Can I Surface-Mount Canards on HP, FG Rocket?

[deandome]

I just got a 3", 54mm MM Mach 1 'The Jericho' kit from a TRF-fer in Canada; it's a copy of the Stark Industries missile seen in first 'Iron Man'...really looking forward to building & flying it. But this will be the first time I've had canards on a rocket this big and/or a fiberglass kit. The ones I've built (Mini-Armageddon & PML Matrix) both had grooves milled into the BTs that acted like TTL mounting to help them go on straight and well embedded into the airframe.

But the new kit doesn't have those; as of now, it's set up for surface mounting. Can that hold up to I, J or even a K motors, if done well? Or should I figure out a way to hand-'mill' grooves partially into the BT with a dremel or whatnot. The root of the canard is 4" long, so there' a good amount of surface area for a strong bond, but I dunno if I need to go the extra mile...milling four, 4" grooves that are perfectly straight seems kinda daunting. As always, thanks for any advice you can lend!!

 

[Arpak]

As long as you make it a strong enough bond you should be fine, there's a lot of surface mounted hpr fins, although for the most part they have huge fillets and fiberglass/carbon fiber reinforcements.

 

[GrouchoDuke]

No need at all for slots/notches/grooves/etc. Just follow this & you'll be good to go: https://www.rocketryforum.com/threa...our-government-doesnt-want-you-to-know.58389/

 

[afadeev]

[...] first time I've had canards on a rocket this big and/or a fiberglass kit. The ones I've built (Mini-Armageddon & PML Matrix) both had grooves milled into the BTs that acted like TTL mounting to help them go on straight and well embedded into the airframe.
But the new kit doesn't have those; as of now, it's set up for surface mounting. Can that hold up to I, J or even a K motors, if done well?

Yes, they will.
Especially when surfaces are properly prepped, and fins are filleted. All minimal-diameter (MD) rocket fins are surface mounted, and most fins stay put just fine.

If you want more hint son HP rocket building tricks, consider searching YouTube, starting with the video below:

Or should I figure out a way to hand-'mill' grooves partially into the BT with a dremel or whatnot.

No milling required.
If you want super-strong fins for Mach 2+ flights, consider tip-to-tip fiberglass (or CF) reinforcements.

Either way, have fun!

 

[OverTheTop]

With the canards being small you should have no problems with surface mounting if your glue technique is reasonable IMHO.

BTW, not all MD rocket fins are surface mounted.