Antenna Mount:

The Antenna Mount serves two purposes. It acts as a cap to attach and constrain the 3 panels with all of the boards, and it also serves as a mount for a ring antenna that communicates with avionics components.

The antenna mount was designed so that the patch antenna would be placed as far apart as possible from the metal in the piston, while also reducing the overall length of the booster. Antennae experience interference from nearby metal objects. This is why the patch antenna was not permitted to overlap with the piston and why it is as far as possible from the metal in the motor casing aft of the Avionics tower. 

 Manufacturing: 3D print from PLA, using stl from cad model.

B-AV100, B-AV200, and B-AV300 Panels:

These polycarb panels provide mounting holes for pcbs and other flat components. These are the most important parts of the tower, held together and attached to the rocket by the others.

Manufacturing: Waterjet polycarb

1. Position polycarb in Waterjet bay 
2. Restrain polycarb from the sides using additional metal, secured using clamps and weights
3. Ensure water level is below polycarb sheet to prevent it from floating
4. Zero Waterjet, begin cutting
   1. pause the machine and remove panels each time one is cut to prevent them from falling

Piston Mount/Avionics Tower Mount/Avionics Bulkhead:

The Avionics Tower Mount in the booster serves two purposes. It fixes the Booster Avionics Tower to the booster airframe and interfaces with the piston and fixes it to the rocket as well.

FEA analysis for the Avionics Tower mount.

Notes on FEA:

• • The piston mount must withstand both the accelerated mass of the avionics tower below and the force of the piston when firing. 

  • The FEA from the part currently shows that the max stress does not exceed the yield strength of 6061-T6 aluminum, the proposed material for the part. 

  • The current max stress does not currently give a safety factor of 2, but the max stress currently only occurs at over a small volume of the part. Most of the part experiences a max stress that fall below the Yield strength of the material with a safety factor of 2

  • Future designs for the part hope to further reduce stress on the material and potentially reduce weight by making mass saving cuts in the outer regions of the part which experience the minimum amount of stress.

Manufacturing: Waterjet profile, use the radial indexer for radial holes and a mill for the panel mounting holes. Finally, tap all screw holes.