Any way to sim rail buttons in Rocksim 10.2?

[Bill S]

I'm starting to look at adding some rail buttons to some of my larger rockets, and some that I may scratchbuild later on. I haven't been able to find any rail buttons in Rocksim. Have any of you all added them somehow, and if so, how did you do it?

I'd be using a 1010 rail most likely, as all of my rockets are well under 3lbs...
Thanks.

 

[PhlAsh]

I usually just add 'em as a Mass Object. I suppose you could create a 3 stacked Custom Fin objects with their widths matching the diameters of the Button parts, then give them rounded edges. I may try this when I get home

 

[kalsow]

I usually don't bother. When I do want to add a little drag wart, I add a launch lug that is 0.5" long with an OD of 0.5" and an ID of 0.0001".

 

[jmasterj]

When I do want to add a little drag wart, I add a launch lug that is 0.5" long with an OD of 0.5" and an ID of 0.0001".

That's what I do in OpenRocket.

 

[H. Craig Miller]

That's what I do in OpenRocket.

OpenRocket now supports rail buttons.

 

[Bill S]

The idea of modifying an launch lug sounds like easy to do.

 

[neil_w]

OpenRocket now supports rail buttons.

...without aerodynamics, unfortunately. At least not yet.

 

[Buckeye]

RASAero II probably has the only legitimate aero model of rail buttons.

 

[Chuck Rogers]

RASAero II probably has the only legitimate aero model of rail buttons.

RASAero II has very accurate Rail Guide and Launch Shoe drag models, including an Interference Drag Factor. With an Interference Drag Factor, when the drag of the vertical cylinder (the Rail Guide) is added to the drag of the rocket, the total drag is higher than simply adding the drag of the cylinder to the drag of the rocket. The drag of the cylinder has to be multiplied by an Interference Drag Factor; a number greater than 1.0. The OpenRocket technical documentation does not include an Interference Drag Factor.

Starting with an Interference Drag Factor from a Professional Aircraft Design Guide (Convair Aircraft), after comparisons with flight data (barometric altimeter and accelerometer flight data), the RASAero II Interference Drag Factors (separate ones are used for Rail Guides and Launch Shoes) were further adjusted to better match the flight data. Thus the RASAero II Interference Drag Factors started with a theoretical value, but were further adjusted based on flight data.


Charles E. (Chuck) Rogers
Rogers Aeroscience