Critical Design Review

1
Critical Design Review

• West Point-Beemers SLI Vehicle and Payload
  Experiment Criteria

2
Mission Statement

• Experimental Test of Boyles Law with a 1 mile
  high power rocket launch
• Requirements
• Launch vehicle to an altitude of one mile
• Collect useful scientific data
• Successfully recover rocket
• Accomplish all other goals of the NASA SLI
  program
• Mission Success Criteria
• Launch vehicle to an altitude of one mile
• Collect useful scientific data
• Successfully recover rocket
• Accomplish all other goals of the NASA SLI
  program

3
Design at System Level

• Design Review at a system level
• A. Updated Drawings and Specifications of
  systems
• I. Recovery
• Recovers rocket safely in compliance with NFPA
  1127. See recovery subsection
• II. Payload
• Accomplishes scientific goal of flight, details
  in payload section
• IIV. Electronics
• Perfectflite MAWD Drogue charge at apogee, main
  charge at 500
• Ozark Aerospace ARTS 2.0 Drogue 1 second after
  apogee, main charge at 450
• BeeLine GPS in booster section
• Standard BeeLine for backup in the payload
  section
• Data Recorder
• Remote Launcher
• IV. Stability/Booster
• Three ¼ Plywood fins built into an interlocking
  structure that makes up the whole booster.
  Enclosed in a tube that is removable.
• V. Ignition
• Remote launch system.
• 9.07 x 10 -9 percent chance of being
  inadvertently activated by another user of the
  same type of system.
• Operates on 433.92Mhz

4
Pictures

• Electronics, Remote Launch System

5
Testing

• 3.71 Scale Test Flight, 12-17-06, success by all
  measures.

6
Testing

• Fins Structure (Actual will only have 3 fins)

7
Testing

• Electronics bay model

8
Preliminary Motor Selection

• Animal Motor Works K975. Extremely unlikely that
  a smaller motor will be selected, 75mm and L
  motors cannot be used for various reasons

9
Demonstration of vehicle meeting all system level
functional requirements

• Current analysis and tests that have been
  performed on the booster, electronics and
  recovery sections show that all systems function
  as intended and as required to achieve mission
  success.

10
Relation of approach to workmanship and mission
success

• Care to ensure mission success will be in mind at
  all times during construction, testing, prepping
  and flying. Sloppy jobs and rushed work will not
  be accepted and will be redone until it is
  acceptable to achieve mission success.

11
Additional testing to be performed

• Ejection charge and parachute deployment tests
• Confirmation of the inability of the radio
  controlled ignition units capability of being
  inadvertently actuated
• Ground tests of all electronics before flight
• Possibility of functional tests on motor igniters
  (tube representing motor core and nozzle with
  pressure and temperature sensors)
• CP/CG relationship confirmation with fully loaded
  rocket
• Fox Hunt with trackers
• Simulate to the best of our ability the flight
  loads on the nose, body and fins that the vehicle
  will see in flight (apply estimated forces to
  proper areas)
• Full scale flight test with all systems
  operational

12
Status and plans of remaining manufacturing

• Complete final booster unit and electronics bay.
• Paint rocket
• Install all electronics and science

13
Integrity of design

• A. Fin shape and style for mission
• 1/4 plywood fins of similar size have flown to
  the speeds and experienced the loads that will be
  placed on our fins during flight. No concerns are
  foreseen
• B. Proper use of structural elements
• The been reviewed by engineers and the feedback
  provided was that 1/8 plywood could be used for
  everything but the fins themselves. Due to
  material availability, 1/4 plywood will be used
  throughout and will be sufficient for the flight.

14
Integrity Of DesignContinued

• C. Proper assembly procedures, attachment and
  alignment, solid connection points, proper load
  paths.
• The precision fit interlocking structure used
  throughout most of the vehicle automatically
  align when assembled. TiteBond II, a type of
  alphaic resin, will be used for all wood to wood
  and wood to cardboard connections. These are the
  only type of glue connections in the rocket, and
  the use of wood glue on precision fit parts is
  nearly foolproof. The loads from the motor thrust
  will be distributed from the thrust ring on the
  motor, to the aft ring in the fin unit, to the
  body tube and truss structure, to the upper body
  tube and electronics bay, through the body tube
  to the nose.
• D. Motor mounting and retention
• An internal masking tape ring will be used to
  retain the motor. The motor has no way to move
  within the rocket unless the fins, body tube and
  lower centering rings all fail, which is highly
  unlikely.
• E. Status of verification
• The Perfectflite MAWD will be used to verify the
  altitude. It will be operational for flight as it
  is essential to vehicle operation.

