I've been slapping together a bunch of Chuter 2 rockets with the kids lately for them to have drag races at local launches. I explained the details of how to build them and offered an extra pair of hands, but I'm letting them handle much of the build. I explained to them how fins work for stabilization and showed them the concept with a weather vane for the CG - CP and how the fins steer into the wind.
They asked me how misaligned fins affect the whole thing. Now I now that canted fins will induce spin. But what about all the other types of misalignments that can happen?
Good alignment = straight flight
Canted fin = spin
Fins at uneven levels? The CP will not be the same all around, so would the rocket snake a bit in the air? Any spin might also make it corkscrew.
But how about a fin that isn't perpendicular to the body while others are? What flights does that cause?
And the youngest bumped his rocket when attaching the fins. Causing it to no longer be centered over the alignment guide. So his last fin, while perpendicular, what shifted a bit. Maybe this will have the same effect as above.
I figure with LPR, none of these will be very bad. But as I look to pushing mach with my L2, I'm thinking what these will do at those higher airspeeds and tighter tolerance requirements.
Hmm...
They asked me how misaligned fins affect the whole thing. Now I now that canted fins will induce spin. But what about all the other types of misalignments that can happen?
Good alignment = straight flight
Canted fin = spin
Fins at uneven levels? The CP will not be the same all around, so would the rocket snake a bit in the air? Any spin might also make it corkscrew.
But how about a fin that isn't perpendicular to the body while others are? What flights does that cause?
And the youngest bumped his rocket when attaching the fins. Causing it to no longer be centered over the alignment guide. So his last fin, while perpendicular, what shifted a bit. Maybe this will have the same effect as above.
I figure with LPR, none of these will be very bad. But as I look to pushing mach with my L2, I'm thinking what these will do at those higher airspeeds and tighter tolerance requirements.
Hmm...