7 replies to this topic

[gavin.starr]

Hi Folks,

 

This is my first post so excuse my lack of knowledge,

 

When I was younger I thought nothing of launching my little D sized Estes model rockets, and some times ventured into making my own motors from sugars and potasium nitrate, But seeing as that is some what of a toboo area now, I read a few places saying that you cant make them any more, and others saying you can so long as you do not exceed a combined weight of 100g.

 

So I thought i would play it a little safer and go down the route of hybrid power. Im really just looking a a project to gain knowledge of how these things work (i know the basics and that about it). I want to build a small one to do a few test runs on a bench. Just so I can get to know my way arround things before i venture out into making anything any larger.

 

Is there any where that have any plans or designs that i can work too to build my first motor, with regards to what fuels are used.

 

I know some are a solid fuel in a tube format that is ignited and then nitrous oxide gas added to it to make the burn accelerate, and that others use liquid fuels etc...

 

I would like to know which is going to be simpler to firs produce to gain my knowledge.

 

Many thanks

 

Gavin

[martyn]

This rocketry sub forum is very quiet, sorry I don't know anything about hybrid motors, but there is a uk rocketry forum where you might have more luck.

[whoof]

Yes the rocketry forum would be the best bet.
Some dabble in hybrids but their construction requires considerable metalworking skills.

Most who graduate from bp rockets go to apcp motors, these can be very big and can be reloaded with propellant grains which can be legally purchased without a licence.

[gavin.starr]

Cheers guys, I'll give it a look over on the other forum. Fabrication is what I want I love it.

[Sparky]

To be fair, the UK rocketry forum is dead. I think we'd have more active participants here in UKPS.

 

And as soon as you mention anything about experimenting with your own propellants you'd think you'd said that Jimmy Savile was an all round good guy.

[icarus]

the most innocuous fuel is to use a zinc dust and sulphur mix,  common practice is to put a weak cover over the end of the motor when pressure builds up and this ruptures there is hopefully enough thrust from the motor for the rocket to lift off .

[whoof]

I had one of those off the back of a superman comic as a kid.
If you got to close molten zinc sulphide raining down was , interesting.

[PyroSkitz]

Hopefully is an interesting way to put it icarus! ,

 

ive heard a common test with solid state rocket motors is to get a decent set of scales, first weigh your built rocket -include the presumed weight of the thrusters aswell, so presume we have 2kg shell and 2 500g rocket motors, (bigger the better haha), then total weight is only 3kg, make your self a test rocket, APCP if your going technical, or zinc/sulfur for a low tech- there is alot of diffrent compositions. (go for the solid state first befor venturing into nitros oxide as its a lot cheaper and less likley to go boom...), place your single motor on the scales upside down, light the bad boy up!! after securing it in place obviously, film the results of the scales, this will show you a good estimate of its actual lifting capability (3kg was an over-exageration) but on your video it shows 3.2kg of lift, this means you would only get 200g of lift, give a good error of margin and make sure your rockets will produce a excsess amount of lift, obviously if you had 2 stages your rocket would get faster expentionally as it gets lighter.

 

Hope my little paragraph made sense to anyone reading it haha...

 

G