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Rocket Lab:

Accurately Predicting Height of a Launched Rocket

Annika Young
December 21, 2016
Written for Mr. Hendricks Physics Honors Class
Abstract

In order to accurately determine the height that a rocket will travel, a set of experiments were
performed, along with a final launch of rockets to determine the accuracy of the predictions. An
initial experiment determined the thrust of a rocket engine throughout a measured time period.
This experiment was followed by the experimental determination of a drag coefficient. Finally,
numerical iteration was used to determine the height traveled for each type of rocket and engine,
using the experimentally determined drag coefficient and the thrust of the engine during a period
of time. These results are compared to the actual results from a launch of rockets and respective
engines.

Introduction

The project was performed as a culmination of physics principles from the past semester. Tying
together kinematics, dynamics, and impulse and momentum principles. Kinematics is the study
of moving objects, dynamics is the study of why an object is accelerating and the forces that act
upon it. Impulse and momentum principles are used when determining forces and acceleration on
different objects. Combining all of these principles, a rocket launch was modeled, and an actual
launch tested this model.

Impulse is defined as force applied during a time period, ! # &. Using the definition of
momentum, ' ( ), the impulse momentum theorem can be derived as follows:

! = # &
! = (+ &
)
!=( &
&
! = ( )
! = ( ), ).
! = (), ().
! = ', '.
! = '

This theorem will be used in numerical iteration in order to determine the height of the rocket.
Numerical iteration is the process of performing a series of calculations where the outputs from
one iteration become inputs in the subsequent iteration. Through this process of iteration, a
scenario can be modeled through many points in time, especially when factors, in this case
thrust, are not constant.

Rocket engines are classified based upon impulse, average thrust, and delay time.

Labeling for a rocket engine:


/8 3
impulse delay time
average thrust
Impulse is denoted using letters: A, B, C, D, E and so on. From A to E, the impulse doubles per
each subsequent letter. A engines have an impulse of 2.5 Ns, B has an impulse of 5 Ns, and so
on. Past the letter E, increasing impulse is not always double the previous. The larger the
impulse, the more the engine will be able to propel the rocket. The average thrust is determined
by the force output for the period that the rocket burns for, divided by the actual time period. The
delay time tells how long between the fuel being used up and the release of the parachute.

Thrust Analysis

In order to determine what rocket engine was being used through determining impulse and
average thrust, along with measuring the thrust per each 0.1 second interval, a CBL and Digital
Force Gauge are used. The rocket engine is attached to a cart on a track so that it may still move
and put force on the force gauge, but will stay relatively straight. The digital force gauge is
connected to a CBL, Calculator-Based Laboratory. The CBL is
programmed to begin recording data after a trigger, set to be Rocket & Cart
-2.0 Newtons of force. It is measured as a negative force
as the rocket is pushing rather than pulling. Once
triggered, the CBL records the force over three
seconds with 10% of the stored data is data Force Mechanism
prior to the trigger. The engine on the cart is Track
placed against the force gage on an inclined Figure 1
track in order to prevent the rocket from flying
backwards. Due to the incline, the CBL must be zeroed so it does not register the cart resting
against the digital force gauge as data. Once the setup is complete, the rocket engine is ignited.
This is done by inserting metal wire with phosphorous at the end into the center of the rocket. A
plastic piece is also inserted to keep the igniter in place. The igniter is attached to a battery, and
once the battery is turned on, the wires ignite the phosphorous and set off the rocket. The setup is
shown in Figure 1.

According to the impulse-momentum theorem, ! = ' or


! = ( ), ). . This indicates the area under a curve on a
plot of time (x) versus thrust (y) will be equal to the impulse.
This relationship is used in tandem with the graph of the
thrust per every 0.1 seconds in order to approximate area
Figure 2 under the curve. This is done using Riemann sums:
rectangles that help to approximate area under the curve.
The smaller the width of the rectangle, the more accurate the
Figure 2 area is. An illustration of this principal is shown in Figure 2.
Averaging the impulse of the engine from 0.3 seconds until
1.2 seconds
! = 0.48
Time (s) Force (N) Impulse (N*s)
0 0 0 Rounding up to ! = 0.5, the engine is classified as
a B-engine.
0.1 0 0
0.2 0 0 Averaging the thrust of the engine from 0.3
0.3 0.8 0.08 seconds until 1.2 seconds
0.4 5.7 0.57 # = 4.86
0.5 10.7 1.07 Rounding up to # = 5, the engine is classified as a
0.6 4.5 0.45 B-5 engine.
0.7 4.5 0.45
The engine was actually a B6 engine, determining
0.8 4.3 0.43 that the data collected by the CBL was fairly
0.9 4.3 0.43 accurate despite some experimental errors. When
1 4.1 0.41 calculating final heights using numerical analysis,
1.1 4.3 0.43 more accurate data from the manufacturers
1.2 0.5 0.05 website will be used.
1.3 0 0

