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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

MK's Sugar Rocket - The Fourth Generation - The Hybrid Era

Joined
Aug 25, 2010
Messages
533
Points
63
Hello forum!
In the meanwhile that I, CDBeam and the rest of the staff are ending a new awesome laser monster
(and You know me, when I say "monster" is really a monster :D), I have finally ended a new rocket project.
This new painful project take me a lot of effort, but it is really a wonder.
It is an half way between a sugar rocket and a firework. If You want You can call it "Sugarwork" :D
Well, let's start with the dance!


THE ROCKET SECTION
-------------------------

The original cardboard tube (100mm lenght, 44mm outside diameter, 41mm inside diameter):
36692059721_52abb35dca_h.jpg


Internal partitions:
(from A to B -> nozzle; from B to C -> compound; from B to B2 -> hole depth into the compound; from C to D -> bentonite; from D to E -> head cap; from E to the end -> space reserved for the shell profile)
36023003733_48aba2b80a_h.jpg


Plug and nozzle created from a PET bar with a precision lathe (20mm thickness):
36022512193_9ab6303eb6_h.jpg


Nozzle pressed and glued with a strong bicomponent epossidic glue:
35998123444_267bc55315_h.jpg


Nozzle deadly hold with a massive band:
36692238661_556e4c8c22_h.jpg


Inside the tube:
36010206874_553f926a43_h.jpg


Hole filled with pressed bentonite to avoid spilled compound during the compacting procedure:
35997632874_dc23c42c48_h.jpg


65 grams of potassium nitrate, 35 grams sucrose, 1 grams iron oxyde and 3 grams of titanium sponge 450-1000µm.
I used a heavy and thick cast iron cooking pan over an electric cast iron plate to avoid dangerous hot spot that could
accidentally ignite the compound:
35798722211_7118a17916_b.jpg


Dissolved powders adding enough distilled water:
35930841685_fd640789f7_b.jpg


Cooking the compound at medium heat (150 °C):
35091008504_e569420a00_b.jpg


The compound is near to be ready. It is important to stir often the compound for safety reasons and to obtain a homogeneous paste:
35121653693_514c60ed7d_b.jpg


Compound dried and melted. Now the paste is ready and extremely flammable. Max care is now necessary:
35760735702_e9a480a4a8_b.jpg


Packing the compound with a PET bar. The fit is perfect, so no compound can get off the sides.
To reach optimal results it is necessary to pack the compound not all together, but the equivalent of a tea spoon every time.
After every spoon I will apply a pressure with the weight of my body (95 KG).
In that way every part will be well compacted over the previous one:
36435734390_adc67de898_h.jpg


Packed and cold compound:
36435767760_92fbf813c2_h.jpg


Removing bentonite from the nozzle and making an hole in the compound:
36039647563_de1deea8a1_h.jpg


Hole drilled:
36848607095_5676b734e9_h.jpg


Adding 5mm of bentonite:
36452099820_add2dbfcc9_h.jpg


Making a 3mm hole for the fast fuse at the center of the cap:
36844210755_53f8f25b77_h.jpg


Gluing and pressing the cap:
36456227420_5abb2801ea_h.jpg


Removing band from glued nozzle and deadly hold the cap with the same band:
36705103581_587759b4a2_h.jpg


Removing band from cap and sticking on some rings of water activated gummed tape of 5 layers each to toughen the cardboard tube:
36452513520_1b3d997555_h.jpg


Sticking on the last spiral layer:
36678437692_d8392ade56_h.jpg


Cut the gummed tape:
36014533314_2e17820441_h.jpg


Rocket bottom finished:
36852765265_66cfc6ac95_h.jpg


Inserting 3mm fast fuse:
36018262694_8074b3a65a_h.jpg



THE SHELL SECTION
-----------------------

Two boobs :crackup: ... well no, two 3" shell hemis. :D
The reason of the circles will be explained later in a video:
36018352844_b67145b671_h.jpg


Glued straw in one hemis. Inside the straw will be placed the fast fuse until the center of the shell.
This allow to ignite the shell from the heart and will ensure a simmetrical aperture:
36044116303_3379643baf_h.jpg


Customized stars just dried (sucrose, KNO3, red iron oxyde, Titanium sponge 1000-2000 microns):
36018425684_9ae0027956_h.jpg


Placing stars inside one hemis. These stars were too big and not perfectly
rounded. Surely they will be better at the second try:
36714028901_75e9c51595_h.jpg


Hemis with stars and black powder coated rice hulls:
36682432732_958454c843_h.jpg


Adding Titanium sponge 1000-2000 microns and some pink powder (40 mesh granulated sugar rocket compound):
36682465632_1f24515f17_h.jpg


