Nose cone source for pvc pipe size bodies?

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I'm wondering about the wisdom of using pvc for rocket bodies. It's too heavy, too expensive, and too flexible.
People have been flying them for years, including a L3 certification flight.
 
I'm wondering about the wisdom of using pvc for rocket bodies. It's too heavy, too expensive, and too flexible.
I will second this. It's not expensive but it's definitely heavy, and it can shatter into rather sharp-edged bits. I was LCO-ing along with Troj at an LDRS. We watched a pvc-pipe rocket come in ballistic behind the flight line. Went right thru a folding table. Happily it didn't shatter.
 
Does not mean it's a good idea.

Other materials are far more suitable for the purpose.
Does not mean it is a bad idea. If the person building it sees the material as suitable for "their" purpose, than so be it.
 
I am trying to find a source for nose cones that fit PVC body size.
I recently built a rocket from thin wall clear plastic 2 1/2" tubing and used a cardboard coupling that fitted outside the body tube with part of an old 4" nose cone bonded to the coupling.
A little heavy but should fly on F & G motors.
I built a water rocket with the same tubing and couldn't resist making one into e regular rocket.
 
I will second this. It's not expensive but it's definitely heavy, and it can shatter into rather sharp-edged bits. I was LCO-ing along with Troj at an LDRS. We watched a pvc-pipe rocket come in ballistic behind the flight line. Went right thru a folding table. Happily it didn't shatter.
In fairness, I'd expect a fiberglass or carbon fiber rocket to do the same.
 
In fairness, I'd expect a fiberglass or carbon fiber rocket to do the same.
yes but they don't tend to grenade when they hit the ground, pvc and quantum tube shatters when it hits solid objects and creates short ranged shrapnel. If the rocket comes in ballistic on the range I am not as worried about it as the ones that have occasionally (rarely) landed in the hard (very hard) packed gravel parking areas at our field. The conventional rocket materials have all failed with out shattering/turning into shrapnel. We have not yet had a QT tube impact the hard surface, only the sod. Fiberglass and Carbon both seem to just break and the broken ends turn to hairy mush on hard surfaces...after they have penetrated cars, coolers,and other items......
 
yes but they don't tend to grenade when they hit the ground, pvc and quantum tube shatters when it hits solid objects and creates short ranged shrapnel. If the rocket comes in ballistic on the range I am not as worried about it as the ones that have occasionally (rarely) landed in the hard (very hard) packed gravel parking areas at our field. The conventional rocket materials have all failed with out shattering/turning into shrapnel. We have not yet had a QT tube impact the hard surface, only the sod. Fiberglass and Carbon both seem to just break and the broken ends turn to hairy mush on hard surfaces...after they have penetrated cars, coolers,and other items......
I’ve broken more than my share of QT. It doesn’t break into razor sharp shards like plumbing PVC. You could almost shave with the edges of some plumbing PVC breaks. I’m careful to specify plumbing PVC because PVC can be used for almost anything from fake leather upholstery to hard and sharp plumbing supplies.
I’ve had QT develop a crack that ran the length of the tube when landing on pastureland. To my amazement I’ve also driven it into rocky ground and pulled it out and reflown it. The worst thing is that failures are sometimes completely unpredictable.
 
Back
Top