Drag Force

The calculation of air resistance on an object is calculated using the following equation:
#789: = ; ) <
Where ";" is some constant determined experimentally, and ")" being the velocity of the object.
Through determining the constant, and using a known velocity, the drag force on an object can
be determined. This value is used in determining the theoretical height of a rocket when
launched.

A string, the object (in this case the rocket), a protractor, and wind tunnel are used in order to
determine the drag force. The rocket is hung from the top of a wind tunnel, and the tunnel is
turned on. This setup is shown in Figure 3. The tunnel has honeycomb grates on either side so
that the wind will be evenly distributed in the tunnel, preventing turbulence so the rocket stays
somewhat steady. The velocity of the wind is measured, weight of the rocket is measured, and
the angle that the rocket moves to is measured. With all of this information, the drag force can be
calculated. If the drag force is known, the constant can be calculated.

Setup: Free Body Diagram


protractor
= 25
T >CD?B
rocket Fd
Wind tunnel mg >?@AB


Figure 3 Figure 4

The tension vector is split into its components, so the vector in the y-direction is found from
>CD?B and the vector in the x-direction is found from >?@AB. Using the free body diagram in
Figure 4 and the components of the tension vector, the drag force can be found as follows:

#E = (+ #F = (+
#7 >?@AB = (+ (H >CD?B = (+
the acceleration in 0, so "(+" will cancel out
#7 >?@AB = 0 (H >CD?B = 0
IJ N:
>= >=
K.LM OPKM
Now, substituting for T,
#7 (H
=
?@AB CD?B
Solving for #7
(H?@AB
#7 =
CD?B
Which simplifies to
#7 = (H&+AB

The wind tunnel was run 3 times, and the angle was found to be 24, 25, & 26 respectively, so
the average angle was found to be 25. The weight of the rocket was 61 grams, or 0.0061
kilograms. When plugged into the equation, the drag force was found to be 0.2788 Newtons.
Using the velocity of the wind tunnel, found to me 30 meters per second, and the drag force, the
drag coefficient was found to be 3.1x10-4. Due to the possibility of measurement error, only one
significant figure will be kept when estimating the height that the rocket will travel.

The drag coefficient that was found can be used to estimate the drag coefficient for a larger
rocket. The drag coefficient for a ping pong ball with a similar diameter to the larger rocket, but
a smaller mass was found to be approximately 5X10-4, so the drag coefficient for a larger rocket
was estimated to be 6X10-4 or 7X10-4. In a similar fashion, the drag coefficient for a smaller
rocket is estimated to be between 1X10-4 and 2X10-4.

Numerical Model

Using the mass of a rocket and engine, along with the experimentally determined drag
coefficient, the maximum height of a rocket when launched may be calculated. The drag
coefficient for the red and yellow rocket had been experimentally determined while the drag
coefficient for the red and silver rocket, as well as the small white rocket, was estimated using
previous knowledge.

Per each tenth of a second that the experiment is run, a set of calculations was performed to
determine the final height. From time one to time two, the thrust was averaged by adding the
thrust at each time and dividing from two. The drag force was then found from the equation
#789: = ;) < where ; is the experimentally determined drag coefficient, and v is the
velocity, in this case, the final velocity from the previous time period.
From the free body diagram in Figure 4, it is determined that there are three
forces acting on the rocket when it is flight: the force of gravity, the drag force,
Ft and the force due to thrust. The force due to thrust is a vector in the opposite
direction of the drag force and the force due to gravity. By defining the positive
direction as upwards, the average force on the rocket can be found by subtracting
the drag force and the force of gravity from the average thrust found previously.

From the definition of impulse, ! # &, the average net impulse during the
Fd mg
time period can be found by multiplying the previously calculated average force
Figure 4 by the time period (in every case of the experiment, 0.1 seconds).

