Cover Page

Water Rocket Technical Report

Water Rocket Team 1

Team Members

Grade

Ben Mill

11th

Herbert Lee

11th

Michael Gunter

10th

Address

Royal Palm Beach Community High School

School ID #2331
Mr. Paul Miller
January 11th 2012
1

Abstract
The bottle rocket which is utilized in aeronautics and engineering involves the
understanding of the change in pressure of the bottle rocket, the mass, rocket propulsion and the
propellant used. In the construction of our rocket we noticed that using different materials for the
fins had an impact on the air resistance of the bottle rocket. In our findings, using foam as the fin
material over cardboard increased the overall air resistance of the bottle rocket which helped
increased the hang time of the rocket. To maximize the hang time of our rocket we used material
that would have a high air resistance because we have found that if materials with a low density
better maintain the air resistance of the rocket as opposed to materials with higher densities. For
our ballast we needed to put into consideration the density of the ballast material due to the
impact that it has on the hang time of the rocket.
When we put in the variables for the calculations, we noticed that when we compared the
calculations from another set of calculations from JFK Middle School in 2009 2010 we came
across various errors in their work pertaining to finding the proper calculations for example when
they were finding the acceleration value the multiplied instead of divided which led to their error.
In building our rocket the team made some collaboration with the schools engineering academy.
The collaboration better helped us understand the calculations

Table of Contents
Cover Page..................................................................................................................................................1
Abstract.......................................................................................................................................................2
Table of Contents.........................................................................................................................................3
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................4
Design.........................................................................................................................................................5
Calculations.................................................................................................................................................6
Conclusions/Recommendations...................................................................................................................8
Bibliography................................................................................................................................................8

Introduction
One of the earliest uses of rockets in history was in China between 200 AD and 1500 AD
which were often used in battle, and in celebrations and actually the word rocket originated from
the Chinese characters which also meant fire rocket. Later in the 1200 the Chinese began to
experiment with tubes filled with gunpowder. They would fill the tubes with gunpowder, cap off
one end and leave the other open and then attach the tubes to arrows and shoot using a bow.
When done, they discovered that the gunpowder could combust while escaping the tube and the
modern rocket was introduced. The Chinese then used this to repel the nomadic Mongol tribes in
the battle of Kai-Keng in the 1200s. Then following the battle the Mongols made rockets of their
own which spread across Europe. Later in the Renaissance (15th century) many individuals were
devising rocket experiments; one of which was the rocket powered torpedo system by Joanes of
Fotana. (Brief History of Rockets)
(History of Rockets) In the Enlightenment period (17th century), the fundamentals of
science began to be associated with rocketry. Sir Issac Netwon organized three laws of motion
that provided mechanisms for the purposes on how rockets functions. For example the first law
of motion stating that an object at rest stays at rest until acted upon by an outside force which
means that the rocket does not move until the rocket motors are fired (outside force). Another
example involving Newtons first law is the combusted of hydrogen and oxygen expelling from
the body tube that causes the formation of an opposite force which pushes the rocket upwards.
Later in the late 1800s a Russian schoolteacher named Konstanin Tsiolkovsky (1857
1935) made propositions of ideas about the use of rockets in space exploration. The purpose of
his propositions was because of the rockets speed being determined mainly by the exit velocity
of the gases escaping. He also mentioned that the use of liquid propellants will result in better
range as opposed to using solid propellants. Although Tsiolkovsky mentioned that rockets are
more efficient in space, but failed to provide a purpose. This was resolved in the 20th century
when Robert Goddard provided the reason in his 1919 pamphlet named A Method of Reaching
Extreme Altitudes. In the pamphlet Goddard provided the purpose in which why rockets have a
greater efficiency in the vacuum of outer space than in the air of Earth due to the lack of matter
behind or between pushing against the rocket which has an impact on the speed and range of the
rocket. In Goddards work, he proved Tsiolkovskys hypothesis of that a liquid-based propellant
is better fuel for a rocket as opposed to solid based propellants.
Hermann Oberrth (1894 1989) was a German scientist who published a book on rocket
travel that influenced the formation of small rocket societies such as The Society for Space
Travel which developed the V-2 rocket around the 1930s. The formation of the rocket was then
proven essential to be essential to the Germans in WWII but fortunately for the Allies the rocket
was developed to late in the war to have led to any changes in the outcome of the war. When
Germany lost in the war, and when the Allies seized Germany, many German scientists moved to
the United States while other scientists moved to The Soviet Union. The United States and The
Soviet Union then began to compete in a race in space travel. The Soviets were the first to send
an artificial satellite to space with the launch of the Sputnik on October 4th, 1957, which was
followed one month later by the launch of a satellite with a dog onboard named Laika to space.
Several months later the United States launched their owned artificial satellite to space which
was called Explorer I on January 31st, 1938. Following the successful launch the United States
4

formed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration which was established with the goal
of continuing space exploration and improvements to rocketry to benefit the human race.
Since the formation of NASA and Explorer and Sputnik, rockets have been used by many
to help benefit humankind. Rockets have started out as gunpowder powered arrows used for
militaristic purposes that progressed into tools used by scientists, governments, corporations, and
to help forecast the weather, explore space, and attack nations in battle. Overall rockets have
assisted humans in learning about how the universe works.
Design
Water rockets are often used to help students to better understand the aspects of
aeronautics such as the flow of air around the rocket, the materials needed for efficiency and
impacts on the hang time of the rocket, and the control and the impacts of external conditions
would have on the rocket such as wind speed, direction, weather conditions, and altitude. The
materials used to make the rocket have an impact on the rockets hangtime. Before we continue
into this we need to better understand molecular weight and how it applies to density. (Density of
Gases) There is a direct variation between the molecular weight of the compound or elements
and the densities of those gases.

