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UNCC USLI: Solid Fuel Rocket Motor Modulation
Jerry Dahlberg, Daniel Saulnier, Daniel Deese, Robert Stone, Dewey Greer, Caleb Watts, Benjamin Griffiths, Matt Perry, John Cappelletti
Mentors: Dr. Karen Thorsett-Hill, Dr. Doug Knight, Robby Stegall, Brian Couch, Michael Denis and Charles Ogino
Objectives
• Design and construct a prototype rocket with a thrust
altering mechanism.
• The reusable prototype rocket will be capable of
reaching 4,900 feet.
• Thrust modulating system be tested on a solid fuel
rocket motor test stand.
• The rocket will abide by all safety guidelines outlined
within the USLI Handbook and NAR/Tripoli regulations.
• All subsystems, including the thrust altering system,
ground surveillance system , recovery system and
vehicle dynamics will be modeled and simulated prior
to prototype construction.
Background
The University Student Launch Initiative is a NASA
program which engages multiple universities across the
nation to design and build a multi-use launch vehicle with
an onboard sensor package or an engineering payload
that is directed towards NASA mission directives for future
space flight. The project is a UNCC legacy project that
has continued for three years, each year designing and
building a different payload and launch vehicle.
Requirements
• Design and construct a launch vehicle with dynamic
thrust modulation system, ground surveillance system,
and strain measurements on vehicle.
• The vehicle cannot exceed Mach 1.0 and must have
the weight distributed so that center of pressure and
center of gravity are appropriate for stable flight.
• The vehicle will utilize a dual-deployment recovery
system that is activated by on board altimeters at
specified heights above the ground.
• The parachutes for the recovery system has to be
constructed by the team
• Block diagrams of all systems will be created.
• System math models, including stress analysis and
dynamic performance will be completed.
• Ideation sketches, detailed drawings and assemblies
for the thrust modulation and payload will be
completed.
• The thrust modulation concept will be tested on a solid
rocket motor test stand prior to construction of the half-
scale and full-scale reusable launch vehicle.
• System preflight procedure and checklist will be
completed prior to every test.
• The onboard sensors shall record data during flight
and it will be retrievable upon landing.
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Figure 1A: Baseline Motor Test
Figure 1B : 3 Inch Extension Motor Test
The thrust modulation concept was verified
using a rocket motor test stand, which assisted
in programing the output PWM signal from the
myRIO was capable of running the servo to get
the desired thrust altering effect. The team found
through static and dynamic testing on the test
stand that greater extensions of the modulation
cylinder resulted in greater losses in thrust.
However, a clear, concrete correlation between
the length and the loss of thrust could not be
determined. Therefore, the system for the
actuation of the cylinder uses an iterative control
loop, where extension or retraction runs in
incremental steps determined by the difference
in the measured and desired acceleration.
Test 1 Thrust Force
60
50
Thrust Force (lbf)
40
30
20
10
0
0.0 0.5 1.0
Figure 4: Thrust Modulation System
The thrust modulation extension tube and
assembly are attached to a high torque servo via
a braided steel cable and servo arm. When
powered, the servo arm will hold the extension
tube in a retracted position such that no
modulation in thrust will occur until at least 0.85
sec after motor ignition at which point the vehicle
will have achieved stable velocity. In the event of
power loss, the servo arm will lower the
mechanism. The mechanism could also drop if
the braided steel cable failed. Although both of
these events are unlikely, stops were built into
the rods above each bulkhead limiting the
possible travel of the mechanism to 3 inches.
Results
Figure 3: Strain Gauge Integration
The team analyzed structural and dynamic
properties of the airframe, propulsion, and electrical
systems via six KFG-3-120-C1-11L1M 0˚-45˚-90˚
strain gauge rosettes that were integrated into the
structure of the airframe and fins during construction.
This was to ensure that they experienced the same
strains as the surrounding material. The strain
gauge wiring has been bundled into custom CAT-6
cables, for easy connections to and from the
processor and for wire management. Measurements
from the strain gauge data shows the stresses
incurred by the protrusions and their surrounding
structure during flight. These stresses and strains
can be analyzed to evaluate the geometry of these
structures and can be matched up to different points
in the flight, to display the correlation between the
strains in the vehicle and the accelerations at each
point. Should the stresses be very low in comparison
to the material’s tensile strength, the structures could
Manufacture Specifications Test 1 Nozzle Position
2.5 be minimized to eliminate excess weight. This will
allow engineers to maximize the payload capacity of
2.0
Cylinder Position (inches) the vehicle, reducing the cost of each launch.
