Opinions needed - Fin Configuration

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

ActingLikeAKid

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2015
Messages
1,134
Reaction score
16
OK, so this is profoundly trivial, but I'm interested in the opinions of the hive-mind.

On my Vector Force project, I have two possible configurations for the canard fins.

The first is the way they are configured in the original.
The second is rear-swept.

As far as I can tell from OpenRocket, the aerodynamic difference is trivial (like 10 feet on a 3000' flight), so I think this is mostly aesthetic. I don't care too much about meticulous adherence to the original... I think I'm leaning to flipping them.

Thoughts?

finconfigs.png
 
I'd flip them -- rear swept looks better, IMHO.
 
yeah, #2..

Actaully, make them the little brother of the larger fins (same fin shape / profile).. But without the extra little bit at the back end..
 
...actually, I could be wrong but the flutter calcs (if I recall) take the rigidity of the material, thickness, fin root, fin height, fin tip and surface area as inputs, but don't take the shape into account... so theoretically there should be little difference. That said, I think a swept-back fin would have a lower drag, so ought to flutter less....
 
Back
Top