Rocket Motor

BASIC CONCEPTS (Rocket Motor)

2. Basic Rocket Function Most rocket motors are powered by the chemical reaction between a fuel which is burned and an oxidizer that supplies the oxygen needed for burning. In a solid fuel rocket motor the fuel and the oxidizer are premixed. This blend of chemicals is called a propellant. and when molded into a […]

Cardboard Motor Casings (Rocket Motor)

A solid fuel rocket motor’s casing is the cylindrical tube that contains all of the motor’s components, and confines the hot combustion gases generated during its operation. A motor casing can be made of steel, aluminum, fiberglass, phenolic, or any material capable of withstanding the conditions under which the motor operates. The casings for these […]

The De Laval Rocket Nozzle (Rocket Motor)

In the late 19th century a well known engineer named Carl Gustav De Laval invented the first, practical steam turbine engine, and along with it. the special nozzle used to maximize the speed at which the steam hit the turbine blades. The nozzle’s design was soon adapted by Robert Goddard and other engineers for use […]

Clay Nozzles (Rocket Motor)

A rocket motor’s nozzle is the part of the motor through which the exhaust gases escape. A nozzle can be made of steel, graphite, ceramic, or any material with the necessary hardness and resistance to heat. The nozzles in these motors are made from a dry-rammed mixture of clay. grog, and wax. It is inexpensive […]

Basic Terminology (Rocket Motor)

Thrust, abbreviated F. is the pushing force generated by a rocket motor, and thrust may or may not vary during a motor’s operation. Whether or not it varies, and how much it varies depends on the motor’s design. Burn time, abbreviated T, is a motor’s total time of operation from the beginning of thrust to […]

End Burners (Rocket Motor)

The simplest grain geometry is a solid, cylindrical stick of propellant with its sides sealed tightly to the casing wall. To facilitate ignition, a small dimple is formed in the grain’s rear end. just big enough to accept an igniter. Figure 2-2 is a cutaway drawing of one of these motors. It’s called an end […]

Cylindrical Core Burners (Rocket Motor)

The most common grain geometry has a hollow bore hole, or core, running right up the center of the propellant grain. In its simplest form, the core is shaped like a slightly tapered cylinder. Figure 2-4 is a cutaway drawing of one of these motors. It’s called a cylindrical core burner, and Figure 2-5 shows […]

Time Delays (Rocket Motor)

After its motor stops firing, a rocket coasts upward, slowing as it goes. Assuming that the flight has been vertical, it eventually comes to a stop, turns over, and falls back down. The turnover point is called the apogee, and in most low altitude flights, the apogee is the best place to eject the parachute. […]

Two Stage Rockets (Rocket Motor)

A two stage rocket is a vehicle made of mo rockets stacked on top of one another. The lower rocket, called the first stage, or booster, fires first, lifting and accelerating the entire assembly until it burns out and falls away. Then the upper rocket, called the second stage, fires, and continues on to the […]

Single Stage Rockets (Rocket Motor)

A single stage rocket uses a single rocket motor or a cluster of motors to lift its payload to the desired altitude, and most low altitude sounding rockets are of the single stage type. Figure 2-12 shows what happens during the flight of a single stage rocket. Below each rocket drawing is a drawing of […]

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