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Merge pull request #71 from waterloo-rocketry/subsystems-update
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Updated subsystems projects
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@chloe778
chloe778 authored May 31, 2024
2 parents e3a9d28 + 9475cbd commit b546796
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97 changes: 48 additions & 49 deletions src/routes/Subsystems.jsx
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Expand Up @@ -102,38 +102,30 @@ const Subsystems = () => {
<p>Want to get involved? This is what we&apos;re working on right now:</p>
<ul>
<li>
Ox tank aft skirt: the structure between the oxidizer tank and the engine.
It houses the injector valve and rocket side fill plumbing.
Manufacturing: we research, design and manufacture our entire airframe out
of composites and metal. This includes the nosecone, upperbody tube,
parachute bay/vent shroud, oxidizer tank aft skirt fairing, fin can and
boattail.
</li>
<li>
Fill disconnect hatch: an access panel on the rocket that opens to
accommodate tower side fill plumbing and closes after fill disconnect system
actuation.
</li>
<li>
Composite boattail: a lighter and more aerodynamic version of the old
aluminium boattail that used to double as a heat sink for the engine.
Fiberglass Moulds: a lighter set of female moulds made from the same materials
as our airframe to manufacture parts with better surface finish and
concentricity.
</li>
<li>
Composites stress calculator: a calculator implemented in Python to aid
in composites layup schedule design by calculating stress in each ply.
Composites Testing: A project to gather data on our composites and
characterize its properties so that we can reduce safety factors
and build a lighter airframe.
</li>
<li>
WatWind: a 3-axis filament winder for use in manufacturing of body
tubes.
</li>
<li>
Nosecone mould: a female fibreglass mould to replace aging
<a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium-density_fibreboard"
target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer"
>
{' '}
MDF
</a>
{' '}
moulds used in the nosecone layup process.
And many other smaller projects that contribute to the manufacturing
and optimization of our airframe, including design, 3D modeling
and of course more composites!
</li>
</ul>
</Content>
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -267,25 +259,23 @@ const Subsystems = () => {
</p>
<h3>CURRENTLY WORKING ON</h3>
<p>
The plan for the 2021 payload is to conduct a materials analysis of metal
oxide conformal coatings and
{' '}
<a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boron_nitride_nanotube"
target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer"
>
boron nitride nanotube (BNNT)
</a>
{' '}
composites during the flight of the rocket to determine the viability of
these materials as structural and protective shielding elements in spacecraft.
In addition, a set of radiation detectors are being developed to measure the
atmospheric secondary radiation that permeates into the rocket and to determine
the radiation shielding abilities of these materials.
All of this will be housed in a redesigned CubeSat optimized to be easy
to fabricate and modular for future payload experiments.

This year, our payload consists of two main experiments: Quantifying the
vibrations experienced in flight from the movement of the rocket, and
testing the ability of a peristaltic IV pump to produce and maintain
laminar flow while experiencing high levels of acceleration. The vibration
experiment contains a mechanical component consisting of plates of different,
commonly used materials and thicknesses. These plates will have holes drilled
into them and be tapped for different screw sizes. We will fly one of these
assemblies and keep one on the ground at competition to compare how the
vibrations affect our screws. There is also an electrical PCB being flown that
will have a 3-axis accelerometer on it, which will provide a profile of the
vibrations felt by the screws on the rocket. For the peristaltic pump
experiment, we will be flying a student researched and developed peristaltic
pump. We will use this to monitor the Reynold&apos;s number of a water and
glycerol solution, tracking the ability of the pump to produce laminar flow.
To do this monitoring, we will employ the use of electrical sensors such as
flowmeters to track flow velocity and thermistors to extrapolate the density
and viscosity of the solution as the flight of the rocket progresses.
</p>
</Content>
</Tab>
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -337,19 +327,28 @@ const Subsystems = () => {
<p>The subsystem owns projects in a various of subject areas:</p>
<ul>
<li>
Airbrakes: mechanical design using Solidworks, rapid prototyping and FEA
analysis.
</li>
<li>
Processor Board & Motor Controller Board: custom-designed in KiCAD.
Airbrakes: The airbrakes are a trio of metal panels which slide out
from the upper body tube during flight in order to change the drag
force acting on the rocket. This allows us to actively control the
final apogee of the rocket and allow us to hit our target more
precisely. An internal servo drives a rotating cam mechanism that
ensures the airbrake panels all extend an equal distance from the rocket body.
</li>
<li>
Airbrakes Control Software
Processor Board & Motor Controller Board: Processor board does the majority of
computation for the airbrakes system. It uses a powerful 32 bit processor to
read in data from our onboard IMU and other sensors, generate state estimates,
and generate control commands for the airbrakes servo. It also has significant
internal logging capability, allowing us to store raw sensor readings and
state estimates for post-flight analysis.
</li>
<li>
Computational Fluid Dynamics: using Ansys Fluent to study and validate
stability and drag experienced by the rocket body
upon the influence of the airbrakes.
State Estimation: The state estimation software runs on the processor board
and fuses accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer data using a Madgwick
filter to estimate what direction the rocket is pointing. This is combined
with information from the altimeters to estimate altitude and position,
which is integrated to determine when the rocket will hit apogee, and
compensate with the airbrakes appropriately.
</li>
</ul>
</Content>
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