Fresh Static Tests

[daveyfire]

Today we headed out to the lakebed to static test some more motors.

First up, a blue I230 in a Loki 480 case. Ran it at a nice low Kn to see what would happen. The blue is a very nice propellant -- even with just a Thermalite igniter, the motor is at full ON within 1/30 of a second. It also has trimodal AP, increasing the density of the motor and as such the density Isp. Finally, the metals content is pretty high, so we get nice white smoke with lots of Isp.

 

[daveyfire]

We also tried out a new low solids propellant for hopefully some black smoke. We put the first one into a Kosdon 29-250 case and in my LOC Legacy. Since the motor was low solids, we didn't think a CATO would be a problem. We were right, and it ended up being a nice H75. Pushed the Legacy to about 3200 feet according to the RRC.

 

[daveyfire]

And finally, we tried the same propellant at a higher Kn (290ish) in a Kosdon 640 case. Sorry the pic is out of focus, but it was a great 3.8 sec burn I160.

 

[daveyfire]

Along with these static tests, we flew some rockets. The highlight of the day was a local pair of woodworkers flying their retro-styled "Bocky Rocket" on a K700 fast. What an awesome flight. They had an on-board camera to record it all. There was a lull and they hit the button... quick ignition and the rocket sailed up to around 1500 feet before ejecting the chutes. Way too cool.

It was a good day!

 

[BlueNinja]

That Bocky Rocket pic is *Awesome*! I love how it looks like it's just sitting htere with a candle in the back...

 

[sandman]

WOW! That looks like an old Sci-Fi movie shot from the 50's!

And you can't even see the wire!

Howard and Theodore Lydecker couldn't have done better!

sandman

 

[rocwizard]

Yes, it was a good day indeed! The testing went great as can be seen in the pics. The blue was especially pretty. Way better in person that in the pic. Mach diamonds were very noticable. Keep in mind, this is a small I motor, smaller than an AT I300T yet the flame was larger than that seen in a J800T. If that isn't a testament as to what is possible in EX, I don't know what is!

Stay tuned for more updates from PPL...

 

[daveyfire]

Originally posted by Blue_Ninja_150
That Bocky Rocket pic is *Awesome*! I love how it looks like it's just sitting htere with a candle in the back...

They're bringing it to BALLS. I offered them one of my 2550 L850S loads... I hope they take me up! That will be awesome.

 

[Ryan S.]

Originally posted by daveyfire
Today we headed out to the lakebed to static test some more motors.

First up, a blue I230 in a Loki 480 case. Ran it at a nice low Kn to see what would happen. The blue is a very nice propellant -- even with just a Thermalite igniter, the motor is at full ON within 1/30 of a second. It also has trimodal AP, increasing the density of the motor and as such the density Isp. Finally, the metals content is pretty high, so we get nice white smoke with lots of Isp.

you only got an I230? wow, the AL must slow it down more than I thought

 

[rocwizard]

We were running the motor at a low Kn, and with only 3 grains in a 4 grain case. These two factors accounted for the lower average and total impulse respectively. Had we kicked it up to like 235 and done 4 grains, i'll bet we could have gotten an I400 at least.

 

[daveyfire]

Originally posted by Ryan S.
you only got an I230? wow, the AL must slow it down more than I thought

Yeah, like Eric said, we were running that motor at 165... it's a quick burn rate considering how low the Kn is

 

[Ryan S.]

Originally posted by rocwizard
We were running the motor at a low Kn, and with only 3 grains in a 4 grain case. These two factors accounted for the lower average and total impulse respectively. Had we kicked it up to like 235 and done 4 grains, i'll bet we could have gotten an I400 at least.

I run my 4 grain at about 250 and get a 1.25 second burn I400