Loki Research
Motor Manufacturer
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2011
- Messages
- 1,407
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I wanted to run a few new product ideas past the readers and get some feedback on,
what items would be of great interest to you,
what items would be of very little interest to you,
what new ideas you might have not listed here and
what if any input do you have for me on these items.
What items if any that you're ready to put your name on a waiting list.
Some of these are not new ideas, like the nozzle carriers. Although I have done a lot of work with them, it is very difficult to make them a one size fits all for say a 54/1200 to a 54/2800. The carriers below would be intended for 2 to 3 grain cases where the exit diameters don't need to be that large and the nozzles won't get that hot.
-54mm nozzle carrier using standard Loki Research 38mm nozzles. For 2-4g snap ring hardware.
-76mm nozzle carrier using standard Loki Research 54mm nozzles. For 1-4g snap ring or threaded hardware, (ID's are the same on both).
-Tooling designed for casting pourable propellants in lengths up to 22-23" long in 54mm and 76mm.
-Characterization hardware in 54mm- consists of a short 54mm snap ring case, hockey puck style bulkhead tapped for 1/4" tapered pipe threads, 54mm nozzle carrier, snap rings and nozzle washers. 38mm nozzles would be available in the size throat and quantity you select. Grain geometry designed for a fairly neutral thrust profile. The 54mm size gives a longer measured burn time over 38mm, they are easier to cast and result in better average burn times, Pc, thrust, and better overall propellant characterization.
-Av-Bay designed to be mounted to the top of a 76mm standard bulkhead or 54mm extended bulkhead.
This one has had me stumped for a while now and could almost use its own thread. The main component would be a threaded ring which will thread onto the end of the motor bulkheads. See them here about half way down the page. The forward end of this ring will be machined down to accept a coupler tube made of FG or CF, a short piece of 54mm or 76mm motor tube, add some all-thread and a bulkhead on the top and you're done. The problem is all the different wall thicknesses and ID's of these coupler tubes. Especially now that everyone's decided they're going to change their tubing sizes. Also I hear that many of these tubes are made on tapered mandrels so every coupler tube in a given size could be slightly different from one end to the other. My first thought is simply not to anodize the part, then turn it down to the diameter specified by the customer, assuming they can accurately measure their tubes. However the chances of wearing out the part of dinging the threads increase without the anodizing. If I used a motor case tube, it would make for a ballistic proof compartment, but it would not be radio transparent. Any tracker would need to be placed outside.
-Threaded Ring- Anyway, this ring would be tapped on the top side with a pair of 1/4-20 holes to insert all-thread into, cut to the length of your coupler and install a top bulkhead. With the right sized threaded ring, the customer could fairly easily fabricate everything else they need for an electronics compartment. The ring would also be tapped around the outside diameter for securing the airframe to the ring to act as a internal motor retainer for MD rockets. This would accommodate 3 or 4 fin rockets Would you rather purchase the ring and make everything else yourself to suit your own needs, or would you rather purchase a complete Av-Bay at a higher cost as mentioned above?
-76mm and 98mm single use composite nozzle (graphite/phenolic) for use with snap ring or threaded hardware. Maybe a few reloads to go with.....?
EDIT-I almost forgot to add - 152mm Frankenstein hardware with a redesigned nozzle carrier, a reusable graphite nozzle insert and a single use phenolic entrance lip/ring. Closures will be interchangeable with any length of motor case and aft exit extensions will be available to increase the exit diameter on longer motor cases. Case lengths would be 36" 48", ~57" and 96". For a less expensive option on shorter cases going in bigger rockets, I may look at doing a snap ring design for 36" & 48" cases. It is far less costly to machine snap rings, but a 6 " snap ring is more dangerous and you can't easily attach a payload to the forward closure for BALLS projects like you can with a bolted closure design.
