UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
INTIMIGATOR FRR
OUTLINE
Overview
 System Design
 Recovery Design
 Payload Design
 Simulations and Performance
 Testing

PROJECT SUMMARY

Launch Vehicle
The launch vehicle is designed to reach an altitude of
a mile
 It contains 3 separate payloads:

The Science Mission Directorate payload measures
atmospheric conditions and allows the calculation of lapse
rate
 The Lateral Flight Dynamics payload collects data on the
vehicle’s roll rate for analysis
 The Flow Angularity and Boundary Layer Development
payload aids the team in knowing the vehicle orientation


There is dual-deployment recovery, with separate
drogue and main parachutes for the SMD payload
lander and launch vehicle
OUTLINE
Overview
 System Design
 Recovery Design
 Payload Design
 Simulations and Performance
 Testing

SYSTEM
VEHICLE DIMENSIONS
Diameter: 6 inches
 Length: 115 inches
 Weight: 30 lbs

Section
Nosecone
24
Upper Airframe
44
Avionics Bay
3
Mid Airframe
16
Lower Airframe
28
Total
Component
Fins (2 with rollerons and 2 without)
Pneumatics Bay
Main Parachute/Shock Cord and Piston
Weight (lbs)
5
1.5
3
Avionics Bay
3.25
Payload and Main Drogue Parachute Piston
0.25
Payload Main Parachute and Housing
Drogue Parachutes and Shock Cord
5
1.5
Nosecone and Pressure Payload
4.25
Body Tube
6.25
Total
30
Length (in)
115
STATIC STABILITY MARGIN
CG = 74.2”
CP = 91.1”
The static stability margin is 2.78
FINS
Fins and mount made
from ABS plastic on a
rapid prototype machine
Dimensions:
Root Cord
11"
Tip Cord
6”
Span
6"
Max Thickness
.5"
MOTOR SELECTION

Cessaroni L1720 WT
1755 grams of propellant
 Total impulse of 3660 N-s
 2.0 second burn time
 Altitude of 5280 feet


2.2 pound margin for error
OUTLINE
Overview
 System Design
 Recovery Design
 Payload Design
 Simulations and Performance
 Testing

VEHICLE RECOVERY

Dual Deployment
Drogue release at apogee
 Main release at 700 ft AGL


Drogue Parachute
36 inches in diameter
 Descent velocity of 65 ft/s


Main parachute



96 inches in diameter
Descent velocity 18 ft/s
Recovery harness
5/8” nylon
 25ft nosecone-upper
 35ft lower-upper

VEHICLE RECOVERY SYSTEMS

Drogue parachute
Directly below nosecone
 Released during first separation event


Main parachute
Housed in middle airframe between avionics bay and
pneumatics bay
 Released during second separation event


Separation between pneumatics bay and middle airframe
SMD PAYLOAD RECOVERY

Dual Deployment
Drogue release at apogee
 Main release at 700 ft AGL


Drogue Parachute
36 inches in diameter
 Descent rate of 25 ft/s


Main Parachute
36 inches in diameter
 Descent rate of 12.5 ft/s


Recovery harness


3/8” nylon
10-15 ft
SMD PAYLOAD RECOVERY SYSTEMS

Drogue parachute



Released during first separation event
Housed directly below vehicle drogue parachute
Main parachute
Released from parachute housing during secondary payload
separation event
 stored in housing and ejected using a piston system

KINETIC ENERGY AT KEY POINTS
Launch Vehicle and SMD Payload
Kinetic Energy During Decent (Under Drogue)
Component
Kinetic Energy (ft-lbf)
Nose Cone
140.01
Airframe (Lower, Mid; shear pinned)
683.57
Payload
58.54
Kinetic Energy at Landing (Under Main)
Component
Kinetic Energy (ft-lbf)
Payload
18.9
Nose Cone
14.9
Top Body Tube
39.8
Middle/Bottom Body Tube
57.4
OUTLINE
Overview
 System Design
 Recovery Design
 Payload Design
 Simulations and Performance
 Testing

SCIENCE MISSION DIRECTORATE PAYLOAD
– OBJECTIVES AND REQUIREMENTS

Objective


To calculate the environmental lapse rate
Requirements
Measure temperature, pressure, relative humidity,
solar irradiance, and UV radiation as a function of
altitude
 GPS readings and sky-up oriented photographs
 Wireless data transmission

SCIENCE MISSION DIRECTORATE PAYLOAD
Rests in the upper
airframe on top of a
piston
 Ejects from the rocket at
apogee
 Dual deployment
recovery

SCIENCE MISSION DIRECTORATE PAYLOAD
Payload legs spring open
upon ejection
 Some atmospheric sensors
mounted on the lid
 Body made of blue tube
for data transmission
purposes

SCIENCE MISSION DIRECTORATE PAYLOAD
DESIGN

Arduino Microcontroller


Weatherboard


Compared to the pre-programmed output from the
Weatherboard
XBee Pro 900


Senses atmospheric data and transmits to the
microcontroller using synchronous communication
Analog sensors


Samples analog sensors and reads outputs from
Weatherboard and GPS
Sends data back to ground station
Camera

Takes sky-up oriented video
LATERAL FLIGHT DYNAMICS (LFD)

Objectives
Introduce a determinable roll rate during flight after burnout
 Derive ODEs of the rockets roll behavior
 Use linear time invariant control theory to evaluate roll
dampening using rollerons
 Determine percent overshoot, steady state error, and
settling time


Requirements
Ailerons deflect with an impulse to induce roll
 Rollerons inactively dampen roll rate

LFD

Procedures (after burnout)

Phase I
Ailerons impulse deflect
 Rollerons locked
 Rocket naturally dampens its roll rate


Phase II
Ailerons impulse deflect
 Rollerons unlocked
 Rollerons dampen out roll rate

