Recovery Baffles

[ArthurAstroCam]

I never knew these things existed until recently. Saw a build of a mid powered rocket on YouTube. I am not sure if baffles are offered for the lower powered stuff, such as Estes rockets, but makes a lot of sense. And, potentially, environmental friendly, and saves money in the long term on recovery wadding.

Do these systems work well?

 

[Back_at_it]

I'm a big fan of baffles and have used them in rockets as small as BT50 and as large and 4 inches. 4 inches in where I typically start using fire blankets but you could certainly still use them.

In my experience there are some versions that work better than others. I prefer the half moon style or the twin tube style baffles shown below as I feel they do a better job of stopping the burning embers. I've had issues with the baffles that have the staggered holes on top and bottom (apogee). More than once I had melted spots on the recovery gear.

I think they are a great addition to my rockets. Just be sure to put them forward of the CG or adjust the nose weight to correct CG.

 

[ArthurAstroCam]

I'm a big fan of baffles and have used them in rockets as small as BT50 and as large and 4 inches. 4 inches in where I typically start using fire blankets but you could certainly still use them.

In my experience there are some versions that work better than others. I prefer the half moon style or the twin tube style baffles shown below as I feel they do a better job of stopping the burning embers. I've had issues with the baffles that have the staggered holes on top and bottom (apogee). More than once I had melted spots on the recovery gear.

I think they are a great addition to my rockets. Just be sure to put them forward of the CG or adjust the nose weight to correct CG.

Very cool! A

 

[waltr]

I also like the half-moon baffles for smaller rockets. They do work well and I have gotten away with no wadding.
The way I do them is build the half-moons (only three half discs) on a center spline (1/8 x 1/4 inch spruce). The half-moon diameters fit in the BT not a coupler, then glue them into the BT.
Also put a piece of kevlar cord around the spline in a loop that just makes it out of the BT. This is then replaceable and give a loop for attachment of the longer shock cord.

 

[K'Tesh]

Estes put out a LPR kit that used a baffle... The Estes Bandit (K-48/1248)





There are others, but this is one of the first. I managed to score an original 1248 decades ago.

eRockets.biz sells a Semroc clone of the kit.

 

[user 35280]

Yes and they work very well. I especially like the products from Qualman Rocketry and Rocketarium.

http://qualmanrocketry.com/Baffle BT plywood.html
https://www.rocketarium.com/Build/Ejection-Baffles
https://www.rocketarium.com/Bulk/Baffles

 

[ArthurAstroCam]

Yes and they work very well. I especially like the products from Qualman Rocketry and Rocketarium.

http://qualmanrocketry.com/Baffle BT plywood.html
https://www.rocketarium.com/Build/Ejection-Baffles
https://www.rocketarium.com/Bulk/Baffles

Yes, Rocketarium is the one I saw built.

 

[MidOH]

I always put a baffle in low power stuff that uses a tube coupler. I might still use a single sheet of wadding after that.

They make for great laundry shelfs and shock cord mounts also.

 

[Cape Byron]

+1 on the Qualman baffles. Most of our kits include them.

 

[Huxter]

I always put a baffle in low power stuff that uses a tube coupler. I might still use a single sheet of wadding after that.

They make for great laundry shelfs and shock cord mounts also.

Exactly what he said!

+1 on Qualman baffles

 

[GlenP]

for longer rockets, a baffle at the c.g. in the middle also gives the tube a bit of strength where you are most likely to handle the rocket and/or anchor the line for swing testing. I usually just make my own 2 or 3 half-moon type baffles from recycle bin materials and spread some white glue on it for LPR.

 

[Paul Howard]

I never knew these things existed until recently. Saw a build of a mid powered rocket on YouTube. I am not sure if baffles are offered for the lower powered stuff, such as Estes rockets, but makes a lot of sense. And, potentially, environmental friendly, and saves money in the long term on recovery wadding.

Do these systems work well?

Yes!
Also, if you still use some recovery wadding with an ejection baffle (I do), it's is a great way to prevent wildfires - I have had Estes Recovery Wadding burn an ember all the way to the ground several times last year in a rocket I have that does not have a baffle. I put them in every rocket I can. Sometimes I scratch build my ejection baffles, sometimes I use the ones from Apogee, sometimes I shorten the Apogee baffles considerably to fit in shorter body tubes -again, mostly as a flame suppresser more than anything.

I also like to add epoxy to any thing in the "Blast Zone", and add layers of plywood if needed for a good eyelet screw anchor for Kevlar shock cord.

Also, think about the openings/holes and orient whatever baffle type you have so you can rotate and/or shake out the engine debris that will build up between the motor mount and the ejection baffle and inside the baffle itself.

Another source of good Ejection Baffles is APOGEE ROCKETS who sell practically anything and everything for rockets of all sizes. I have some for BT-20 all the way up to 3" diameter and everything in-between.

Erockets.biz (Semroc) sells their version also in a LOT of sizes but I have not used one of theirs yet.

Hope all that helps!

 

[Paul Howard]

for longer rockets, a baffle at the c.g. in the middle also gives the tube a bit of strength where you are most likely to handle the rocket and/or anchor the line for swing testing. I usually just make my own 2 or 3 half-moon type baffles from recycle bin materials and spread some white glue on it for LPR.

Yes! I agree completely!!!

 

[Jerry F.]

I really like the Rocketarium baffles and add them to just about every build I can - low and mid power...great anchors for shock cords, little or no wadding