How many fins?

Clearly, at least three fins are required (for hopefully obvious reasons). And I
can't imagine a need to have more than four fins, other than for aesthetic
reasons. So the question becomes -- 3 or 4 fins? Nearly all my rockets had four
fins. With such an arrangement, I found it simpler to form the root bend on the
fins, and end up with fins that were neatly and symmetrically aligned. Three fins
are best when designing a high performance, low drag rocket. This allows
interference drag (drag caused by interference of the airflow over the body and
fins at the junction) to be reduced by 25 percent. For this reason, the Cirrus
One rocket was designed with a set of three fins.
Attaching fins to a rocket
Various means of attaching the set of fins to a rocket is detailed in the Rocket
Construction Web Page.

http://www.nakka-rocketry.net/fins.html

http://www.sunward1.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/product_full/Es
tes-engine-chart_3.jpg

In flight, spinning or tumbling takes place around one or more of three axes. They are called roll,
pitch, and yaw. The point where all three of these axes intersect is the center of mass. For rocket
flight, the pitch and yaw axes are the most important because any movement in either of these two
directions can cause the rocket to go off course. The roll axis is the least important because
movement along this axis will not affect the flight path. In fact, a rolling motion will help stabilize the
rocket in the same way a properly passed football is stabilized by rolling (spiraling) it in flight. Although
a poorly passed football may still fly to its mark even if it tumbles rather than rolls, a rocket will not.
The action-reaction energy of a football pass will be completely expended by the thrower the moment
the ball leaves the hand. With rockets, thrust from the engine is still being produced while the rocket is
in flight. Unstable motions about the pitch and yaw axes will cause the rocket to leave the planned
course. To prevent this, a control system is needed to prevent or at least minimize unstable motions.
https://spaceflightsystems.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/TRCRocket/practical_rocketry.html

www.aerospaceweb.org

t would be better to use a shape that is more effective at

low Reynolds Numbers, and that is easy to make without the hassle of thinning the
thickness of the fin toward the tip. The better solution would seem to indicate that a
rectangular or parallelogram would yield lower overall drag.

And there is a huge advantage to the rectangular shaped fin; you can cut and sand
one long strip of balsa wood. Then you can just section it into the individual fins.
All the fins now have the identical airfoil shape! This helps reduce the drag forces
on a fin that might otherwise be non-identical with the others on the model.

There you have it. The best shape for a small competition model is a rectangle or
the parallelogram. And it just happens to be the easiest fin to make!
http://ftp.demec.ufpr.br/foguete/bibliografia/Apogee%2016%20What%20is
%20the%20best%20fin%20shape.htm

Research questions in italics

www.grc.nasa.gov

Type

Uses

Advantages

Disadvantages

Solid fuel chemical

propulsion

main booster

simple, reliable, few moving

parts, lots of thrust

not restartable

Liquid fuel chemical

propulsion

main booster, small restartable, controllable, lots of

complex
control
thrust

Cold-gas chemical
propulsion

small control

restartable, controllable

low thrust

Ion

in space booster

restartable, controllable, high

specific impulse

complex

http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/vss/docs/propulsion/2-what-are-the-typesof-rocket-propulsion.html

www.tulsaroc
ketry.org

WHERE CAN I LAUNCH MODEL ROCKETS? - BASED ON THE OFFICIAL GUIDE FROM THE
CIVIL AVIATION SERVICE AUTHORITY (CASA)
Before launching your rocket, there are some rules that determine where you can fly them. You should always
consult the relevant rocketry safety codes which can be found by clicking here Rocket Safey Codes
With regards to CASA, these can generally be broken into three areas, Small Model Rockets, Model Rockets and
High Power Rockets.
1. Small Model Rockets (Commonly known as Low Power Rocketry (LPR)) are rockets that weigh less than
500grams Gross Lift Off Weight (GLOW), carry less than 25grams of propellant and produce less than
20Newton-seconds(Ns) of impulse ('D' impulse motor).
These can be flown pretty much anywhere and to any height. These are great for smaller parks or fields. With all
rockets, common sense should prevail and you should always consider your surrounding environment including

