The Effect of Acceleration on the Crystallization of Sodium Acetate

December 7Begin work on scale model January 4Scale model completed January 13Scale model test flight February 15 Full scale vehicle completed February 22Sustainer test flight March 15Two stage rocket test flight March 22Payload test flight April 15 – 16 Rocket fair and safety check April 17 – 18SLI launch weekend

1.First stage burn, reaction starts 2.Stage separation 3.Booster coasts to its apogee and deploys drogue parachute 4.Booster deploys main parachute 5.Booster lands safely 6.Second stage motor burn 7.Sustainer reaches apogee, deploys drogue parachute 8.Descent under drogue 9.Main parachute deploys, slowing rocket to safe landing speed 10.Sustainer lands safely

Stable launch of the vehicle Target altitude of one mile reached Smooth stage separation Second stage ignition Proper deployment of all parachutes Safe recovery of the booster and the sustainer

Length 120” Diameter4” Liftoff weight21 lbs (9 kg) Motor K1100T CP70” (from nosetip) CG93” (from nosetip) Static Margin 5.75 calibers

Length 82” Diameter4” Liftoff weight14 lbs (6 kg) Motors AT-K1100T (booster), AT-J1299N (sustainer) CP51” (from nosetip) CG63” (from nosetip) Static Margin 3 calibers

LetterPartLetterPart ANoseconeHPayload Bay B Main Sustainer Parachute I Booster Drogue Parachute C Sustainer E-Bay J Drogue Sustainer Parachute DSustainer FinsKSustainer Motor Mount E Interstage coupler L Booster Main Parachute F Booster E-Bay M Payload Electronics GBooster FinsNBooster Motor Mount

Fins: 1/32” G10 fiberglass + 1/8” balsa sandwich Body: fiberglass tubing, fiberglass couplers Bulkheads: 1/2” plywood Motor Mounts: 54mm phenolic tubing, 1/2” plywood centering rings Nosecone: commercially made plastic nosecone Rail Buttons: standard nylon rail buttons Motor Retention system: Aeropack screw-on motor retainer Anchors: 1/4” stainless steel U-Bolts Epoxy: West System with appropriate fillers

BoosterSustainer Flight Stability Static Margin Thrust to Weight Ratio Velocity at Launch Guide Departure: 68 mph (launch rail length 144”)

Wp - ejection charge weight in pounds. dP - ejection charge pressure, 15psi V - free volume in cubic inches. R - combustion gas constant, ft- lbf/lbm R for FFFF black powder. T - combustion gas temperature, 3307 degrees R

Ejection charges will be verified in static testing when the vehicle is fully constructed. SectionEjection Charge Booster (Drogue)2.0 g (of FFFF black powder) Booster (Main)N/A (The main uses an ARRD for deployment) Sustainer (Drogue)1.6 g Sustainer (Main)N/A (The main uses an ARRD for deployment) Stage Separation Charge0.8 g

ComponentWeightParachute Diameter Descent Rate Booster62 oz. 12 in. (drogue) 53 fps Booster62 oz.36 in. (main) 18 fps Sustainer199 oz.24 in. (drogue) 48 fps Sustainer199 oz.60 in. (main) 19 fps

Tested Components C1: Body (including construction techniques) C2: Altimeter C3: Data Acquisition System (custom computer board and sensors) C4: Parachutes C5: Fins C6: Payload C7: Ejection charges C8: Launch system C9: Motor mount C10: Beacons C11: Shock cords and anchors C12: Rocket stability C13: Second stage separation and ignition electronics/charges

Verification Tests V1 Integrity Test: applying force to verify durability. V2 Parachute Drop Test: testing parachute functionality. V3 Tension Test: applying force to the parachute shock cords to test durability V4 Prototype Flight: testing the feasibility of the vehicle with a scale model. V5 Functionality Test: test of basic functionality of a device on the ground V6 Altimeter Ground Test: place the altimeter in a closed container and decrease air pressure to simulate altitude changes. Verify that both the apogee and preset altitude events fire. (Estes igniters or low resistance bulbs can be used for verification). V7 Electronic Deployment Test: test to determine if the electronics can ignite the deployment charges. V8 Ejection Test: test that the deployment charges have the right amount of force to cause parachute deployment and/or planned component separation. V9 Computer Simulation: use RockSim to predict the behavior of the launch vehicle. V10 Integration Test: ensure that the payload fits smoothly and snuggly into the vehicle, and is robust enough to withstand flight stresses.

