Versions Compared

Key

  • This line was added.
  • This line was removed.
  • Formatting was changed.

Integrate Piston Cup Assembly

Materials: Diaphragm, Cup, 4x grub screws, 7/64 hex wrench, piston, elbow fitting, plug, FireBolt XL, Payload Bulkhead, 4x 1/4-28 bolts

Rule: if you are not directly helping with integration, you must be dancing.

Pre-Assembly: Build the Firebolt Jumbo

Make sure you are using all appropriate PPE such as goggles and gloves!

  1. Take a DRILLED & TAPPED 1/8 NPT PLUG (which has a 1/4-20 hole drilled and tapped through the middle) and thread a FIREBOLT into it using approximately 3 wraps of TEFLON TAPE.
  2. Put two E-MATCHES through the hole in the 1/4-20 bolt and glue with 5 MINUTE EPOXY on the head end of the screw. You will need a POPSICLE STICK.
  3. On the other end of the screw, you may be able to push a small amount of epoxy on, but don't get it in the plug's threads.
  4. After the epoxy dries, put a preselected amount of BLACK POWDER in a little packet of BLUE TAPE, with the e-match head inside of the packet.

Pre-Assembly: Tender Descender Setup

  1. Take the two TENDER DESCENDER BODIES and put the appropriate amount of black powder in them.
  2. Close the bodies and thread a firebolt into each one, using approximately three wraps of Teflon tape.

Pre-Assembly: Pack the Main Parachute 

  1. Take the MAIN PARACHUTE.
  2. Pack the main parachute into the DEPLOYMENT BAG.

 Primary Integration Checklist

  1. Make sure that the PISTON rod is fully compressed (retracted).
  2. Integrate the 1/8TH NPT ELBOW FITTINGinto the piston inlet port that is closest to the blunt end. Use approximately three wraps of Teflon tape. Make sure that the male end of the elbow fitting is pointing downwards.
  3. Screw in the Jumbo Firebolt into the male end of the elbow fitting using approximately three wraps of Teflon tape
  4. Screw the PAYLOAD BULKHEAD into the top of the piston using four 3/4" LONG 1/4-28 BOLTS. You need a 3/16THS HEX KEY.

  5. INSERT AVIONICS BAY INTEGRATION PROCEDURE HERE

  6. Put the AVIONICS BAY COUPLER over the piston. The coupler's switchband should be closer to the side with the Firebolt screwed in.

  7. Using four 1/2" 1/4-28 LOW PROFILE SCREWS screw in the AVIONICS BULKHEAD to the bottom of the piston. The milled face (mass saving cuts) should be internal to the Avionics Bay. Use the 3/16ths hex key again.

  8. Now it's time to assembly the cup including its contents, including soft goods such as WEBBING and chutes as well as eye nut, cotter pin, tender descenders, and more.
  9. Fully screw a 3/8-16TH NUT onto the piston. Slide the DIAPHRAGM onto the piston and screw in the 3/8-16TH EYE BOLT.
  10. INSERT INFORMATION ON USING LOCTITE
  11. Put the COTTER PIN in the eye nut. 
  12. Put a 1000LB QUICKLINK on the eye nut. Don't close the quicklink yet.
  13. Now it's time to integrate the two Tender Descenders.
  14. Attach both Tender Descenders using one of the two KEVLAR LOOPSto the quicklink. The Tender Descenders should be in parallel. Consult this page for more information. 
  15. Before closing that quicklink, make sure to also secure the TD safety wires to that quicklink. Add a 1500LB SWIVEL to this quicklink and then once this is done, secure the quicklink.
  16. Using the second kevlar loop, connect the other ends of the Tender Descenders. Secure another 1000LB QUICKLINK to this.
  17. Check the setup of the Tender Descenders thoroughly. Have somebody else check it, too.
  18. When routing the e-match wires to the Avionics bay D-sub, leave plenty of slack between the Avionics Bay Bulkhead and the Diaphgram (at least 5"). Feel free to secure with a small amount of blue tape.
  19. Off to the side, coil the booster to mission
  20. Screw diaphragm into Cup with four grub screws using a 7/64 hex wrench

  21. Make sure that the piston rod is fully extended.
  22. Integrate the T-fitting into the piston's inlet port (nose cone side, blunt end) with 2x plugs and 2x FireBolts, a pair on each side. Make sure the T bar is horizontal with respect to the end plate.

    1. Insert detailed BP procedure here
      PROPOSED CHANGE FOR HARDWARE REV: Integrate the T-fitting into the piston's inlet port (nose cone side) with an elbow fitting, plug, and Jumbo FireBolt.

  23. Screw the Payload bulkhead into the top of the piston using 4x 1/4-28 bolts that are 1 inch long. You need a 3/16ths hex key.

