The document summarizes the design of a rocket built by students to reach 10,000 feet with a 10 pound payload. Key aspects of the design include: 1) A carbon fiber fuselage and internal damping structure for the rocket structure. 2) Use of a commercially available Aerotech M1350-P motor to ensure sufficient impulse for the desired altitude. 3) Tangent ogive nose cone and trapezoidal fins to minimize drag while maintaining stability, allowing the rocket to reach its target apogee. 4) A dual deployment recovery system using drogue and main parachutes to control descent and prevent drifting more than 2 miles from the target landing zone.

1. Rocket Motor Housing
PROPULSION
Application of Emerging Techniques and Technologies
in Rocket Engineering for 10,000ft Apogee
Adrian Iniguez, Christian Fascio, Jeff Lopez Sara Martinez, Irvin Medina,
Raul Perez, Pablo Vazquez
Dr. Haowei Wang, Dr. Joseph Piacenza
California State University Fullerton
Mechanical Engineering Department
Payload
CERTIFICATION LAUNCHES
STRUCTURE
RECOVERY
Static Testing
AERODYNAMICS
AWKNOWLEDGEMNTS
DESIGN ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Structure
Final competition structure design consisted
of a carbon fiber fuselage, and internal
dampening structure.
• Propulsion
Final competition design has a COTS motor
to ensure the needed impulse is delivered. Final
Competition Design uses an Aerotech M1350-P
White Lightning DMS with a Total Impulse of
1164.09 lb-s. Non-COTS fuel did not provide
enough consistent data to ensure sufficient
impulse at launch. Static tests showed that
manufacturing process was not consistent
enough to provide even mixing and efficient
burning.
• Aerodynamics
Final competition design implemented a
tangent ogive nose cone and trapezoidal fins ,
maintaining an acceptable margin of stability to
the target apogee. Additionally , the fin and
nose cone design minimized total drag and
increased the overall apogee of the rocket
without compromising the overall flight path.
• Recovery
Final competition design included a Dual-
Deployment recovery system, designed to
prevent a descent drift farther than 2 miles, by
implementing primary and redundant barometer
altimeters. Both altimeters were housed in a 3D
printed sled and case. A drogue parachute
deploying at apogee reduced the speed of the
empty-mass rocket to 75ft./s. A main parachute
deploying at 1500 ft. reduced the speed of the
empty-mass rocket down to 30 ft./s. The
parachute was manufactured in-house by using a
mathematical sewing pattern. The shock cord
was made from Kevlar to protect the descent
profile and dampen parachute opening forces.
• Payload
The payload was designed to fit inside the
rocket with an approximate height of 23.97
inches, diameter of 2.83 inches. The top portion
of this protective housing contained the drogue
parachute, GoPro video camera, and mechanism
to take an atmospheric air sample for later
analysis. The middle portion housed the GPS
tracking systems, altimeters, and a Raspberry Pi
microcontroller. The bottom portion included a
battery. A Raspberry Pi is meant to communicate
with the air sample system by controlling a
motor to rotate, pushing a lid out to seal a small
empty vial near apogee. The leftover space
around the spring shall include weights as
appropriate to meet the 10 lbs requirement. All
components are to be powered by the battery.
ABSTRACT
The objective of Titan Rocket Engineering Society's (TRES) research is to implement
modern methods and technology on a solid fuel rocket that reaches an altitude of
10,000 ft. above ground level with a 10 lb. atmospheric monitoring payload. The
techniques involved in the research include construction with composite
materials, 3D printing, nonhazardous ingredients for commercially of the shelf
systems, atmosphere monitoring and sample acquisition, and aerodynamic design on
non-rigid material. The atmospheric monitoring system is accepted as an
additional sub-challenge at the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition.
Data from simulation analysis concludes that the final design will reach an altitude
of 9528.18 ft.; a 5.5% target error. Design results are formulated using extensive
simulations with; ROCKSIM, SOLIDWORKS, and MATLAB. Purpose of the Titan Rocket
Engineering Society is to participate in the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering
Competition and learn the fundamentals of rocket science. Including composite
materials , efficient propulsion , aerodynamic , and control systems. By
collaborating with a variety of engineering majors our aim is to learn the aspects of
cross disciplinary teamwork and design.
KNDX Propellant
Grain mass 8.624 lb.
6 grains 8.624 lb.
Total impulse 1233.5 lb-sec.
Burn time 1.824 sec.
Average thrust 612.0 lb.
Maximum pressure 1151 psi
Thrust time 2.015 sec.
Specific Impulse 143.0 sec.
Motor Classification M 612
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 6 grains of KNDX mixture
(65/35 O/F ratio)
 Inhibitor: Polyester/styrene
resin soaked fabric.
• Thickness: .015”
 Grain Dimensions:
• Outer Diameter: 2.56”
• Inner Diameter: .75”
• Length per Grain: 5.0”
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Time [sec]
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GPS
12V Battery
Actuator Control Circuit Design
Non COTS Motor
COTS Motor
Internal Structure
• Upper Internal Structure
made of 5 ABS Center Rings
and 3 carbon rods.
• Lower Internal Structure
made of 6 Polycarbonate Rings
and 3 carbon rods.
Carbon Fiber Structure
• Master Mold with Primer
• Tools made from dry cloth
carbon fiber
• Two fuselage sections made
of 2x2 Twill carbon fiber.
• Dimensions 40in x 4.86in
OD x 4.5in ID
Completed Carbon Fiber Tool
• 12 Layers of dry cloth
carbon fiber
• Two halves of fuselage
bolted together.
• Fuselage parts made from
the inside surface.
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Flight Path of the Rocket
Predicted Results
Altitude Max Velocity Mach Number Static Margin Total Cd
9983.89 ft. 769.51 ft./s 0.78 1.67 0.45
Design Material Justification
Nose Cone
Shape: Tangent Ogive
Length: 15 in.
Base Length: 4 in.
-High Density Foam
-Carbon Fiber
-Low Coefficient of
Drag
-Low Mach Number
-Overall Design is
Lightweight
-Design has increased
strength and durability
due to Carbon Fiber
Fins
Number of Fins: 4
Shape: Trapezoidal
¼” Polycarbonate
-Material is lightweight
-Durable at High
Impact
-High Thermal
Resistance
• Dr. Haowei Wang
• Dr. Joseph Piacenza
• CSUF Engineering Dept.
• PTM&W Industries, Inc.
• AIAA OC
• Polly’s Pies
• ASI Research
• ICC
• Alva Dynamics
• Investax Advisory Services
• Jose Gutierrez IV Foundation
• Leticia Pacheco