Laszlo
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I'll try adding individual comments to each picture but some basic stats are:
1) Motor case is 2" T-304 seamless stainless steel thickness of 0.065" giving an internal diameter of 1.87". I chose this material because it will hold up to 1500 degrees fahrenheit and should not fail unless the pressure exceeds 2800+ psi. I have 3 lengths 18", 15", and 8" to accommodate multiple motor configurations. Also this case fits into a insulating cardboard tube which in turn fits perfectly into a 54mm engine mount tube.
View attachment 150619
2) The nozzles are from RCS, it is their 54mm model: Molded glass/phenolic nozzle for 54mm diameter motors. Dimensions: 1.985" O.D. 0.455" diameter throat 1.250" diameter exit. This gives a 7.55 expansion ratio. I'd prefer something closer to 9 or 10 expansion ratio and a divergence of 12 to 13 degree half angle but I don't have any means of machining my own graphite nozzle because it tends to gunk up a standard lathe. If anyone has means to machine a graphite nozzle please let me know and we can work something out. The stock nozzle had to be modified somewhat by removing some material on the lathe and turning a slot for an O-ring. The nozzle-retainer assembly has 3 o-rings for high redundancy.
3) I machined the nozzle retainer on a CNC mill and a lathe at VCU's machine shop (I've since graduated and no longer have access :-( to the facility). The nozzle retainer is made of 6061 aluminum and has 10 evenly spaced 8-32 tapped holes for machine screws. The o-ring slots are 0.081" deep, 0.121" in height and they are spaced 0.071" apart. I ran FEA simulations on solidworks and autodesk simulation software and the retainer can withstand many hundred pounds of thrust (I forget the exact number, I'll have to find the excel sheet where I did the calculation.)
4) The forward bulkhead plugs the motor and is similar in design to the nozzle retainer in terms of O-ring spacing and o-ring size (#134) My friend Ryan did an excellent job turning the piece to design specifications. The bulkhead is 6061 aluminum. It is 2" in height, 1" slides into the motor case and the other inch sits on its shoulder outside of the motor case. I still need to tap the bolt holes. Because the forward bulkhead absorbs the greatest load during a burn I will use ten evenly spaced 10-32 steel machine screws 0.375 inches long.
5) The finished propellant grain in one of the pictures is a magical formula. This grain has a specific impulse of 132 Nsec and burns at about 2748 degrees fahrenheit (1782 Kelvin). I have static tested configuration over a dozen times and it's well characterized. The burn rate at 1000 psi is 0.52 inch/second! very fast burn. Talk about Vmax.I have several videos of these static tests if anyone is interested in seeing them just let me know.
6) the cardboard sleeve that fits into the motor case is very dense and works extremely well in reducing heat conduction to the metal case. However it reduces the effective diameter of the propellant grain from 1.870" to 1.735". Case bonding with KNDX 65/35 creates too much thermal stress and would likely result in CATO so it is out of the question. However case bonding APCP is doable by coating the case with a thin layer of pure HTPB and allowing it to set after "spinning" Derek Deville has documented this in his Qu8k rocket report.
7) I have a purchased a kitchen aid 600 stand mixer for only $349 (as opposed to $549-$599 standard price) from a store called "Tuesday Morning" located at Stratford Hill shopping center in Richmond, VA. They have several in stock and they are all brand new and unopened. My friend Ryan purchased the the HTPB APCP experimental starter kit starter from Firefox enterprises. I do not however have any Aluminum powder/mesh to add to it as of yet.
Before I can test or fly my experimental motor at an official TRA launch event I must get level-2 certified. I hope to do that very soon.
1) Motor case is 2" T-304 seamless stainless steel thickness of 0.065" giving an internal diameter of 1.87". I chose this material because it will hold up to 1500 degrees fahrenheit and should not fail unless the pressure exceeds 2800+ psi. I have 3 lengths 18", 15", and 8" to accommodate multiple motor configurations. Also this case fits into a insulating cardboard tube which in turn fits perfectly into a 54mm engine mount tube.
View attachment 150619
2) The nozzles are from RCS, it is their 54mm model: Molded glass/phenolic nozzle for 54mm diameter motors. Dimensions: 1.985" O.D. 0.455" diameter throat 1.250" diameter exit. This gives a 7.55 expansion ratio. I'd prefer something closer to 9 or 10 expansion ratio and a divergence of 12 to 13 degree half angle but I don't have any means of machining my own graphite nozzle because it tends to gunk up a standard lathe. If anyone has means to machine a graphite nozzle please let me know and we can work something out. The stock nozzle had to be modified somewhat by removing some material on the lathe and turning a slot for an O-ring. The nozzle-retainer assembly has 3 o-rings for high redundancy.
3) I machined the nozzle retainer on a CNC mill and a lathe at VCU's machine shop (I've since graduated and no longer have access :-( to the facility). The nozzle retainer is made of 6061 aluminum and has 10 evenly spaced 8-32 tapped holes for machine screws. The o-ring slots are 0.081" deep, 0.121" in height and they are spaced 0.071" apart. I ran FEA simulations on solidworks and autodesk simulation software and the retainer can withstand many hundred pounds of thrust (I forget the exact number, I'll have to find the excel sheet where I did the calculation.)
4) The forward bulkhead plugs the motor and is similar in design to the nozzle retainer in terms of O-ring spacing and o-ring size (#134) My friend Ryan did an excellent job turning the piece to design specifications. The bulkhead is 6061 aluminum. It is 2" in height, 1" slides into the motor case and the other inch sits on its shoulder outside of the motor case. I still need to tap the bolt holes. Because the forward bulkhead absorbs the greatest load during a burn I will use ten evenly spaced 10-32 steel machine screws 0.375 inches long.
5) The finished propellant grain in one of the pictures is a magical formula. This grain has a specific impulse of 132 Nsec and burns at about 2748 degrees fahrenheit (1782 Kelvin). I have static tested configuration over a dozen times and it's well characterized. The burn rate at 1000 psi is 0.52 inch/second! very fast burn. Talk about Vmax.I have several videos of these static tests if anyone is interested in seeing them just let me know.
6) the cardboard sleeve that fits into the motor case is very dense and works extremely well in reducing heat conduction to the metal case. However it reduces the effective diameter of the propellant grain from 1.870" to 1.735". Case bonding with KNDX 65/35 creates too much thermal stress and would likely result in CATO so it is out of the question. However case bonding APCP is doable by coating the case with a thin layer of pure HTPB and allowing it to set after "spinning" Derek Deville has documented this in his Qu8k rocket report.
7) I have a purchased a kitchen aid 600 stand mixer for only $349 (as opposed to $549-$599 standard price) from a store called "Tuesday Morning" located at Stratford Hill shopping center in Richmond, VA. They have several in stock and they are all brand new and unopened. My friend Ryan purchased the the HTPB APCP experimental starter kit starter from Firefox enterprises. I do not however have any Aluminum powder/mesh to add to it as of yet.
Before I can test or fly my experimental motor at an official TRA launch event I must get level-2 certified. I hope to do that very soon.
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