Rocketry Planet
| CP Technologies announces motor design class in August |
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| News Release by CP Technologies | |
| Tuesday, July 05, 2011 | |
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A $30 discount is given to students who already own the 2nd Edition bookset. John Wickman, a professional aerospace engineer, teaches the course. Participants do not have to be US citizens and do not have to be members of any rocketry organization to attend. Participants will learn how to design both ammonium perchlorate and ammonium nitrate composite solid rocket motors. They will be assigned an individual maximum motor peak chamber pressure and pressure-time curve shape and design a motor to meet those goals during the class. Class members will also make their individual motors and test fire them on the last day to see how close they came to their design goals. Those attending the class will make their own motor parts, mix and cast the propellant and assemble their own motors. They will also learn about several different types of igniters and make an igniter for use in their motor. Propellant formulation as well as thermal and structural analysis of motors will also be covered in the class. People interested in attending the class should sign up as soon as possible since the class size is restricted to seven students. More information on the class can be found at http://www.space-rockets.com/ae101.html. |
CASPER, Wyoming USA — The next CP Technologies solid rocket motor design course will be August 25 through August 28, 2011 in Casper, Wyoming. The class costs $195 and includes the "How To Make Amateur Rockets" 2nd Edition bookset, all motor/propellant materials and lunches. 
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Not my cup of tea - and not nearby - but really interesting.
Braden
Braden
PVC pipe and fittings, yes. KNO3/sugar, no. Wickman uses ammonium nitrate/magnesium/HTPB binder (ANCP). Materials getting harder to acquire because of anal inspections by CPSC. Good bookset, worth the $60.
Braden
PVC pipe and fittings, yes. KNO3/sugar, no. Wickman uses ammonium nitrate/magnesium/HTPB binder (ANCP). Materials getting harder to acquire because of anal inspections by CPSC. Good bookset, worth the $60.
Per the article this class covers both APCP & ANCP.
Participants will learn how to design both ammonium perchlorate and ammonium nitrate composite solid rocket motors. They will be assigned an individual maximum motor peak chamber pressure and pressure-time curve shape and design a motor to meet those goals during the class.
Per the article this class covers both APCP & ANCP.
You are correct. However, the bookset focuses primarily on AN blends as opposed to AP blends. The ANCP has about 90% of the specific impulse as APCP, according to John Wickman. The biggest problem I've encountered with ANCP is the hydroscopic nature of ammonium nitrate. Because of this property the AN must be throughly dried before blending and used ASAP. Otherwise, it will deteriorate in storage and perform poorly.
Wickman's formulations require very fine grained (atomized) magnesium and the only vendors that I found were Pyrotec and Firefox. The CPSC put Pyrotec out of business and its owner in jail. Next, they drug Firefox through the justice system which placed restrictions on the sales of metals and oxidizers unless their customers buy a LEUP from the BATFE. Kind of reminds me of the upcoming requirement to buy health insurance from Uncle Sam or else.
And gasoline is going up again.
You are correct. However, the bookset focuses primarily on AN blends as opposed to AP blends. The ANCP has about 90% of the specific impulse as APCP, according to John Wickman. The biggest problem I've encountered with ANCP is the hydroscopic nature of ammonium nitrate. Because of this property the AN must be throughly dried before blending and used ASAP. Otherwise, it will deteriorate in storage and perform poorly.
I don't have version 2 so I wasn't sure if the new book covered AP in detail or not. I read the materials and found it facinating that AN could work as well as he claims. As I recall the other gotcha to AN is that the propellant has a lower density so you need larger cases to get the same total thrust. As I recall it was about 1 "grain" larger in most cases.
Does it help to store the propellant with dessicant?
Great buy IMO...
Just wish I could attend a class - they are not that expensive PLUS you get the software and book...
I've tried storing finished grains in a Ziplock with dessicant canisters but to no avail. If anything, the ammonium nitrate pulled moisture from the silica gel! I think the key is 1) dry the ammonium nitrate in an oven at low temperature (<150F) 2) only mix propellant when there is low atmospheric humidity and 3) try not to breathe on it!
I've only made a few motors of small size (grains 7/8" to 1" ID). I've found that casting the motors without forming the cores at the same time and then coating the ends with molten parafine wax works well. Just before final assembly I hand drill the cores with a brad point bit. This minimizes the time the grains are exposed to atmospheric moisture. Seems like everything in rocketry is goverened by the weather in one way or another.
I've only made a few motors of small size (grains 7/8" to 1" ID). I've found that casting the motors without forming the cores at the same time and then coating the ends with molten parafine wax works well. Just before final assembly I hand drill the cores with a brad point bit. This minimizes the time the grains are exposed to atmospheric moisture. Seems like everything in rocketry is goverened by the weather in one way or another.
I also did this somewhere between my sugar and PBAN days. Back when (sounds like the old days but wasnt that far back) you could buy anything off his site. I still have his AN blend he sold and yes that Mg was as fine as pollen. Still have some left and makes quite a WL clone. The very few grains I managed to mix turned to this crumbly melted stuff when left alone over time. I didnt use PVC. Couldnt imagine.