1.5
1.0
0.5
1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5
0.0
Time (s)
Figure 6: Ground Surveillance Module
The ground-scanning hazard detection camera was
implemented in to the reconnaissance module and
is meant to emulate a scout craft to an alien planet
or moon. The reconnaissance module takes
Figure 2: UNCC USLI Vehicle atmospheric data and determines a suitable landing
spot for the main deployment. Also, The
atmospheric data could help determine the angle
and velocity at which to enter the atmosphere, to
ensure no damage is done to the main vehicle. The
hazard system could also be used in re-usable
boosters for the SLS, to ensure that the sections
are not damaged after ejection from the rocket.
Discussion
The concept of the thrust modulation payload is to test a well-
known phenomenon in the hobby rocketry community; whereas if
the motor is recessed into the body of the vehicle there will be a
significant loss of thrust. Though there has been documentation of
this occurrence, the team was not able to find any evidence of an
attempt to harness this effect. The team has used creativity in
attempting to harness this phenomenon; most rocketry enthusiasts
do their best to eliminate the loss of thrust. The extendable cylinder
serves as an extension of the nozzle, effectively causing the
exhaust flow to over-expand and decrease efficiency. To date,
there is no documentation of the experiment ever being carried
out, and the team hopes to publish the findings, should
experimentally valid results come of it.
To test the theory, the team has built a rocket motor test stand.
Static cylinder testing was done with the extension at various
lengths, and compared against the baseline thrust data. The team
also constructed a device to modify the test stand for dynamic
tests on the same motors, showing the effect of the modulation
device while in transit.
The reconnaissance module incorporated the required ground-
scanning hazard detection camera and also houses an array of
other instrumentation. On board sensors measure atmospheric
temperature, pressure, humidity, and solar irradiance during
descent. In addition, an independently functioning inertial
measurement unit (IMU) was used to record the vehicle’s trajectory
for the duration of the flight through accelerometers, gyroscopes,
magnetometers, and a barometric altimeter. This data, in
conjunction with the position data from the GPS unit, can be used
to create a model of the entire flight. The data from the IMU was
compared to the data from each of the other accelerometers as
well as the altimeters and barometric pressure sensors to ensure
the validity of all collected data.
References
1. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. “2012-2013 NASA Student Launch
Initiative Handbook.” NASA.gov. 2013.
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/672448main_SLP_2012-2013.pdf (accessed August
2013).Original 11 9/13/2013 11:30 AM
2. Tripoli Rocketry Association. “Code for High Power Rocketry.” Tripoli.org.2013.
http://www.tripoli.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=vF%2f34Qq57zg%3d&tabid=185
(accessed August 2013)
3. National Association of Rocketry. “Laws, Codes, Regulations, and Sport Rocketry”.
NAR.org. 2013. http://www.nar.org/pdf/Section4.pdf (accessed August 2013).
4. Campbell-Knight, Carolynne. "Hybrid Rockets: An Overview." Space Safety Magazine .
July 11, 2013. http://www.spacesafetymagazine.com/2013/07/11/hybrid-rockets-
overview/ (accessed October 2, 2013).
5. David F. Howard, George H. Israel, Jr., Arthur McCardle, Jr., Frank J. Trombetta. In-
flight modulating thrust reverser. U.S.A. Patent US 3981450 A. September 22, 1975.
6. J, Muzzy Raymond. Thrust modulator for hybrid rockets. U.S.A. Patent US 3557556 A.
May 20, 1968.
Contacts
Team Lead: Jerry Dahlberg: jdahlbe2@ uncc.edu
Vehicle Daniel Saulnier: dsaulnie@uncc.edu
Team: Daniel Deese: ddeese9@uncc.edu
Benjamin Griffiths: begriffi@uncc.edu
John Cappelletti: jcappel1@uncc.edu
Safety: Matt Perry: mperry32@uncc.edu
Payload Robert Stone: rstone17@uncc.edu
Team: Caleb Watts: cwatts26@uncc.edu
Dewey Greer: dgreer7@uncc.edu
Senior Design II; Spring 2014