Covering and pressing the two hemis with a lot of pink powder.
Since this powder has a very rapid combustion it will ensure a great burst and an hard crack:
36714176731_cbcfaee236_h.jpg


Alternatively, it is possible to replace the stars with 20mm pieces of flying fish fuses with one side dipped in a dissolved pink powder to allow better ignition:
36682612212_59f0c6362e_h.jpg


36457251780_258dc7c2de_h.jpg


Wrapping an hemis with a foil of tissue paper: this will permit to keep the items in place while closing the two hemis:
36044798643_8f4a978ef2_h.jpg


Joining the shells:
36714522361_a77f92cd33_h.jpg


Ripped off the excess paper, hemis glued with a light wood glue:
36044901083_7643f66711_h.jpg


And now it is time to pasting the shell with water activated paper gum.
Jason from APC forum, a friend of mine, has conceived a great system to create an handmade uniform pasting. Here is the video:



.. and here is the very nice result:
36458448020_0910f9c9a1_h.jpg



THE FINAL STEPS - THE HYBRID ROCKET
---------------------------------------------

Inserting the fast fuse into the shell, gluing the head:
36715540921_b4c4ee6967_h.jpg


Since the compound will be ignited from the center of the rocket compound, I created a 6.5mm diameter straw wrapped with many turns of thin aluminum foil.
In that way the fuse will not perforate the straw and will ignite the compound exactly where I want:
36046138493_53fc4374b2_h.jpg


Curved 3mm diameter, 5 cores high quality fuse. The fuse will cling well inside the compound hole:
36046169773_2d14bb2e06_h.jpg


Glued the rocket over an appropriate long stick: the baricentre of the whole rocket fall exactly at the end of the rocket itself, and this permit a very smooth vertical and linear fly.
The two screws keep firmly locked all the structure, escpecially the cap and the nozzle:
36458695140_2bb9933745_h.jpg


Inserting the modified straw with the fuse inside.
Locking the straw with some pieces of cotton to avoid possible expulsion during the fuse burning:
36715795101_23984d0b8a_h.jpg


The finished hybrid rocket!
36715836431_470724e8f4_h.jpg


.. and finally the launches!

This was the first prototype, longer and without screws: the rocket exploded and ignite the shell too early. It was a (beautiful) CATO:


Second prototype with green flying fish fuses.
The altitude reached was slightly too high and only few fuses were ignited:


Third prototype with stars.
Weak crack and only few stars were ignited:


A very good new launch:


Two new launches:




PHEW! It was a very challenging project (and tutorial!)
Many improvements needs to be made to the shell, but at least the rocket motor is perfect.

Just a curiosity: this kind of rocket allow me to vary the shell crack altitude in two ways:

1. Varying the tickness of the bentonite part (more bentonite -> less compound -> lower altitude);
2. Making the 3mm hole deeper in the compound (the fuse will ignite early).

Of cours each of this choices has pro and cons:

1. More bentonite -> more left weight that fall from the sky to the ground;
2. Deeper 3mm hole: when the shell crack, the rocket will travel for xx seconds more.


And now, the next steps will be:

1. Switch to 4" shells;
2. Create more professional stars and effects;
3. Improve the shell cracks.
4. Reduce the rocket costs (PET cap and nozzle are very expensive!)

Dear forum users, see ya soon for another Ercole's fatigue .. bye bye !! :p
 
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BowtieGuy

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Our favorite LPF "Rocket Man" has returned with an even bigger pyrotechnic display!
Great tutorial and videos as usual, Minamoto. Can't wait to see your new design using bigger 4" 'balls'!
:gj:
 

Encap

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Yes bigger, better, more, more by all means.

Nice work--great pictures as usual!
 
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Is there a reason you don't use bentonite clay for the nozzles ?

I used it on all my BP based rockets and fountains and it worked very well .
 
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Joined
Sep 20, 2008
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If you could possibly resize the ton of pictures
to 800 X 600 so that all Members could see them
without having to scroll 2 screens to the right it
would be greatly appreciated... Then we can see
a whole piture at once instead of 2 half pictures...;)

Jerry
 
Joined
Aug 25, 2010
Messages
533
Points
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Is there a reason you don't use bentonite clay for the nozzles ?

I used it on all my BP based rockets and fountains and it worked very well .

For those kind of rockets bentonite don't work, the inside pressure is too high and the diameter is big, either the nozzle or the cap explodes.
 
Joined
Aug 25, 2010
Messages
533
Points
63
If you could possibly resize the ton of pictures
to 800 X 600 so that all Members could see them
without having to scroll 2 screens to the right it
would be greatly appreciated... Then we can see
a whole piture at once instead of 2 half pictures...;)

Jerry

Hey I have a 23" monitor at 1920x1200 and I can see more than one full pic witnout any kind of issue. It depends what resolution You are using (and the size of the monitor of course).
Most of users prefer to see a detailed high resolution pic.
Resize all the pics of this thread is not a quick operation ...
 
