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 motors are made of cardboard (multiple layers of paper and glue). Cardboard is low in cost, and it has the resilience required for this particular building method. It also has the burst strength needed to withstand the pressures at which these motors operate. Because some of the paper is burned away during motor operation, a cardboard casing is not reloadable. It should be used once, then discarded.