15
Safety And Failure Analysis
16
Recovery Subsystem

• Kevin Rich, a licensed parachute rigger for
  man-rated parachutes will be assisting us with
  the recovery of the vehicle. With a final vehicle
  weight of about 21 pounds ready to fly, a
  parachute that can handle that weight and still
  recover at a safe rate of under 20 feet per
  second will be required.
• Due to their extreme reliability and durability,
  a Rocketman R14-C, which can handle rockets from
  20-35 pounds, has been chosen. A Rocketman R3-C
  will be used as a drogue at apogee and the main
  R14 will deploy at 500 AGL. The MAWD and ARTS
  will fire independent ejection charges housed in
  PVC caps to separate the body sections and allow
  the parachutes to come out. Calculations and
  tests will be done to determine the mass of the
  4fg black powder required to reliably deploy the
  parachutes.
• www.the-rocketman.com

17
Recovery SubsystemContinued

• The R3 will be attached to approximately 30 feet
  of 9/16 tubular nylon climbing webbing which
  will be attached to an eye-bolt in the top of the
  motor and a eye-bolt on the bottom of the
  electronics bay. A water knot with no quick links
  will be used for attachment. The main parachute
  will be attached in a similar manner using 20 of
  9/16 webbing attached to the eye-bolt on the top
  of the electronics bay. No quick links will be
  used in any part of the system as they only add
  more failure points and more things to forget.
• The R14 will be packed in a custom made
  deployment bag that the team will work on with
  Kevin Rich. A small pilot parachute is likely to
  be used to pull the bag out of the tube and
  deploy the parachute. At this time, it is
  currently unknown whether or not the bag, pilot
  and nose will recover attached to the top of the
  canopy or separately.

18
Mission Performance Predictions

• Criteria Propel the vehicle to 1 mile (5280
  feet) in a strait, stable flight that does not
  put forces on the vehicle that the vehicle cannot
  handle and successfully recover the vehicle
  within the fields perimeter without violating
  the FAA waiver.

19
Flight Profile Simulations

• Maximum altitude 5760 Ft.-K975 in no wind
• Maximum altitude 5710 Ft.-K975 in 10 mph wind
• Maximum altitude 5598 Ft.-K975 in 20 mph wind

20
Validity of Simulations

• The simulations show that ample extra altitude
  will be achieved unless the vehicle is more than
  3 pounds overweight. Test flights with the actual
  vehicle will be used to tune the altitude and
  make sure that the Huntsville flight will achieve
  nearly exactly 1 mile
• A static margin of 1.67, with the CG at about 57
  and the CP at about 66, is sufficient for stable
  flight

21
Stability
22
Payload Integration

• A. Integration plan
• The electronics/payload bay is specifically
  designed for easy integration of the payload and
  deployment electronics. The data collection
  device will be simply bolted to one of the 3
  trusses that span the length of the payload bay.
  The 9v battery that it will run on will also be
  mounted with zip-ties to a truss. The data
  collection tubes will slide in precision cut
  holes in the two rings inside the bulkhead. To
  slide them in, one of the bulkheads on either end
  of the electronics bay will be removed by
  removing the eye-bolt on that end. This will
  expose the holes that the tubes slide into. They
  will then be slid in, secured with rings of
  masking tape to prevent them from sliding and the
  bulkhead and the eye-bolt will be replaced.
• B. Interface
• The final outside diameter of the data collection
  tubes has not been finally determined at this
  point however it is known that it will be below
  1.5. 4 1.5 holes will easily fit in the
  electronics bay as shown in the picture earlier.
  The diameter of the holes in the final bay will
  be determined by using a caliper to measure the
  O.D. of the data collection tubes and put that
  value in AutoCAD so that the parts can be cut out
  accurately with the water cutting machine.

23
Payload IntegrationContinued

• C .Compatibility
• The separate parts will be separated by 1/4
  trusses and should not pose any problems to each
  other. The ARTS will have aluminum foil to
  protect it from RF interference from the Beeline
  Tracker. Experience has shown that in close
  proximity they will interfere with each other and
  cause the ARTS to operate improperly. Other
  incompatibility issues are not expected due to
  previous experience
• D. Integration
• No simpler way of integrating the payload has yet
  been found. If any method is found that makes it
  easier to integrate the payload, consideration of
  a design change may be made, however, at this
  point, that is unlikely.

