container retained • Fuel vessel retained

22. Payload Status Thermocouple Fuel Injector Flame Holder Turbulator

23. Payload Test Results • Many phases of testing • Fuel testing, flame holder positioning, injection rate, etc • Measured thrust in reasonable agreement with gas dynamic predictions • Kerosene proved to produce more thrust than alcohol • Remote ignition of Kerosene accomplished

24. Video of Ramjet Testing

26. Two levels shown are for low and high wind velocity, respectively. Zero setting not shown

27. Payload Integration • Coupler body tube contains cryogen and fuel containers, and payload electronics • Two mounting brackets for each vessel constructed from bulkheads • Fuel vessel and cryogen vessel have switched positions • Minimized amount of tubing needed to connect the two within the payload bay • Payload electronics and DAQ housed on a board to be mounted on the threaded rods via rail guides • RDAS, thermocouple and strain conditioner boards, G-switch, triggering circuitry, power supplies • Ramjet mount completed during construction of fin can, rigidly attached to bulkhead

28. Cryogen container and fuel vessel mounted within the body tube Payload electronics (DAQ) board in position to be mounted within payload bay Ramjet mounting bracket. Left: connection of bracket to bulkhead Right: pylon mounted to bracket

29. Rubber conduits for instrumentation wires Ramjet in final position on rocket body

30. Interfaces • External: • Shear pins to nosecone/upper bodytube and upper bodytube/payload bay • Screw switches to MAWD altimeters • Screw switch to RDAS • Screw switch to Cryogen battery • Bolts to payload bay panel • Ramjet to rigid mounting ring • Motor to motor tube • Igniter to motor • Rocket to launch pad • Internal: • Batteries to MAWD altimeters • MAWD altimeters to electric matches • Electric matches to ejection charges • Battery to RDAS • Battery to cryogen solenoid • RDAS to cryogen solenoid • Cryogen solenoid to fuel tank • Fuel tank to ramjet injectors

31. Status of Requirements Verification • Vehicle Requirements • All are met, except for height restriction on forward arming switches • Payload Requirements • All have been met • See FRR report for details

32. Educational Engagement • March 15th - Winning student teams from Bailey, Wright, and Cora Howe visited Vanderbilt for Rocket Day with the Vanderbilt Engineers

33. Questions? • ???

34. FRR Addendum (4/10/12) • Test flight delayed until after FRR submission due to weather and launch field availability. • Included in addendum: • Test Flight Objectives • Test Flight Results • Failure Analysis • Rocket Changes • Second Test Flight Objectives • Successful Second Test Flight Results • Flight and Payload Data Analysis

35. Initial Test Flight Objectives • Achieve stable flight and reach an altitude of 4500 ft. • Actuate the cryogen solenoid valve and inject kerosene at the correct time. • Ignite the electric match in the ramjet engine • Deploy the drogue and main parachutes • Recover the rocket and data

36. Initial Test Flight Results • Significant breezes and over-stability caused wind cocking. • Altitude reached: 3600 ft. • Strain and temperature measurements successfully recorded • Kerosene successfully injected • Electric match successfully ignited • Parachutes deployed • Parachutes did not open

37. Recovery Failure Analysis • Separated rocket impacted ground at high speed • Fin can and avionics bay salvaged, payload data recovered. • Rocket rebuilt and improved • Cause: • Improperly secured protective blankets: secured on chord, but not in place on chord. • Constricted/tangled shroud lines preventing unfurling of both chutes.

38. Recovery Failure Analysis • Mitigation: • Grommets installed on blankets and rigidly attached to separate shock chord loops. • New checklist item added. • Multiple experienced personnel assisting in parachute packing.

39. Rocket Changes • New, screw-secured ramjet pylon fairings • Screw switches replaced with ¼ turn switches • Fins decreased in size and streamlined • Lightweight aluminum hardware • Thinner, lighter payload bulkheads • More aerodynamic payload bay door • Tape “blisters” over bolt heads to reduce drag • Smaller drogue parachute • Main chute ejection changed to 900ft. from 700ft.

40. Realized Improvements • Drag reduction • Weight reduced by 3 lbs. • Additional savings of 1.5 pounds possible with more efficient shock chord and parachutes. • Improved (reduced) stability • Weight change affects energy. • Heaviest section must be below 12.5 ft/s to meet KE limitations.

41. Improved Mass Statement

42. Second Test Flight Objectives • Achieve stable flight and reach an altitude of 4500 ft. • Deploy the drogue and main parachutes • Recover the rocket and altimeter data

43. Second Test Flight Results • Vertical flight with no wind cocking • Altitude of 4300 ft achieved • Parachutes successfully deployed • Parachutes successfully opened • Rocket recovered with no damage

44. Launch Day Photos

45. Payload Data Analysis - Loads

46. Payload Data Analysis - Temps

47. Payload Data Analysis –Drag Model • Drag obtained from strain gage measurements • Velocity obtained by integrating RDAS acceleration data • Correlated from 7 to 12 seconds to establish validity of drag model

49. Payload Data Analysis – Drag Model

50. Payload Data Analysis – Drag Model • Data are in very good agreement with theoretical predictions • Nonlinear regression analysis gives • At 150 m/s: • Model predicts a drag of ~13 N • Recorded drag of ~16.5 N • Orientation of rocket unmodeled • High confidence in final thrust calculations