LFD FIN LAYOUT
Uses pneumatic actuators to unlock rollerons and
deflect ailerons
 Rollerons locked using a cager

Rolleron
Cager
Aileron
Aileron Actuator
LFD MANUFACTURING

All components locally manufactured
Wheel on Mill
Finished Wheel
Casing
LFD ASSEMBLED FIN
LFD AIR TANK SPECIFICS AND FAILURE
MODES
Ailerons fail in the neutral position
 Loss of air pressure fails to the neutral position

Air Tank
Type
14.5 cu. In. AL 150psi pressure tank
Material
AL with sealed steel cap
Used for
providing pressure to the pneumatic cylinders
MEOP
150psi
Safety Factor
2
LFD ANALYSIS

Roll data points analyzed using numerical methods
Plots roll characteristics
 Derives an ODE


Linear Time Invariant Control Theory

Governing equation -
ODE transformed into Laplace form (frequency domain)
 Impulse function (R(s) = 1) is applied to the plant (Gp)
 From the plants denominator the frequency can be
determined

FLOW ANGULARITY

Objectives
Take differential pressure readings from each
transducer
 Determine angularity and boundary layer properties


Requirements

Pre-calibration in wind tunnel will result in nondimensional coefficients


Can be compared to flight results to obtain angularity
Calibration involves testing probe at multiple angles
and flow velocities
FLOW ANGULARITY SCHEMATICS
FLOW ANGULARITY ANALYSIS

Non-dimensional coefficients
OUTLINE
Overview
 System Design
 Recovery Design
 Payload Design
 Simulations and Performance
 Testing

FLIGHT SIMULATIONS
Used RockSim and MATLAB to simulate the
rocket’s flight
 MATLAB code is 1-DOF that uses ode45
 Allows the user to vary coefficient of drag for
different parts of the rocket
 After wind tunnel testing, can get fairly accurate
CD values that can be used in the program

PERFORMANCE

MATLAB code is compared with RockSim


Maximum altitude predictions separated by 713 ft due to
Cd value differences



Led to design changes
maximum altitude predicted by RockSim of 5475 ft
MATLAB predicts 4772 ft
Room for unexpected mass or drag due to the simulations
reaching over one mile
PERFORMANCE

Thrust-to-weight ratio
12.98
 Need above 1 for lift-off


Rail exit velocity

76.8 ft/s
DRIFT CALCULATIONS
IntimiGATOR Drift
SMD Payload Drift
Launch Angle (deg)
0
0
0
0
5
5
5
5
10
10
10
10
Wind (mph)
0
5
10
15
0
5
10
15
0
5
10
15
Range (ft)
0
780.73
2335.4
2535.58
963.96
202.77
678.22
1608
1886
934.5
120.1
622.9
OUTLINE
Overview
 System Design
 Recovery Design
 Payload Design
 Vehicle Optimization
 Simulations and Performance
 Testing

COMPONENT TESTING SUMMARY

All components of the launch vehicle and three
payloads have planned tests
21 tests outlined in detail in FRR report
 Ensure all design details will work as expected
 Allow the team to make necessary adjustments
 Make sure the vehicle has a successful competition
launch

SOME COMPLETED TESTS
Test #
2
Components
Tested
Body Tube
Testing Details
Reason For Test
Results
Determine the strength of the
charge necessary to separate
the different sections of the
rocket by trying different sized
charges
Defer any complications during
flight and ensure the rocket
can separate
Ejection charges were more than
adequate to separate the rocket tube
10
Full-Scale Static
Motor Test
Determining the thrust curve of
the motor
Determine whether the rocket
motor has enough force to
launch rocket and its
components to desired height
Motor test was successful, and had
enough thrust to get the rocket to
required height
12
Analog
Readings,
Temperature,
Humidity, Solar,
Pressure, UV
Sensors will be placed in the
payload to record data.
Compare outputs with the
digital weatherboard reads to
ensure accuracy
Humidity and Temperature Sensors
tested and function properly others to
be tested during January
14
XBee's
Send sensor data and receive
it on computer
Required for USLI competition
Successful was able to send 9
Degrees of Freedom data back to the
ground station during Subscale
launch
SUBSCALE RESULTS
Launched with Aerotech J500 3 separate times
 1st subscale launch had a successful deployment
of the SMD mock payload
 2nd subscale launch showed that the SMD Main
parachute housing was successful
 3rd subscale launch included the LFD payload
fins with the rollerons unlocked


Rocket remained completely stable throughout flight
and visually showed no roll
FULL SCALE LAUNCH




Occurred on March 17, 2012
Launched with a Cesaroni L1720WT
Reached an altitude of 4294 ft.
Sustained some damage on impact due to no main parachute
deployment
FULL SCALE LAUNCH- LACK OF ALTITUDE
Upper airframe launched
was 4” longer than designed
 Centering rings attached
with screw inserts that
sheared off



Motor impulse was not fully
transferred to the rocket
Coefficient of drag may be
higher than anticipated

A scale model of the rocket is
being rapid prototyped to
perform wind tunnel testing
FULL SCALE LAUNCH- RECOVERY
Separation did not occur at the main event at 700ft
AGL
 Multiple further tests are being performed to ensure
separation

SPONSORS
NASA
 Boeing
 Millennium Engineering and Integration
 Northrop Grumman
 Pratt & Whitney
 Acquip, Inc.
 University of Florida

QUESTIONS?
COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Gainesville High School
400 students throughout the school’s 6 periods
 Interactive PowerPoint Presentation covering the
basics of rocketry
 Derivations of relatable equations
 Model rocket launches

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

PK Yonge Developmental and Research School
150 6th grade students
 Interactive PowerPoint Presentation with videos
 Model rocket launches
