Aerospace Engineering

Rocket Design and Launch 

Design Activities

The image one the right is the firstt iteration of our rocket. It's simply made from paper and uses a straw to launch it. The rocket on the left is a slightly improved version of the paper rocket, however it is launched using a bottle launcher. Both of our models were successful in accomplishing the intended launch process, especially with our bottle launch, as the rocket went quite high. 

Digital Simulations 

We used RocketSim and Rocket Modeler to test what our actual design might look like when launched. Our RocketSim version was less like what would happen in our actual test as it simulates a fully functional rocket, whereas Rocket Modeler simulates and actual model. Our Rocket Modeler test estimated that the rocket would fly about 55 feet, however the conditions in Rocket Modeler were slightly different than what we would be actually testing with, as the program didn't have the exact same conditions. 

Testing

Our final rocket design was pretty similar to our second iteration in the models. It featured four triangular fins and a rounded cone. Inside of the body there is a PVC pipe to stop the fuse, followed by wax paper to prevent the upper parts from melting. At the base of the tip we attached a glue stick to balance the weight which is attached to our parachute. Originally when the center of gravity was tested with the fuse at the base, it was very far down, around where the fins were, and the center of pressure above it. To fix this we increased the surface area of the fins, to move the center of pressure further down. Previously before we discovered an issue with the center of gravity we had no weight at the tip, therefor when the issue was discovered we added the glue stick as a weight. Following these ajustments our center of pressure was bellow the center of gravity and the rocket preformed well in the spin test with the nose pointing in the direction that the rocket was moving. In our test the rocket went fairly straight up before coming down, however it did not go very high and the parachute did not deploy. We belived that the height was due to our nose being more rounded than pointed and decently heavy. To fix this we sharpened the nose. The parachute likely didn't deplow due to it being stuck in the tube, so we chose to pack it less tightly. 

Simulation vs. Test

In the Rocket Modeler simulation, the program predicted that our rocket would go 55 feet, or about 17 meters. When actually tested the rocket seemed to go about 10 meters. The height in real life was slightly lower than predicted, likely due to human error, different conditions and potential differences with the fuse and motor. The trajectory of the actual rocket however, was pretty similar to what was predicted in the simulation. 

Model Plane 

Final Design

We first began with using the provided template to construct the base of our plane before adding the propeller on as well. Our first design of the plane that included the propeller was ultimately successful. We chose to continue iterating on the design by bending the fins and changing the orientation to try and get the longest flight time that we could. Ultimately our final design was able to fly across the room with the propeller spinning. 

Autonomous Drone

Programing the drone 

We designed the drone to fly from colored mat to colored mat, changing it's light color to the color of the mat. We began with the drone on the red mat, changed the color to red and then took off. After hovering in the air for a moment the drone flies forward detects the green mat and then lands on it. The process is repeated from green mat, finishing on the blue mat. Our biggest issue was our drone's inconsistency with it's trim. Often our drone would drift to the right, therefor we countered this by altering the role slightly to the left. Another issue we faced was that each cycle that we flew the drone produced a different distance each time, making it difficult to code a specific distance, time or speed. We eventually overcame this through multiple rounds of testing to understand the attributes of our own drone, and then taking them into account for our code. 

Air Quality Sensor MATLAB