Project: Paper Air Rocket Tail Sections

thingiverse

I have designed this project as an extension to the paper air rockets that were featured in MAKE Magazine Volume 15. I have created a variety of tails and an activity to test what type of aerodynamics provide the best flight for these small inexpensive rockets. I have a related nose cone project: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1729183, https://youtu.be/VPjsU4TNLrg Print Settings Printer: Resolution: High Infill Percentage: 20% Supports: No Materials Needed 18" length of 1/2" PVC pipe (or diameter that matches your launcher) Tape Scissors Long tape measure, roll wheel, or GPS and an app for measuring Open space to launch (foot ball field, greenway, use good judgement!) Calipers, rule, or tape to measure smaller things (if you are doing design-builds) Clinometer Lesson Plan and Activity Lesson / ActivityStep 1 - Background Knowledge Discuss air pressure. Discuss potential and kinetic energy. Discuss the mechanisms that convert stored air pressure into thrust for the rockets. Discuss air resistance and friction. Discuss aerodynamics. Discuss center of mass. Print and use one or more tail sections for as a visualization aid. Have students develop hypothesis about which design is going to be the most efficient and why they think that is. Or why their design is going to be most efficient. (NOTE: you may have to impose some size parameters and/or weight parameters to make everything even) Step 2 - Design and/or build Option 1: Have students design a tail section and print it. Option 2: Print one or all the tail sections I have in the thing files. Step 3 - Practical testing Option 1: Assemble the parts as shown: Photos below Paper body -> tape -> tail section SAFETY NOTE: always be aware of what is down range Setup rocket launcher Perform a repeatable scientific collection of data: Launch rockets at same pressure, same angle, same direction, into same wind conditions. Measure the distance to landing. (option to layout a landing grid ahead) Record all data in a table of distances. Repeat above for so each tail section launches the same number of times. Option 2: Extension ideas Do above several times with different air pressures: 20 psi, 30 psi, 40psi, etc... (observe limits of your equipment) OR Do above with different launch angles. OR Come up with your own variation to test. Step 3 - Calculations Have students evaluate their data for any trends and come up with the average distance their tail design was able to achieve. Graph class wide data and determine which tail section, if any, was the best and why? Step 4 - Review Discuss why we got the results we got. Discuss how students think they could do the experiment differently. Rubric What is potential energy? What is kinetic energy? How does air pressure provide thrust to the rocket? What is helping our design be more aerodynamic? What is creating resistance for our designs? How does friction (drag) apply to rocketry? Tips and Tricks Tail design does in fact matter - at least it did for me. You get different flight characteristics from different tails. You can launch for height at ~90° launch angle or go for distance at ~45° launch angle Rocket tube being paper, can usually be straightened out good enough without having to remake the rocket. Assets I have included the tail_no_fins.f3d fusion 360 design files in the thing files. Modifications for other pipe sizes or nose designs could be made. tail_no_fins.f3d http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1729214 Project: Paper Air Rocket Tails