Joined
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Messages
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Points
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Hey I have a 23" monitor at 1920x1200 and I can see more than one full pic witnout any kind of issue. It depends what resolution You are using (and the size of the monitor of course).
Most of users prefer to see a detailed high resolution pic.
Resize all the pics of this thread is not a quick operation ...
This has been discussed many times before
on the Forum.
Not all members are using the most up to
date equipment nor can all Members afford
to do so.
It is easier to re-size YOUR pics rather than
expect ALL members to upgrade and spend
money just to be able to see what you posted
on this Public Forum...

Where did you find that preference data....:thinking:

BTW... No need to double Post... There is an [EDIT]
button on the bottom right of everyone of
your posts...:beer:


[EDIT]
Here is one of your pics and I can see all the detail
I would need....


Jerry
 

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Joined
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Messages
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BTW... No need to double Post... There is an [EDIT]
button on the bottom right of everyone of
your posts...


I'm on this forums since 7 years, I think I have used this button at least every pic that I have posted, I hope You was kidding me :whistle:

I have found a solution that avoid me to re-edit every sigle pic: it is enough to connect to the forum thru a cell phone: every pic will be automatically resized! :crackup::crackup:
 
Joined
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Messages
17,622
Points
113
BTW... No need to double Post... There is an [EDIT]
button on the bottom right of everyone of
your posts...


I'm on this forums since 7 years, I think I have used this button at least every pic that I have posted, I hope You was kidding me :whistle:

I have found a solution that avoid me to re-edit every sigle pic: it is enough to connect to the forum thru a cell phone: every pic will be automatically resized! :crackup::crackup:
Hmm after 7 years you should know wow
to Quote a Post then. :beer:

Now there is a solution....:wtf:
ALL Members that can't afford to upgrade
their Computers and screens should go out
and buy a Cell Phone JUST to see your pics....

ROFLMAO....:crackup::crackup:

If it's too much of a bother to resize your
pics to the default Forum size of 800 X 600
pixels for the LPF community then it's too
much bother to look at them:whistle:

Jerry
 
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Joined
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Messages
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This is my last reply about the question.
I have 8113 likes. Yes, not so much comparable to Yours, but I think to be a respectable user.
Among this 8113 likes, in 7 years nobody has ever complained about the resolution of my screenshots.
This means that in the forum there is a very little minorance that do not own at least a monitor with 1920x1280 resolution.
And You, the king of the most priced lasermeters, of which I also own one, do not own a 1920x1280 monitor?
On eBay You can find very nice used Eizos for less that 100 dollars with this resolution or better.
Do You know how I found the moneys for my 23" DELL? I gave up pizza and coffee for a month .. very easy, isn't it?
Minorances are rules the world, and this is the mainly motive that everything goes wrong.
For example in Italy jews dictate rules, muslims dictate rules, coloured people dictate rules, LGBT
(lesbian, gays, bis.e.x, trans.e.x) dictate rules, gypsies dictate rules, and so on.
Not to be racist, but they are minorances in a nation they do not (LGBT are italians but a minorance anyway).
Aka, I do not find it right that 95% of the users should give up to a good images resolutions because
a 5% of the users cannot give up to coffee and pizza for a month !!
800x600 is a ugly resolution deign of a Commodore Amiga, not for a high resolution PC era.
Next images of mine will have slightly reduced resolution, but You forgot that I will post 800x600 resolution.
Of course here I'm a guest, so if a mod will force me to lower the resolution, I will obey. Disappointed, but I will obey.

OBEY-CONSUME-SLEEP-SUBMIT-CONFORM-BUY-WATCH TV (THEY LIVE). :whistle:
 
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Joined
Jan 29, 2014
Messages
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For this one members posts, I don't mind he double posts or puts big photographs up because he always has good posts and nice photo's. Besides, I have a apple notebook with a big screen :)

That said, if many other members were to double post just minutes apart it DOES often bother me, or some members who put huge photo's it does bother me, but this guy, nope! ArcticDude either, always nice photo's. The general rule I've heard about double posting is to wait 48 hours between doing a double in the same thread, but like I said, this guy can do no wrong for me :p

Just saying, but I bet a bunch of members would prefer smaller photo's, I just happen to like big ones from him, probably due to my computer and my high speed internet connection where I am at right now too.
 
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diachi

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Nice! Good detailed tutorial too!

Jerry, what browser are you using? The images resize automatically just fine on Firefox.

Example:

EKhRuJ5.png
 
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