“Fins Design Process”

Description of the Part

• Function of the part:

• Provide stability for the rocket as it flies

• They will be attached to the fin can and flown on the rocket

• Requirements:

• Needs to be able to withstand heat from flying up to mach 3.5 (for stage 1)

• Cannot break or flutter too much as the rocket flies

• Need to attach to the body tube of the rocket

Pictures/Equations

• Any CAD you made or old CAD that you are using as a starting point

• Any drawings you made (even hand-drawn)- sketches of ideas, even if they won’t be used later

• Equations you used in the design process

Software

• I used Solidworks to model the fins that were used on Hermes. Solidworks will also be used to design the phenolic - G10 interface and assemblies.

• Are there any limitations of this software? Make suggestions for how you could design the part better if we had a different program/more time

Hardware/Manufacturing

• Once you know the requirements of the part, list the materials you need to build it

• Make a rough draft of the steps required to build the part

Laser Cutting the Part:

• Create a DXF file of the part

• Using illustrator, place the drawing on to an artboard the size of the wood

• Adjust the settings on the laser cutter to appropriate settings for material

• Cut!

Water Jet:

• Transfer DXF file onto USB stick and onto waterjet computer

• Place the material on the waterjet, set the origin, and make sure the drawing is within the limits of your material and the jet.

• Cut each fin, making sure to stop in between and remove finished fins

Delamination can be avoided by:

• Using the “Low Pressure” and “Brittle Material” setting on the waterjet

• Lead into the bottom corner of the trailing edge instead of the top corner of the leading edge

• Lead in before cutting (the waterjet turns on as it’s coming in to cut instead of starting right on the part)