RC Water Rocket (2 stage and parachute mechanism) Summer Project, 2011 Aeromodelling Club Science and Technology Council

IIT Kanpur

By: Aman Jain Saurabh Mittal Suraj Bhamare Battili Yavvan

1. Water Rocket
Usually the rocket is made from plastic bottles of cold drinks . Before launch, the bottle is filled with some amount of water, which acts as the "propellant" for the launch. Since water is about 100 times heavier than air, the expelled water produces more thrust than compressed air alone. The base of the bottle is only slightly larger than the launch tube. When the rocket is placed on the launch tube, the body tube becomes a closed pressure vessel. The pressure inside the body tube equals the pressure produced by the air pump. Fins are attached to the bottom of the body tube to provide stability during the flight.

2. Mechanism
A model rocket is subjected to four forces in flight; weight,thrust, and the aerodynamic forceslift and drag. There are many different types of model rockets. One of the first and simplest type of rocket that a student encounters is the bottle, or water rocket. The water rocket system consists of two main parts, the launcher and the rocket. The launcher has a base to support the rocket during launch. A hollow launch tube is mounted perpendicular to the base and is inserted into the base of the rocket before launch. The launch tube is connected to an air pump by a hollow feeder line. The pump is used to pressurize the inside of the body tube to provide thrust for the rocket. We have attached a pressure gage to the feeder line to

display the change in pressure in the system. This part of the system is very similar to the simple compressed airrocket.

3. Parachute Mechanism
First construct the basic v -shaped structure and then fit the servo , receiver and battery as shown in figure . Then placed the parachute on the platform which is held by rubber bands. This whole structure is inside the bottle and parachute on the platform is inside the gate. The hinge will be get triggered with the help of servo motion . BY this act gate will be opened and parachute will come out of the bottle. As the bottle goes in air, at the maximum height we trigger the servo by receiver and transmitter. Receiver is fitted in the bottle.

Parachute making:
First we have to choose a cloth which is lighter as well as waterproof. Then we cut it in six to seven triangular pieces & join them (this is the making of umbrella).

Then we tie some threads ( about 1 m in length ) to the end of the parachute cloth ,& tie them together to make parachute.

4. Stagging Mechanism

The fan is held in its position subjected to high tension with the help of a rod which in turn is connected to a servo.As the servo runs thereby displacing the rod the fan (fan is shown in photograph below on right side) rotates due to tension of rubber bands and the bottles get separated& in left photograph it is hold between hooks.

5. Mechanical Stagging
We use spring for balancing gravitation and thrust force . Finally when the thrust force of the lower bottle then spring kicks off the lower bottle and finally two bottles are separated. The work is still going on .....

6. Difficulties :
1) High pressure in bottles causes leakage & it required very high torque to turn the FAN due to such high pressure. 2) Waterproofing of launcher is very tricky. 3) We have to take care of weight of the rocket so that it can attain better height which is good for separation mechanism. 4) Arrangement of materials is very difficult mainly of bottles & parachute clothes.