24
Launch Concerns and Operation ProceduresVehicle
Prep

• Unpack shipping containers and verify packed
  contents are present.
• Inspect all parts for damage. If damage is found,
  fix it if possible.
• Assemble motor according to manufactures
  instructions.
• Assemble electronics and payload bay
• Set up lower electronics bay
• Prep and install motor
• Pack Recovery System
• Slide lower tube onto booster section and secure
  with screws.
• Slide upper tube onto coupler section of booster
  and secure with shear pins.
• Install rail buttons
• Give rocket final visual inspection and resolve
  any problems that may exist.
• Verify from the Range Safety officer that the
  field conditions still meet acceptable launch
  criteria.

25
Launch Concerns and Operation ProceduresLaunching

• Set up launch pad and launch controller.
• Clear dry grass or other materials within the
  radius required by NFPA 1127.
• Confirm that electronics (except tracking devices
  and the data recorder) are turned off.
• Bring rocket out to the launch pad.
• Load rocket on launch rail.
• Power-up electronics
• Confirm continuity on all 4 altimeter output
  channels and all 4 recording input channels. Also
  confirm tracking signals from both trackers.
• Verify launch angle will place recovered rocket
  within the launch field. Adjust angle if needed.
• Confirm all near-pad video recording devices are
  ready for flight
• Power up remote launching device and confirm
  continuity from launch control.
• Clear all non-essential personnel from the safety
  radius around the launch pad.
• Install igniter into motor. Confirm igniter is
  all the way to the top of the motor to insure
  proper motor ignition.
• Confirm continuity on all channels and trackers
  one final time.
• Retreat to launch control area.
• Alert everybody of the impending launch and make
  sure proper safety radius around the vehicle is
  clear.
• Check continuity. Turn of continuity checker
  after check is done.
• Arm launcher.
• Count down from 5.
• Launch vehicle.

26
Launch Concerns and Operation ProceduresPost
Flight-Operations

• Track rocket using primary GPS tracker and find
  rocket location. If GPS tracker is not sending a
  correct signal, use the backup tracker.
• Go to location of vehicle
• Approach vehicle perpendicular to center tubing
  section
• Disarm all electronics. (Tracking and data
  recording electronics can be left on.)
• Carefully confirm that all ejection charges have
  fired. (Use a mirror on a stick with a flashlight
  to look into tubes. Do not put face or other body
  parts over ends of tubes prior to confirmation).
• If charges have all fired, disconnect recovery
  system. Transport the rocket back to the launch
  area.
• Remove and clean motor case when it has cooled
  down.
• Unscrew and remove airframe tubes from
  electronics bay.
• Download flight and experiment data to laptop
  computer.
• Turn off GPS and backup trackers and any other
  electronics that have not yet been turned off.
• Remove any other non-shippable rocket components.
• Pack rocket back in shipping container for trip
  home.

27
Safety And Environment

• Andrew is our safety officer. He has experience
  in risk mitigation in complex, high risk high
  power rocket construction and flight. All
  participants will be required to show the
  necessary knowledge of our safety plan.

28
Failure Modes
29
Prevention of Inadvertent Activation of Remote
Control Devices

• Devices will utilize shunts and switches that
  break the circuit to prevent current flowing to
  igniters when device isnt armed.
• Devices will not be able to be actuated unless a
  unique 60ms code is received.
• 9 x 10 -9 chance of inadvertent activation by
  a non involved part

30
Personal Hazards
31
Personal HazardsContinued

• Always wear safety glasses when dealing with
  rocket parts containing small hardware or
  pyrotechnic charges.
• Never look down a tube with live pyrotechnic
  charges in it.
• Always point rocket and pyrotechnic charges away
  from body and other people.
• Avoid carrying devices that have live electrical
  contacts (radios, cell phones, etc.) while
  prepping live pyrotechnic charges.
• Never arm electronics when rocket isnt on pad
  unless the area has been cleared and everyone
  knows that pyrotechnic continuity checks are
  being done.
• Always follow the NAR/TRA safety codes.
• Always follow all applicable local, state and
  national laws and regulations.
• Only the Level 2 certified mentor may handle the
  motor (CPSC regulations).
• Do not allow smoking or open flames within 25
  feet of the motor or pyrotechnics.
• Avoid horseplay and idle conversation, focus on
  properly completing the task at hand.
• Make sure the checklist is followed and all steps
  are completed properly in a though, workmanlike
  manner to assure mission success.
• Since the motor for the flight utilizes snap
  rings to retain the ends of the motor, care must
  be taken when installing and removing snap rings.
  Snap rings can be sent flying at high speeds in
  unpredictable directions even if reasonable care
  is being taken, thus, all personnel within 25
  feet of a snap ring installation or removal
  procedure will be required to wear safety glasses
  or move out of the area and keep eyes turned away
  from motor.