In order to determine the final velocity of the time period, the impulse momentum theorem must
be used. This theorem states ! = ' where ! is the impulse, and ' is the momentum. From
the definition of momentum, , ' ( ), the impulse momentum theorem is equivalent to
! = ((), ). ) where "(" is the mass of the object, ). is the initial velocity of the object, and ),
is the final velocity of the object. This equation can then be solved for the final velocity, the new
STNUV
equation becoming ), = . The average velocity is then found by adding the initial and final
N
velocities together, and dividing by two. This number, when multiplied by the time frame, will
give the height traveled by the rocket during the time frame. By adding it to the initial height,
which, for all cases but the initial 0.1 seconds, is the previous final height, the final height of the
time frame can be calculated.

Using thrust data from the manufacturer of the engines, the maximum height of the rockets can
be found. Each engine has varying lengths in the amount of data provided for the thrust as they
do not all produce the same amount of thrust for the same amount of time. An example of this
difference would be the A engine only producing thrust for 0.2 seconds while the C-8 engine
produces thrust for 1.8 seconds. While the A produces a small amount of thrust for a short
period, the calculations are still performed every tenth of a second until the rocket reaches its
maximum height, as the rocket will still be propelled upwards until gravity and the drag force
both overcome the force due to thrust. Once the rocket reaches its peak height, the numbers will
begin to decrease and the calculations are no longer valid as the rocket may change direction and
fall downwards at an angle.

The predicted heights for each rocket and the different engines is as follows:

Engine Type A A B C

Red/Silver Rocket n/a 30 meters 69 meters 158 meters


WDXYY@C@XA&: 7\10^_
Red/Yellow Rocket n/a 63 meters 133 meters 281 meters
WDXYY@C@XA&: 3\10^_
Small White Rocket 40 meters n/a n/a n/a
WDXYY@C@XA&: 1\10^_

The drag coefficient for the Red/Yellow Rocket was experimentally determined to be 3\10^_ ,
the value used in the calculations for the height predictions. using knowledge about the influence
of shape and size on the coefficient, the drag coefficient used for the Red/Silver Rocket was
determined to be 7\10^_ and the coefficient for the Small White rocket was determined to be
1\10^_ . The use of the drag coefficients when calculating the maximum height is incredibly
important to accurately model the path of a rocket. In smaller rockets, the difference is not as
noticeable, especially due to the low levels of thrust produced by smaller engines. An example of
the importance can be shown through comparing the max height of the rocket with the largest
size, the Red/Silver Rocket, and the engine with the greatest thrust, a C engine. With the use of
the determined drag coefficient in the calculations, the maximum height is found to be 158
meters. Without the use of the drag coefficient in the calculations, the maximum height is found
to be 466 meters, almost a 3-fold increase in the predicted maximum height.

From the calculations performed, it is also possible to determine how long of a delay between
thrust and the deployment of the parachute is needed. A C6 engine will put out thrust for 1.9
seconds, the force for which will cause the rocket to travel upwards from 2 seconds to 5.6
seconds, meaning there must be at least a 4 second delay between the thrust from the engine until
the parachute release in order for the rocket to reach its maximum height. From performing these
calculations, it can be determined for an impulse value and average thrust (i.e. A8 or B6) how
long of a delay time is required.

When determining the drag coefficients for each of the three rockets, there is a margin of error as
these coefficients carry only one significant figure. A general idea about the margin of error can
be found by performing the calculations for each rocket and engine, but with the largest possible
value for the coefficient, and again with the smallest possible value.

Engine Type A A B C

Red/Silver Rocket n/a 30 30 30 71 69 67 164 158 153


6.5\10^_ 7\10^_ meters meters meters
7.5\10^_
Red/Yellow Rocket n/a 66 63 61 143 133 125 309 281 259
2.5\10^_ 3\10^_ meters meters meters
3.5\10^_
Small White Rocket 42 40 38 n/a n/a n/a
6.5\10^_ 7\10^_ meters
7.5\10^_

From the given predictions, the difference is very miniscule when using a smaller engine such as
an A engine. This is due to the fact that a small engine, even with a range of drag coefficients,
will not propel the rocket enough for a small difference in drag coefficients to matter. The
difference is the most dramatic when a rocket with a large impulse is used, such as a C engine.
This is due to the fact that a C engine produces such a large amount of thrust that a smaller drag
coefficient, even a difference as small as 5\10^c will cause the rocket to travel a significant
amount higher. This difference in height is not as dramatic as it would be with no drag
coefficient at all, but is still somewhat significant, especially when comparing the actual flight
data to the modeled data.
Flight Results

