Designing a Model Rocket Using Sugar Propellant for Propulsion

Abstract

A model rocket is a small rocket that can be made with paper or plastic as material. Composite propellant in rocket motor is used as a source of energy to launch the rocket. The model rocket is launched in a vertical direction. A recovery system is launched from the rocket to safely fall down. The objective of this paper is designing the model rocket using sugar propellant instead of composite propellant to find out the rocket apogee compared with Open Rocket Program modeling. The rocket body is made from paper with 80 mm. diameter. Head is made from polyurethane foam. Fins are made from balsa wood. Sugar propellant in form of circular perforated propellant grain, 0.204 kg. weight, is used in the rocket motor. The propellant burning time is 0.8 seconds with maximum thrust 518 N. and total impulse 254 Ns. The total weight of the model rocket is 1.7 kg. The open Rocket program is used to calculate apogee flight and time. It was found that the apogee flight and time at 85 degree were 613 meters and 11.06 seconds. After dynamic test of the 30 model rockets, it was found that the average apogee flight was 506 meters or 83% of calculation.