X-Git-Url: https://git.gag.com/?p=web%2Fgag.com;a=blobdiff_plain;f=rockets%2Fairframes%2FCorporateColors%2Findex.mdwn;fp=rockets%2Fairframes%2FCorporateColors%2Findex.mdwn;h=f62ab0f15fecbed847a840d9d22feef8836bd1f7;hp=0000000000000000000000000000000000000000;hb=1055014f4ed02d8dae27c314f0c931be10c394f3;hpb=d3b6a63a38a24a3f45a32ffdbf4998a0a2a06e61 diff --git a/rockets/airframes/CorporateColors/index.mdwn b/rockets/airframes/CorporateColors/index.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f62ab0f --- /dev/null +++ b/rockets/airframes/CorporateColors/index.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,67 @@ +# Corporate Colors + +## Motivation + +This is the airframe Bdale built for his second attempt at hitting +Mach 3. This is a step along a learning path building confidence before +trying to assemble a minimum-diameter airframe to fly a CTI O3400 someday. + +The first attempt was made with a very similar airframe that was assembled +entirely +using [West System](http://www.westsystem.com) epoxy, including the fin +can tip to tip laminations that were all done in a single vacuum bagging +operation. That airframe flew at Airfest in 2016 on a CTI M2245, and was at +about Mach 2.91 when the fin can +came apart. Post-flight analysis suggested the leading edge of the tip to +tip laminations got hot enough for the epoxy to soften allowing the carbon +fiber to be ripped off... West System is and will continue to be my go-to +epoxy for normal airframe builds, and worked great on a previous project +that got to Mach 2.21... but with a glass transition temperature of 129-242 F, +it's just not up to the challenge of staying together above Mach 3! + +So, for this build, the plan was to use essentially the same design, but +switch to one of the Cotronics high-temperature epoxies. Others have talked +about using lesser epoxy for the bulk of the fin build-up laminations and then +just using Cotronics as a top coat, or the thicker version to build up leading +edges, but it seemed to me that using the lower viscosity type for all of the +fin can laminations might be the easiest way to go. After studying the +options, I chose [Duralco 4461](https://www.cotronics.com/vo/cotr/pdf/4461.pdf) +which is supposed to be good to 500 F with a suitable post-cure. A pint kit +with shipping cost me nearly $130, but I used much less than half the kit +building this airframe. So, in the grand scheme of things, it's not that +expensive. + +## Design Details + +This is basically a "2 fins and a nose cone" design, using a single 5 foot +length of filament would fiberglass airframe, a filament would nose cone +with aluminum tip, and plywood fins covered with tip to tip carbon fiber. + +The fins were made using high quality 1/8" Baltic birch plywood cores glued +into slots milled in the airframe tube, then 3 layers of 5.8 oz 2x2 twill +carbon fiber were laminated "tip to tip" across the airframe through each +valley. My normal peel-ply and breather were used, and the entire fin can +was laminated and vacuum bagged in one operation to yield a full chemical +bond across all fin edges. + +Actually, the inner carbon fiber layer was cut smaller +to not go all the way to the fin edges, the outer two were big enough to go +past the edges slightly to allow for sanding back to the final fin shape after +initial cure. The middle layer was rotated 45 degrees from the inner and +outer layers, giving us fibers in 4 directions. + +The OpenRocket design file is +[CorporateCollors.ork](/rockets/airframes/CorporateColors/CorporateColors.ork), +and that design file plus all content on this page are released under the [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode) license. + +### Electronics ### + +## Build + +## Photos + +I've put all the [build photos](http://gallery.gag.com/rockets/CorporateColors/Build/) +I took together in one place. + +## Result and Lessons Learned +