  24. Insert Avionics Bay

    1. Insert detailed AV Bay procedure here

  25. Put the coupler over the piston and screw in the lower bulkhead. The switchband should be on the nose cone side.

    1. The milled face of the lower bulkhead should be internal to the Avionics Bay.

  26. Screw the piston into the diaphragm
  27. Put an eye nut on the piston.

     PROPOSED CHANGE FOR HARDWARE REV:Add a castle nut on the piston rod and insert a cotter pin.
  28. (Stand in step for CRIMP) Tie a piece of paracord to the eye nut. Tie a knot on the other end.
    1. NOTE ON HARDWARE REV: If the new eye nut is too large to put a quicklink around, consider milling the eye nut down, sewing a piece of webbing onto it, or otherwise just doing something more professional than "tie a piece of paracord." 
    2. Secure a 1000lb quicklink to the paracord, followed by a 1500lb swivel and another quicklink.
      1. PROPOSED CHANGE FOR HARDWARE REV: See if you can't sew at least one line directly onto the swivel?
      2. POTENTIAL CHANGE: Perhaps everything should have its own swivel?
  29. Coil the booster–mission package webbing and stow in several small infinity wraps using minimal tape. The optimal height of each infinity wrap is a little over 1". Leave enough slack (i.e. on one end (do not infinity wrap) on one side to extend the lines from the diaphragm to the forward closure. 
  30. Once this is done, return to the 1500lb swivel you installed early and attach a 1000LB QUICKLINK to the other side. 
  31. Attach the slack side of the booster -to mission package webbing to the at the diaphragm this outermost quicklink.
    Attach both Tender Descenders in series
  32. to the quicklink attachment point. Attach the drogue riser onto the second Tender Descender quicklink. For the time being, leave the line on the outside Screw the diaphragm into the CUP with FOUR 10-32 GRUB SCREWS using a 7/64 HEX KEY.
    Everything you previously installed should be inside of the cup.

     
  33. Coil the main riser and stow in several small infinity wraps using minimal tape. Attach one side to a 1000LB QUICKLINK followed by a 1500LB SWIVEL followed by another 1000LB QUICKLINK and then the main parachute shroud lines.
  34. end of the main riser onto the quicklink attachment point. Attach the other end of the main riser using a 1000LB QUICKLINK to the packed main parachuteeye nut.
  35. Pack the coiled riser behind riser, followed by the shroud lines, and then the main parachute (towards the nose cone) inside of the into the cup. 
  36. PROPOSED CHANGE: Add a section on packing the main parachute before this.
  37.  
  38. Attach the main deployment bag using some 2000LB KEVLAR LINE to the quicklink on the other side of the Tender DescendersPut the airframe tube over the assembly. You may need to move the drogue riser and mission package to booster webbing out of the way.cut using KEVLAR SHEARS.
  39. Using a setup of 880 LB QUICKLINK, 1500 LB SWIVEL, and then 880 LB QUICKLINK, attach the DROGUE riser to the top of the main deployment bag.
  40. Put the AIRFRAME TUBE over this complete assembly. 
  41. "Struggle with clocking" - Jakob
  42. Screw in four 1/2" 8-32 SCREWS to attach the Airframe
    1. “Struggle with clocking” - Jakob, 11:20am

    Screw in four ½” 8-32 screws to attach the airframe to the Avionics Bay.
  43. Attach the drogue riser to the packed drogue with a 220 lb quicklink. Coil and stow excess drogue line (if necessary) and pack everything into the booster section.
    NOSE CONE with the right clocking to the other end of the Avionics Bay using four 8-32 SCREWS.
  44. Attach Coil and stow excess mission package to booster webbing and secure with a small amount of painters tape. Place this in the booster section. Then attach the mission package to booster webbing to the forward closure the PSEUDO FORWARD CLOSURE with a 1000lb quicklink, 1000LB QUICKLINK followed by a 1500lb swivel, 1500LB SWIVEL and then another 1000lb quicklink 1000LB QUICKLINK.
    1. PROPOSED CHANGE FOR HARDWARE REV: See if you can sew it onto the swivel.
     
  45. Pack the Now, attach the other side of the mission package to booster webbing to the pseudo forward closure.
  46. Screw in the nosecone with the right clocking using four 8-32 screws.Place the drogue on top. The drogue should be as close to the separation point as possible. 
  47. Put the mission package assembly on the booster extension coupler and secure with 3x with three 6-32 shear pins. For the Pathfinder vehicle, you will need to skip every other hole.

Notes from integration:

...

Need to turn down upper counter torqued nut on piston because it otherwise doesn’t screw far enough in?

...

We would rather have the piston cup assembly be too short than too long because we can only compress it so much when we do the last step.

...

Consider switching to words like "fore and aft" instead of "up and down"

...

Purchase 1/4-28" bolts that 3/4" long.

...

Cut the mission package to be 25" long.

...

Avionics bulkhead outer rim should be shaved down a little bit–does not fit with mission package tube.

...

Get torque specs and think about them.

...

Add notes about the dental tool.

...

Think about access to diaphragm area for screwing lines when doing mass saving cuts

  1. SHEAR PINS.Put a bit of tape over each shear pin.

Materials:

DRILLED & TAPPED 1/8 NPT PLUG (has a 1/4-20" hole tapped and threaded in the middle of it)

3x FIREBOLTS (a 1/4-20" bolt with a hole in the middle of it)

TEFLON TAPE

3x E-MATCH

5 MINUTE EPOXY

POPSICLE STICK

BLACK POWDER

BLUE TAPE

2x TENDER DESCENDER BODIES

MAIN PARACHUTE

DEPLOYMENT BAG

PISTON (the small one)

1/8TH NPT ELBOW FITTING

PAYLOAD BULKHEAD

4x 3/4" LONG 1/4-28 BOLTS 

3/16THS HEX KEY

AVIONICS BAY COUPLER

4x 1/2" 1/4-28 LOW PROFILE SCREWS

AVIONICS BULKHEAD

WEBBING

3/8-16TH NUT

Image Added

DIAPHRAGM

 3/8-16TH EYE BOLT

 LOCTITE

 COTTER PIN

 7x 1000LB QUICKLINKS (pack at least 4 extras)

2x KEVLAR LOOPS

4x 1500LB SWIVELS

CUP

4x 10-32 GRUB SCREWS

7/64 HEX KEY

2000LB KEVLAR LINE

KEVLAR SHEARS (the gray scissors)

2x 880LB QUICKLINKS

DROGUE

AIRFRAME TUBE

8x 1/2" 8-32 SCREWS

NOSE CONE 

PSEUDO FORWARD CLOSURE 

...

PACK OF 6-32 SHEAR PINS