Please remember, these things don't just appear out of thin air. ;-) They require lots of investment of time and money with the profits earned from my customers support. The more support customers give Loki Research, the more products and support I can give back to the community. So, thank you VERY much for your support everyone.
what items would be of great interest to you,
what items would be of very little interest to you,
what new ideas you might have not listed here and
what if any input do you have for me on these items.
What items if any that you're ready to put your name on a waiting list.
Some of these are not new ideas, like the nozzle carriers. Although I have done a lot of work with them, it is very difficult to make them a one size fits all for say a 54/1200 to a 54/2800. The carriers below would be intended for 2 to 3 grain cases where the exit diameters don't need to be that large and the nozzles won't get that hot.
-54mm nozzle carrier using standard Loki Research 38mm nozzles. For 2-4g snap ring hardware.
-76mm nozzle carrier using standard Loki Research 54mm nozzles. For 1-4g snap ring or threaded hardware, (ID's are the same on both).
-Tooling designed for casting pourable propellants in lengths up to 22-23" long in 54mm and 76mm.
-Characterization hardware in 54mm- consists of a short 54mm snap ring case, hockey puck style bulkhead tapped for 1/4" tapered pipe threads, 54mm nozzle carrier, snap rings and nozzle washers. 38mm nozzles would be available in the size throat and quantity you select. Grain geometry designed for a fairly neutral thrust profile. The 54mm size gives a longer measured burn time over 38mm, they are easier to cast and result in better average burn times, Pc, thrust, and better overall propellant characterization.
-Av-Bay designed to be mounted to the top of a 76mm standard bulkhead or 54mm extended bulkhead.
This one has had me stumped for a while now and could almost use its own thread. The main component would be a threaded ring which will thread onto the end of the motor bulkheads. See them here about half way down the page. The forward end of this ring will be machined down to accept a coupler tube made of FG or CF, a short piece of 54mm or 76mm motor tube, add some all-thread and a bulkhead on the top and you're done. The problem is all the different wall thicknesses and ID's of these coupler tubes. Especially now that everyone's decided they're going to change their tubing sizes. Also I hear that many of these tubes are made on tapered mandrels so every coupler tube in a given size could be slightly different from one end to the other. My first thought is simply not to anodize the part, then turn it down to the diameter specified by the customer, assuming they can accurately measure their tubes. However the chances of wearing out the part of dinging the threads increase without the anodizing. If I used a motor case tube, it would make for a ballistic proof compartment, but it would not be radio transparent. Any tracker would need to be placed outside.
-Threaded Ring- Anyway, this ring would be tapped on the top side with a pair of 1/4-20 holes to insert all-thread into, cut to the length of your coupler and install a top bulkhead. With the right sized threaded ring, the customer could fairly easily fabricate everything else they need for an electronics compartment. The ring would also be tapped around the outside diameter for securing the airframe to the ring to act as a internal motor retainer for MD rockets. This would accommodate 3 or 4 fin rockets Would you rather purchase the ring and make everything else yourself to suit your own needs, or would you rather purchase a complete Av-Bay at a higher cost as mentioned above?
-76mm and 98mm single use composite nozzle (graphite/phenolic) for use with snap ring or threaded hardware. Maybe a few reloads to go with.....?
EDIT-I almost forgot to add - 152mm Frankenstein hardware with a redesigned nozzle carrier, a reusable graphite nozzle insert and a single use phenolic entrance lip/ring. Closures will be interchangeable with any length of motor case and aft exit extensions will be available to increase the exit diameter on longer motor cases. Case lengths would be 36" 48", ~57" and 96". For a less expensive option on shorter cases going in bigger rockets, I may look at doing a snap ring design for 36" & 48" cases. It is far less costly to machine snap rings, but a 6 " snap ring is more dangerous and you can't easily attach a payload to the forward closure for BALLS projects like you can with a bolted closure design.
Please remember, these things don't just appear out of thin air. ;-) They require lots of investment of time and money with the profits earned from my customers support. The more support customers give Loki Research, the more products and support I can give back to the community. So, thank you VERY much for your support everyone.
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