Once the rocket is launched, the only way to measure the distance upward it travels is by using
trigonometric relationships. Using a device known as a clinometer, the angle created by the
rocket when at its maximum height can be measured. The version of this device that was used
consisted of a protractor with a weighted string in its center. As tilted upwards or downwards, the
weighted string would indicate the angle the protractor was held at. In order to determine height
of the rocket, the angle was taken from 50 meters away from the rocket launch site, and 1.5
meters above the ground. The trigonometric relationship is set up as follows:

For every B, the relationship is as follows:



&+AB =
50
h
Solving for , the unknown height:
50 meters = 50 &+AB

1.5 meters The unknown is added to the height of the


subject:
= 50 &+AB + 1.5
Experimental Setup
In order to properly determine the angle created by the rocket, three
50 meters
Subjects measured the angle. The three subjects were spaced around the
rocket in a circular formation with a 50-meter radius. As it is possible
for the rocket to curve somewhat after it is launched, the averaging of the rocket
angles from each of the three positions around the rocket will give a more
accurate measure of the angle had the rocket gone straight.

Flight Data: Subject Subject Subject Average Calculated Height


1 2 3
Red/Silver, A Engine 30 29 28 29 28 meters
Red/Yellow, B Engine 60 64 79 68 121 meters
Small White, A Engine 51 50 50 50 60 meters
Red/Silver, B Engine 52 65 58 58 80 meters
Red/Yellow, C Engine 81 84 (41) 82.5 380 meters
Red/Silver, C Engine 69 71 66 65 107 meters

Subject 3s measurement for the Red/Yellow Rocket with a C Engine was very different from
Subject 1 & Subject 2s measurements. Therefore, the average angle only accounted for Subject
1 and 2s measurements.

As the rockets traveled higher, the ability to measure the angle correctly became increasingly
difficult due to visibility issues. As the angles increased, an error bar of 1-2 made a drastic
change in height compared to an error bar of 1-2 when the angle was lower. This will result in
more accurate height results in rockets that traveled a smaller height.
Conclusion Predicted Calculated
Height Height
Comparing the predicted height to the calculated Red/Silver, 30 meters 28 meters
height (calculated from experimental data), the A
predictions are reasonably accurate. The less 69 meters 80 meters
Red/Silver,
impulse from the engine, the more accurate the
predicted height was compared to the calculated
B
height. This can be due to many factors. One of the Red/Silver, 159 meters 107 meters
factors being error in the drag coefficient as the data C
was not very accurate or precise data. Another Red Yellow, 133 meters 121 meters
factor may have been accuracy of measuring the B
angle of the rocket. There may have been visibility Red/Yellow, 281 meters 380 meters
issues, or issues with precision and accuracy with C
the tools used. As it was simply a manual protractor, Small White, 40 meters 60 meters
there may have been issues with reading the angle A
correctly.

When measuring the thrust of the rocket engine using the digital force gauge, the cart the rocket
was attached to was not perfectly straight, causing not all of the thrust to be delivered to the force
gauge. This would account for an experimentally determined B-5 engine when the actual was a
B-6 engine. Had the cart been better secured to the track, the data may have been more accurate.

There may have been inaccuracies in the drag coefficient measured as the rocket was not still in
the wind chamber, making the measurement of the angle slightly more difficult. Had the
measurement been more accurate, and more significant figures carried, the predicted height may
have been more similar to the calculated height.

Overall, the results were fairly accurate for how few significant figures were carried. This
experimental process shows the application of physics in an experimental setting in how
modeled predictions can be compared against results from an actual experiment. All of these
concepts being tied together shows the importance of physics. Had this process been used for the
launch of a rocket going to space, importance of accuracy and precision would be more crucial.

Reflection

Through doing this experiment and the process of writing a lab report, I believe I became more
aware of myself as a scientific thinker. I was able to improve my scientific voice in writing lab
reports, and pay attention to the more crucial details of the experiment. It also helped me to tie
together different parts of physics, understanding more how the different calculations we have
done throughout the year tie together. Im proud of myself in the content and detail of my lab
report, and that we were able to accomplish reasonably accurate figures when predicting the
height of the rocket.

This project did show me that I should plan out my time better in order to finish the report in a
timelier manner. However, despite the time crunch with finals and other time dedications, I am
proud of this project and what I have done.

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