Anyone here ever build a rocket out of bamboo? I'm thinking this stuff is strong, lightweight, cylindrical, and even has built-in internal support rings!
interesting tho... doesn't seem very safe because I't won't crumple as a typical rocket body would..but rather shard into pieces....or come down like a spear shaft
Haven't used bamboo, but I have built and entire Odd-Roc from a single Cornstalk. body and nose cone are hollowed out and CA inside coated. Used the root system for Drag stability and a couple pieces of root for the launch lugs. Flys on a A3-4t or A10-3T. 12" mylar chute. It is truely a fun flier I'm sure the bamboo would work well for the body and nose, I'm not sure what bamboo's root system looks like.
Good Grief styeme: Have you seen those phenolic hpr tubes that guy's stand on between a couple chairs? Bamboo meets all standards as a MR construction material. While I haven't done a study I'd be willing to bet the SM and crumple stats for a 4 to 6" piece of natural bamboo would be lower than that of a 4 or 6" piece of sonatube or any of the phenolic heavy wall tube sold as "airframes" everywhere.
Hey you know me: Ol'e wierd John
heres a little better look at "U.S. Corn" I hope you can see were the stalk was split into about 1/16" strips with an X-acto saw then pulled in to form the nose cone. I'm sure this method would work with bamboo as well
I've thought about rocket powered bamboo, but I'd rather do an experiment like this as LPR rather than MPR, and I haven't found a piece of bamboo the right size yet; we sell it at the Michaels store but you'd need a pretty spunky motor to lift those chunks.