32
Environmental Concerns

• All waste materials will be disposed of using
  proper trash receptacles, biodegradable and flame
  resistant recovery wadding will be used.
  Practice launches will only occur with local fire
  department permission if dry grass conditions
  exist. Bureau of Land Management regulations
  will be followed when doing test launches on BLM
  land. Solid rocket motor manufactures
  instructions will be followed when disposing of
  any rocket motor parts. Consideration of
  environmental ramifications will be made
  regarding applicable activities.

33
Payload Criteria

• We have determined after continued testing that a
  syringe will not provide a sufficient force to
  push a liner potentiometer. That moves us to our
  third measuring design. We will use a strain
  gauge on a flexible diaphragm at the end of our
  gas sample tubes. This device will have to be
  calibrated for pressure to resistance ratios, and
  we will be testing the ideal gas law (PVnRt)
  with changing pressure as our variable instead of
  changing volume. Strain gauges are on order and
  should be delivered next week. Until then we are
  testing with a disassembled digital scale. We
  are very interested in seeing the effects of the
  launch on the flexible diaphragm end and gauge.
  We will use 12 X 1 pvc tubes as our sample
  chambers and rubber sheeting as the diaphragm

34
The custom data recorder!
35
Specs on recorder

• Sample rate 20Hz
• Channels 6 analog
• Memory 262144bits, 32768bytes, 16384samples
• Sample size 12bit
• Recording time 136.5 seconds
• Size 1x2in
• Power requirement 5.5V-12V(9V nominal)
• Processor Microchip PIC16F88 (see
  www.microchip.com)
• Oscillator speed 8MHz
• Download connection RS232 serial at 9600baud
• Recording start trigger Break wire, start on open

36
Payload Concept Features and Definition

• Proposed science payload will test different
  gasses to confirm that they behave according to
  Boyles Law. By testing various gasses in the
  range of pressures and temperatures found in a
  rocket flight to 1 mile, we hope to accomplish
  this.
• We havent seen any other teams attempt a science
  experiment like this. We feel that because of
  that, it is unique and that it will provide a
  suitable challenge to us for this project.
• The problems that we have encountered with
  measuring the changes in the gases has shown us
  that there is considerable challenge in this
  project

37
Science Value

• Comparison of theoretical calculations of gas
  behavior to results of launch test will confirm
  success of the experiment. Variables such as
  barometric pressure and temperature on launch day
  will need to be recorded and factored into the
  projected results of the experiment. Projected
  results will be calculated using proven behaviors
  of the various gasses used in the experiment.
  Matching results between the collected data and
  calculated projection will determine success of
  the flight. The variables would be the
  temperature and pressure of the gas and the
  original amount of gas on ground level will be
  the control. Our predicted data will be graphed
  against our actual results after the flight using
  a spreadsheet program.

38
Safety and Environment

• Andrew is our safety officer. Andrew has more
  experience with rockets than anyone else on the
  team.
• Our current main concern is in the attachment of
  the strain gauges to the diaphragm. We will have
  to calibrate each tube individually to maintain
  accuracy. We will mount our tubes with the
  strain gauges facing to the top of the rocket so
  inertia does not rip them off during launch.

39
Outreach

• We have had our Rocket display at the local
  library for the month of December.
• We are teaching rocketry to the 4-H club in
  Beemer on January 27th.
• We will be discussing our rocketry and our
  project with the West Point Optimists club on
  February 14th
• We are sharing some resources with the Benson SLI
  team

40
Activity Plan

• Budget 2,750. We hope to get a local grant to
  cover the extra expenses or raise the money
  elsewhere.
• Timeline
• First test flight preliminarily planned for Feb.
  24
• Continuing to order parts and do construction as
  things are finalized
• Flight Readiness Review
• Full timeline in CDR Document

41
Summary

• In summary we feel that we are still on track
  both budget and time wise for successful
  completion of this project.