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Determine the effect of acceleration on the crystallization from the supersaturated sodium acetate (CH 3 COONa) solution Determine the effects of impurities (dopes) on the crystallization of sodium acetate under high and low accelerations

Crystallization will initiate at ignition Sensors will successfully obtain temperature and acceleration data through flight Collected data are accurate

1a. Reaction initiation at ignition 1b. Ignition, data acquisition 2. The second stage ignition and data acquisition 3. Data saved into non-volatile memory 4. Apogee, parachute deploys 5. Data downloaded and analyzed 6. Crystals examined 7. The final report is written.

Our payload will be entirely in our sustainer Two identical payload modules, each module consisting of four crystallization vessels, cooling system and data acquisition electronics

Payload consists from two encapsulated modules, each module housing four reaction vessels Payload fits snugly in the body tube Payload wiring is hidden inside the modules Payload vents align with fuselage vents Reactor vesselsVents Fan

A fan is located at the end of each reactor chamber. The chamber will have a set of eight holes in each end to allow airflow. The moving air will maintain ambient temperature inside the payload compartments

A hypodermic needle filled with the seed crystals is attached to the plunger of the solenoid When the solenoid is activated, the needle will puncture the membrane covering the glass reactor vessel and the seed crystals will enter the supersaturated solution

Sampling Locations: – 20 thermistors per Reactor Vessel* – Accelerometers/altimeters in the Electronics Bay Sampling Rate: – Thermistor are sampled at 50Hz frequency – Accelerometer samples at 100Hz per second with 8 times oversampling – Altimeter samples at 100Hz with 8x oversampling *Thermistors are located along the vessel where we expect the most change will occur

The payload will measure the temperature along each reactor vessel using an array of thermistors Ambient temperature inside each payload module will be also monitored and recorded Master flight computer will provide timeline, altitude and acceleration information

Each reactor vessel has a dedicated printed circuit board (PCB) for data acquisition Data are sent to the Master Flight Computer Storage System (MFCSS) MFCSS logs the data in a non-volatile memory

Independent Variables – CPure sodium acetate solution (no impurities) – I1 Concentration of impurity number 1 – I2Concentration of impurity number 2 – I3Concentration of impurity number 3 – A Acceleration – DDirection of reaction initiation Dependent Variables – RReaction Rate – SCrystal Structure Deformities – TTemperature of Reaction

Cooling method inside rocket Amount of sodium acetate solution Thermistors used Initiation method

R = f (I )Reaction rate in relation to impurities R = f (A)Reaction rate in relation to acceleration R = f (D)Reaction rate in relation to direction of initiation S = f (I )Crystal deformities in relation to impurities S = f (A)Crystal deformities in relation to acceleration S = f (D)Crystal deformities in relation to direction of initiation T = f (I )Temperature profile of reaction in relation to impurities T = f (A)Temperature profile of reaction in relation to acceleration T = f (D)Temperature profile of reaction in relation to direction of initiation

Commercially available sensors will be used Sensors will be calibrated Extensive testing will be done on ground

TestMeasurement TemperatureTemperature will be collected 50x per second by each sensor AccelerationAcceleration will be collected 100x per second with 16x oversampling

Tested Components C1: Vessel C2: Reaction Activation Subsystem C3: Super Saturated Sodium Acetate Solution C4: Sensor Attachment Unit C5: Reaction Temperature Monitoring Subsystem C6: Reactor Chamber Ambient Temperature Sensor C7: Acceleration/Altitude Recording Subsystem C8: Cable Data Transfer C9: Fans C10: Power and Fan Activation Subsystem C11: Analog to Digital Conversion Subsystem C12: Master Flight Computer and Data Storage Subsystem

Verification Tests V1. Drop Test V2. Connection and Basic Functionality Test V3. Pressure Sensor Test V4. Scale Model Flight V5. Temperature Sensor Test V6. Stress Test V7. Acceleration Test V8. Battery Capacity Test

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4 inch tubing justification – Minimum possible diameter for experiment – Existing ejection and deployment data for 4 inch tubing – Maximum possible diameter for vehicle to reach 1 mile with 2,560Ns total impulse limit

Any questions?