Min Diameter drag racer

Estesbasher said:

T34zac I been experimenting with carbon fiber sleeve from ACP. composites. https://www.acpsales.com/Carbon-Fiber-Tapes-and-Sleeves.html And using shrink wrap that I picked up from jo-anns craft store. I've been trying to keep things as lite as possible. I made some tubes with two layers. But it came out lighter with just one layer on the tube. I also peeled the first layer of paper from the tube. this is what they look like.

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Looks great. Although I think I'm going to stick with the traditional way of wrapping a tube. I have a friend (Robert DeHate) who is going to help me.

Got a 38mm av-bay kit for my Raven. Extremely impressed with the size/weight of the whole assembly.

Got a LOC tube to wrap in carbon and use as the body tube, but I'm really disappointed in how thick it is (0.055" wall thickness). It's almost as thick as the phenolic tube I used last time.

But I came up with a solution. I ordered a 1.5" aluminum tube to use as a mandrel for making a pure carbon tube.

Now I have enough tubing to make motor mounts for my next three 38mm powered rockets.

And it's about time I resurrected this thread. The rebuild is coming. All carbon fiber homemade tubes. Final product will be designed to fly on a CTI 38mm 5grain motor (like last time).

Things I'm doing differently this time:
-Homemade carbon tubing
-Homemade carbon fins
-6 or 7" root edge on the fins, maybe longer as the sim file evolves.
-Larger fin fillets
-T2T carbon reinforcement on the fins
-Raven 3 with 38mm av-bay
-ZERO empty space. This thing will be as short as I can make it. Every square inch of space will be utilized.

I'm also planning on using one of the CTI nose cones. But I'd like to ask if anyone has any experience flying one of these nose cones past mach 2. While I have no intention of flying at mach 2 on this rocket, the sims indicate it will be close (~m1.89). I just want to know if the cone will be sufficient for the flight, or should I put a layer of carbon or two over it?

Oh and it's first flight will be a 38mm 2grain smokey sam... In a drag race...

Continuing this thread over on Rocketry Center: https://rocketrycenter.com/showthread.php?tid=219

So for anyone still following this thread, I finished the rebuild.



Info and build found here: https://rocketrycenter.com/showthread.php?tid=219

It flew. I decided to go with a CTI G60 Red Lightning for the flight. Expected altitude was 5,200' but it got 4,151'. My guess for the loss in altitude is the amount of friction between the fly away guides and rail.

Stickershocked:

T34zac said:

Stickershocked:
View attachment 271957
View attachment 271958

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Can't wait for the flight!

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AndersLT said:

Can't wait for the flight!

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Neither can I. It's probably going to happen at Red Glare in April. That's the only time I will have a high enough waiver to give it a go.

T34zac said:

Neither can I. It's probably going to happen at Red Glare in April. That's the only time I will have a high enough waiver to give it a go.

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Be sure to get a video

AndersLT said:

Be sure to get a video

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There will be. Pictures too. It'll be hard to see it though as it's very small and projected to hit Mach 1.8

The I216 should make it disappear nice and quick, only to be found again by radio tracking.

T34zac said:

There will be. Pictures too. It'll be hard to see it though as it's very small and projected to hit Mach 1.8

The I216 should make it disappear nice and quick, only to be found again by radio tracking.

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Yep I'm working on a 54mm MD with a lame heavy fin can best of luck! You have inspired me to make a rocket for that motor

AndersLT said:

Yep I'm working on a 54mm MD with a lame heavy fin can best of luck! You have inspired me to make a rocket for that motor

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Haha, I built a 54mm MD with one of the fiberglass practice tubes I made before the carbon tube this one is made of.



Glad I can be an inspiration. The idea of the rocket is to go for the Tripoli I motor record, therefore the I216 is the perfect motor to attempt that being a motor that's 4Ns under the J threshold. Too bad the J94 isn't an I... (7s burn, 4Ns over J threshold, sims to over 16k feet)

T34zac said:

Haha, I built a 54mm MD with one of the fiberglass practice tubes I made before the carbon tube this one is made of.

View attachment 276759

Glad I can be an inspiration. The idea of the rocket is to go for the Tripoli I motor record, therefore the I216 is the perfect motor to attempt that being a motor that's 4Ns under the J threshold. Too bad the J94 isn't an I... (7s burn, 4Ns over J threshold, sims to over 16k feet)

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Do you have a build thread for it??? I love MD threads

AndersLT said:

Do you have a build thread for it??? I love MD threads

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I sure do:

https://rocketrycenter.com/showthread.php?tid=219

Thanks

Well figured I may as well post here. Going to fly this thing writhing thre next couple days out at Red Glare. Just made into Maryland. I will fly it twice (hopefully). First on a CTI J94, then on a CTI I216. Anyone who will be out here is welcome to inquire me about this if you want.