Super BALLS flight Raven/O-Motor/FinFlutter/InFlightChamberPressureData/RedCloud....

[kjs]

It was hard to put everything in the subject that is involved here:

1- TonyL flew an O motor at BALLS that he cast himself
2- In a rocket he made because it was easier than making a motor test stand
3- Using water with red food coloring as extra ballast
4- And to create a red cloud at apogee
5- Flight electronics was a Featherweight Raven3
6- That TonyL tied a chamber pressure transducer output into the Raven3 output channel 4
7- So he got the Raven3 to record his O motor chamber pressure during flight
8- With onboard cameras
9- That caught some wicked fin flutter
10- But the rocket and electronics still survived
11- You can see the red water ballast leaking after the fin flutter and before apogee

Videos of his flight are here.

https://youtu.be/DSE_H71QEks
https://youtu.be/jAp76MIeS0o
https://youtu.be/dKu5lq2bEBg
https://youtu.be/JIVHVMlpnJs

The Raven data is here:

View attachment 2016-09-24-TAROC-O5800.FIPa

With a snapshot summary here:



I couldn't make it to BALLS this year, and am seriously sorry I missed this flight.. Next Year!

/kjs

 

[manixFan]

Wow, very interesting way to use the Raven's recording capability. I was out at our away cell during that flight and remember the very large red cloud it produced at apogee. It was pretty cool.

Also very clear video of what happens when you exceed the strength of your fins. You can clearly see what looks like the plywood cores delaminate and leave mostly just the fiberglass behind. Amazing that it still flew so well even after that.

I'll have to investigate that use of the Raven. Thanks for sharing that.


Tony

 

[mpitfield]

9- That caught some wicked fin flutter

I think it is more accurate to say that he lost a good portion of his laminated honeycomb core, which kind of made the fins look more like flags flapping in the wind.

 

[ksaves2]

He was very lucky after the fins blew there was enough left to keep it stable. Is my mistake to say it looks like the orange paint melted off and got all over the lens? If so that's really funky.
Art Upton has a video here with flutter: [video=youtube;D-d_tN5NNPM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-d_tN5NNPM[/video] Kurt

 

[woferry]

Is my mistake to say it looks like the orange paint melted off and got all over the lens? If so that's really funky.

Looks like you missed #'s 3, 4 and 11 in the first post.

 

[kjs]

I think it is more accurate to say that he lost a good portion of his laminated honeycomb core, which kind of made the fins look more like flags flapping in the wind.

TonyL referred to them as his "patent pending self optimizing fins"... apparently the part that 'left' was not needed...

 

[mpitfield]

TonyL referred to them as his "patent pending self optimizing fins"... apparently the part that 'left' was not needed...

LOL I love it. At least TonyL has a great attitude about it. I do find it interesting how the rocket was able to maintain stability post fin liberation. I wonder if the relatively heavy payload/balance of the rocket had anything to do with that. Also when you look at the shadow it certainly looks like the boost part of the flight is as straight as an arrow.

 

[SpaceManMat]

All sorts of cool stuf going on. I'd love to see more details about the build etc.

 

[blackbrandt]

Anyone have video from the flight line?

 

[ksaves2]

Looks like you missed #'s 3, 4 and 11 in the first post.

By golly you're right Will. Didn't register here. Cripes the other thought I had is it might be "bleeding".

Saw a Black Brant that had styrofoam cores laminated with wood and not enough layers of glass
for fins come in looking like a shark took a bite out of the leading edge of one fin.
It was in my very early days and I was running towards it to "catch it" or steady it as it landed.
Yeah, I know stupid, but I was so far out there no one could see and yell at me.

Anyhow this BB is coming in with me going towards it and funny, that chute looks pretty big.
Hmmmm, that rocket is looking pretty long. Seemed like it was a telephone pole with fins!
Turns out I had sense to start running at a right angle from the path to get out of the way!
When it was down, the wind was blowing and the thing was starting the drag so I ran and gathered the chute
and put the "sizable" nosecone on top of it. I saw the foam core fin and I had read something about "flutter" somewhere.
I met the flier coming out to get it and mentioned I thought a fin was bit by flutter (or a shark) and he shook his head saying
he thought that maybe the M motor he chose was "too large"

Stupidhead strikes again!!!:kill::eyeroll: Kurt

 

[StanO]

In flight chamber pressure measurement sounds very interesting. Curious as to what "flight-weight" transducer was used. Not sure who or if TonyL is on TRF.

StanO

 

[AdAstraPerAspera]

In flight chamber pressure measurement sounds very interesting. Curious as to what "flight-weight" transducer was used.

I imagine he had quite a few options when flying an intentionally weighted down test mule on an O motor...

 

[kjs]

I imagine he had quite a few options when flying an intentionally weighted down test mule on an O motor...

I think you summarized his rocket pretty well! As well as his weight budget - I went back to his summary and he had ~15 gallons of water for ballast - that's ~125 pounds ...