139 lines
3.6 KiB
Plaintext
139 lines
3.6 KiB
Plaintext
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Creating a simple rocket design
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<p>This tour shows how to create a simple rocket design from scratch.
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[none]
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<p>When you choose to create a new design, you are presented with a blank
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design and the <em>Rocket configuration</em> dialog is displayed.
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Here you can enter general information on the rocket design, such as
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the design name, designer, comments and revision information.
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<p>You can later open this dialog by double-clicking on the root
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component in the component tree.
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[none]
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<p>Next, add a <em>Nose cone</em> to the design by clicking the
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corresponding component addition button. This opens the nose cone
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configuration dialog.
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[none]
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<p>The configuration dialog contains settings for the nose cone shape,
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dimensions and material. Set the nose cone length to 10 cm,
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base diameter to 2.5 cm and material to Polystyrene (plastic).
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<p>To use inches, either click the unit to change it, or change the
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default units in <a href="FIXME">Preferences</a>.
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[none]
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<p>The design window displays the nose cone. Next, add a <em>Body
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tube</em> to the design.
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[none]
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<p>Change the body tube length to 25 cm. The <em>Automatic</em>
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option for the outer diameter is ticked by default, in which case the
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diameter is automatically the same as that of the nose cone.
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[none]
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<p>Next, add a <em>Trapezoidal fin set</em> to the rocket. The body
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tube must be selected in order to add the component.
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[none]
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<p>The trapezoidal fin set has numerous dimension parameters. The
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most important are the root and tip chord (length next to the body
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tube and tip), height and sweep.
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<p>The default values are okay for the example design.
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[none]
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<p>Next, add an <em>Inner tube</em> as a motor mount. Select the body
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tube, and then click the component addition button.
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[none]
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<p>The default dimensions are suitable for Estes A-C motors. To have
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the motor mount overhang a bit, change the position parameter to
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<em>Bottom of parent component</em> plus 0.5 cm.
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[none]
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<p>To add <em>Centering rings</em> to keep the mount in place, select
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the body tube and click the centering ring button.
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<p>(If you have the inner tube selected when clicking, the centering
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ring will be added inside the inner tube. Use <b>Edit</b> →
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<b>Undo</b> to undo the latest action.)
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[none]
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<p>The centering ring automatically selects the appropriate outer and
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inner diameter when the <em>Automatic</em> checkboxes are selected.
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<p>Move the centering ring to the front of the engine mount by setting
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the position parameter to <em>Bottom of parent component</em> plus
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-5.0 cm.
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<p>Next add another centering ring at the aft end with position
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parameter zero.
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[none]
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<p>Next add a <em>Parachute</em> to the body tube.
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[none]
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<p>The <em>canopy diameter</em> and <em>drag coefficient</em>
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determine how much the parachute slows down the rocket during descent.
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The <em>material</em> and <em>shroud lines</em> affect the total
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mass. The <em>packed length</em>, <em>diameter</em> and
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<em>position</em> affect the packed size and location of the
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parachute.
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<p>The <em>Deploys at</em> propery can be used to affect when the
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parachute deploys. For <em>First ejection charge of this stage</em>
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option will deploy the parachute when the ejection charge is fired, as
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is typical in small model rockets.
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[none]
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<p>Now the functional aspects of the rocket design are complete.
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<p>For completeness you can still attach a <em>Mass component</em> to
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the body tube for wadding, and an <em>Engine block</em> to the inner
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tube for holding the motor in place.
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[none]
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<p>Now the rocket design is complete.
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<p>You can now continue to
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<a href="defining_motors/defining_motors">defining motors</a> to your
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rocket.
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