OpenRocket Ninjas, question for you! Test your skillz on this one!

OK all of you OR and RS gurus, how do you, or can you, do flat sided rockets like this one? I'm pretty sure it's got a tube core. Then what?

I am pretty sure it cannot be done accurately in either OR or RS.

That said, I think you could build a workable approximation for the purposes of Stability and performance.

I am not seeing the "flat sided" part. To me it looks like about a 3" 6+:1 conical nosecone with a reverse transition and three TTW fins.

mpitfield said:

I am not seeing the "flat sided" part. To me it looks like about a 3" 6+:1 conical nosecone with a reverse transition and three TTW fins.

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I've found a few other pics, some larger. It's 3 sided, triangular cross section, and VERY flat on each side above and below the mid line. Apparently he upsized it, too.

Banzai88 said:

I've found a few other pics, some larger. It's 3 sided, triangular cross section, and VERY flat on each side above and below the mid line. Apparently he upsized it, too.

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That picture does look flat, but my eyes are seing some shading on the first pic that make it look round but it's probably just my eyes. Very neat looking rocket, it kind of reminds me of the Wonkavator that pops out of the roof in Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory.

I would probably approximate a simulation with a conical transition and nose cone. To get it to *render* accurately... well, I'm not sure it's actually possible. Can't think of any crazy hack that would work for that. Would love to see someone prove me wrong!

I remember that rocket from LDRS 30, it was a -beautiful- rocket, but the flight...not so well.

Maybe try this? I haven't really made the body flat, but it's the closest approximation that I could get.


View attachment 281712

TRFfan said:

Maybe try this? I haven't really made the body flat, but it's the closest approximation that I could get.


View attachment 281712

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Cool, seems like something to start with, conceptually.

Another crazy question: How does one get it to ride the rail properly?

Banzai88 said:

Cool, seems like something to start with, conceptually.

Another crazy question: How does one get it to ride the rail properly?

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In the other thread (https://www.rocketryforum.com/showt...this-mystery-rocket-What-do-you-know-about-it) the rocket's shape is kind of like a triangle, so it looks like it would be possible to add rail buttons.

Banzai88 said:

Cool, seems like something to start with, conceptually.

Another crazy question: How does one get it to ride the rail properly?

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If you could get the fin cant to something more than 15°, then perhaps the fins could be used to make a triangle shape around the BT.

Looks like in this image it has a tube run through it for a 1/4" rod. In this shot you can clearly see the flat sides. In another pic someone found, it has a center tube.

I'm thinking it would be awesome to work this up with a 38mm tube!

That gentleman would be Scott Taylor of Louisiana, and what I have found and believe is THE original designer and builder of the 'Triangle Rocket'.

I like to give credit where credit is due, and I think any other versions or sizes of this design have been cloned and/or down scaled.

Can anybody confirm this information?

It is a pyramid rocket with a pyramid boat tail and fins. If you can sim a pyramid rocket you can sim this rocket.

You can simulate the rocket by substituting an equivalent cone. n sides x base width = perimeter = pi x D so D = n sides x base width / pi is the equivalent cone base diameter.

Bob

bobkrech said:

It is a pyramid rocket with a pyramid boat tail and fins. If you can sim a pyramid rocket you can sim this rocket.

You can simulate the rocket by substituting an equivalent cone. n sides x base width = perimeter = pi x D so D = n sides x base width / pi is the equivalent cone base diameter.

Bob

Click to expand...

Not sure how to do that with OR? Does RockSim do flat sided rockets like that? Might be the reason I need to actually purchase RS.

On another note, I downloaded the .rkt for Sunward's Kufus Pyramid, and it comes out as a cone on Open Rocket.

I don't think it is a pyramid (4 triangles and a square base) rocket but a double tetrahedron rocket. A tetrahedron has 4 triangular sides and is the least number of sides of any 3D object. 3 each isosceles triangles for top and bottom halves (the top tetrahedron shares the same equilateral triangle at its bottom which is the top of the bottom tetrahedron.) I don't see a nosecone so I assume the recovery system may blow out a side which is hinged on the inside. I have been pondering this build for over a year and have not made much head way. These pictures help a lot!