(but not limited to), other people, buildings, trees or any other object.
2. Model Rockets (Commonly known as Mid Power Rocketry (MPR)) are rockets that weigh between >500g and
1500grams GLOW, carry less than 125grams total propellant (no more than 62.5grams per individual motor) and
produce less than 320Ns of total impulse (less than 160Ns of impulse per individual motor) ('G' impulse motor).
If you are in controlled airspace, you are only allowed to fly these to 400feet (121.7metres) Above Ground Level
(AGL). If you are outside of controlled airspace, you can fly these to any altitude below controlled airspace eg. if
there is controlled airspace starting at 2,000feet (609.6metres), that will be your maximum ceiling. *Note:
controlled airspace is generally quoted as Above Mean Sea Level (AMSL) and therefore you need to take into
account the altitude of your launch site.
If you wish to fly into controlled airspace, you will require an instrument issued by CASA which has varying rules
to abide by. The best thing to do when flying these rockets is join a local rocket club who should have the
necessary instruments/permits in place.
3. High Power Rockets (Commonly known as High Power Rocketry (HPR)) are rockets that weigh >1500grams
GLOW and/or have greater than 62.5grams in an individual motor and/or produce more than 160Ns in an
individual motor ('H' impulse motor).
It does not matter how high you plan to fly, you must have an instrument in place to operate high power rockets.
It is best to join and speak with your local club to discuss what size motors you can fly at their relevant launch
sites.

If you are in controlled airspace, you are only allowed to fly these to 400feet (121.7metres) Above Ground Level
(AGL). If you are outside of controlled airspace, you can fly these to any altitude below controlled airspace eg. if
there is controlled airspace starting at 2,000feet (609.6metres), that will be your maximum ceiling. *Note:
controlled airspace is generally quoted as Above Mean Sea Level (AMSL) and therefore you need to take into
account the altitude of your launch site.
If you wish to fly into controlled airspace, you will require an instrument issued by CASA which has varying rules
to abide by. The best thing to do when flying these rockets is join a local rocket club who should have the
necessary instruments/permits in place.

http://ausrocketry.com.au/launching-model-rockets

Without being part of a rocket club, you can buy and use up to D motors. If you are
part of a rocketry club this extends to the lower end of G motors.
Long story short, anything as long as the total propellant in the motor is less than
62.5gms and the total impulse of the rocket is less than 320ns.
http://www.ausrocketry.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1744

I think that we will use a D size motor, as this is the largest permitted motor without a
rocketry licence of any kind and will fit the rocket body plus it will deliver the most
thrust
Research questions in italics

I made the nose cone on skech up without much difficulty exept that sketchup cut
the top off so I added a circle above and connected them (it was tedious) to make the
top of the nose cone

I 3d printed my nose cone but it added extra unwanted material that I couldnt pull of so I
fixed it with a dremel and some epoxy it looked like this

18/10/16
My rocket will weigh 70.95 grams when the parachute deplys so my research
suggests that my parachute should be 37cm in diameter. But to be safe I will go
for 40 cm diameter with a 2cm spill hole to stop it drifting (hopefully).
1/11/16 my fins fell off I blame this on the paint on which the fins were glued to I
had to re-attach my fins I blame the fact that I painted before I glued.

4/11/16I created my parachute to 30cm as the relief teacher restricted the size
to 30cm
8/11/16 I attached my parachute to my rocket nose cone as instructed with 6
strings.
10/11/16 I inserted the rocket motor but instead of rings to fit the motor I uses
strips of balsa attached to the motor like fins to create a snug fit, I did this as to
get the balsa to the right shape and size for the ring method the ring would have
to be 3mm. before I could even get close to that 3mm it would snap so the balsa
strip method was easier especialy because the balsa sheets were 3mm thick so I
didnt have to measure it. I also attached the elastic to the rocket and the nose
cone finishing the parachute system. I also attached a straw to guide it in the
launch pad.
15/11/16 I snnipped of my 30cm parachute and tied on a 40cm one because my
friends tested two and 30cm was not enough to preserve the balsa.