Introduction:

A water rocket is a type of rocket that uses water as the propellant fuel to
launch a rocket forward. The water rocket was first formally introduced to society in
1956. The first known patent was for a Jet Driven Aerial Toy that was propelled
into the air with the use of water and pressurized air from a pump. This device was
more like an airplane than a rocket. However, the reaction mechanism used was
essentially the same. That same year, the same company released the first
mainstream Rocket Toy that used the same principles that are still used today.
Throughout the years, the water rocket has become a popular toy and can be made
from common household items to learn about various scientific principles and is an
example of Newtons third law of motion.
The main parts required for a water rocket are a bottle (preferably plastic),
foam, vanilla folder, tape, tennis ball, bike pump, string, and a release/stand
mechanism for the rocket. The water rocket needs to be filled with water to the
percent needed for maximum distance traveled. The bottle is then released with the
help of the release mechanism and the water is pushed out. As the bottle takes off,
there are crucial transport phenomena principles taking place such as a momentum
balance, Bernoullis equation, etc. The main variables affecting the flight of the water
rocket are the total mass and shape of the rocket, bottle and nozzle radius, density
and type of propellant, pressure of gas, external/internal pressure, gravity, density
of air, and drag coefficient. Each of these factors is crucial in understanding the
various distances that a water rocket can travel in the air.
Optimization of Water Rocket
There are various ways to optimize both the speed and distance that the
water rocket travels. One of the main variables that need to be considered is the size
or volume of the water rocket. There are various sizes that can be used from 500 mL
to 3 liter bottles. Typically, larger bottles will have much better launches due to the
great amount of fuel, water, being used to propel the rocket forward. The volume of
bottle used determines the maximum amount of energy that can be stored in the
compressed gas on the top half of the water rocket. The energy stored is
proportional to the pressure and volume. The max limit of pressure that the rocket
can sustain is about 5 atm. Thus, in order to increase the speed or distance that the
rocket can travel, it is necessary to use a larger bottle.
Another way to optimize the water rocket is find the center of mass of the
object. The water rocket will spend most of its time in flight without having water
inside it. The best way to find the center of mass is by tying a string around the
center of the bottle and moving it back and forth until balance point of the object is
found. The further forward or towards the top of the rocket that the balance point is,
the more stable, higher, and longer distance that the rocket will travel.