Let us say that we have two balloons with one having been filled with carbon dioxide and
oxygen while the other is filled with helium. The molecular weight of the helium inside the
balloon is 0.18 x 104 g/cc while the molecular weight of the carbon dioxide inside the balloon is
1.97 x 103 g/cc. Despite that the added molecular weight of the rubber material of the balloon,
the helium balloon still manages to rise. The same principle can be applied to water rockets. For
example if you have two bottle rockets with one that uses cardboard as the fins and a one that
uses foam as the fins, the foam rocket would most likely have the longer hangtime due to the

foam material having greater air resistance due to its lower molecular weight compared to the
cardboard.
(Water Bottle Rockets)For the rocket body the use of ballast is to help the rocket stay in
the air while it is coasting. The ballast material used for the rocket (two bottle rocket) is
styrofoam. We prefer to use styrofoam for the rocket ballast due to its low density which helps
sustain the stability of the rocket.
Calculations
1. Selected Air Pressure of Bottle is 70 psi

Area of Nozzle (m^2) = r2

P = Pi Pf

2. Mass Flow Rate

= A cd 2 P

70 psi 14.7 psi = 55.3 psi

N = 1 Newton or N = kg m/sec2
14.7 psi = 101,300 N/m2

A = 3.14 (.01)2
A = 3.14 0.0001
A = 0.000314 m2
= 0.000314 m2 .98 2 998 kg/m3 381081 N/m2

101,300 N 55.3 psi = 14.7X

5601890 = 14.7X
5601890/14.7 = X
X = 381081 N/m2

= 0.000314 m2 2 998 kg/m3 381081 N/m2

= 0.000314 m2 760637676 kg2/m4/sec2
= 0.000314 m2 27579.6 kg2/m2/sec

= 8.65 kg/sec
3. Exit Velocity V = m/( A)

= Mass Flow Rate = 8.65

kg/sec
= Density of Water = 998 kg/m3
A = Area of Nozzle = 0.000314
m2

V = 8.65 kg/sec /(998 kg/m3 0.000314 m2)

V = 8.65 kg/sec/(0.313372 m)
V = 27.6 m/sec

4. Thrust ft = m V

= Mass Flow Rate = 8.65

kg/sec
V = Exit Velocity = 27.6 m/sec

ft = 8.65 kg/sec 27.6 m/sec

= 998 kg/m3

ft = 238.74 kgm/sec2

Volume of Water = 1.1 L

5. Mass of Water
mH20 = Density Volume of Water
mH20 = Volume of Water
mH20 = 998 kg/m3 .0011m3
6

1.1L = 1100 mL or 1100 cm3 or

.0011m3

6. Net Force
f = ft fd (mave g)
f = 238.74 kgm/sec2 0 (1.144 kg 9.8 m/sec2)
f = 238.74 kgm/sec2 11.21 kgm/sec2

f = 227.53 kgm/sec2

ft = thrust = 238 kgm/sec2

fd = drag
fd = 0 due to rockets small size
g = Gravity = 9.8 m/sec2
= average mass of rocket = mass
of rocket empty + mH20/2
Mass of rocket empty= 595
grams

7. Acceleration
a = f/mave

mH20 = 1.098 kg
2

a = 227.53 kgm/sec /1.144 kg

a = 198.88 m/sec

mave = .595 kg + 1.098 kg/2

mave = .595 kg + .549 kg
mave = 1.144 kg

8. Range
R = V2 (bottle) sin 2 /g
R = (25.05 m/sec)2 (sin 2 50)/9.8m/sec2
R = (25.05 m/sec)2 sin 100 /9.8m/sec2
R = (25.05 m/sec)2 .984 /9.8m/sec2
R = 627.5m2/sec2 .984 /9.8m/sec2
R = 617.5m2/sec2/9.8m/sec2
R = 617.5m2/sec2/9.8m/sec2
R = 63.01 m
R = 63.01 m 3.2808 ft
R = 206.7 ft

f = Net Force = 227.53 kgm/sec2

mave = Avg. mass of Water 1.144
kg
V = Velocity of Bottle Rocket
V=at
a = acceleration = 198.88 m/sec2

t = time when all water is

expelled from the rocket
t =mH20/m
= 1.098 kg
= 8.65 kg/sec
t = 1.098 kg/ 8.65 kg/sec
t = .126 sec
V = 198.88 m/sec2 /.126 sec
V = 25.05 m/sec
= 50
g = gravity = 9.8m/sec2
1m = 3.2080 ft

Conclusions/Recommendations
In building our rocket we encountered some issues such as the shape of the fins. In our
findings we concluded that rhombus shaped fins helped lengthened the hangtime of the rocket
compared to triangle shaped fins. Also we have found that using three to four fins works best for
the bottle rocket because if we were to use more the fins can have an impact on increasing the
overall density of the bottle rocket which can reduce the hangtime significantly. We have also
founded that using thinner fins can be helpful for maximizing the hangtime by improving the
overall aerodynamic function.

Bibliography
Brief History of Rockets. (n.d.). Retrieved from NASA.gov: http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k12/TRC/Rockets/history_of_rockets.html
Density of Gases. (n.d.). Retrieved from Elmhurst College:
http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/123Adensitygas.html
History of Rockets. (n.d.). Retrieved from Florida International University:
http://www.allstar.fiu.edu/aero/rock_hist1.html
Water Bottle Rockets. (n.d.). Retrieved from Tim Hesterburg's website:
http://home.comcast.net/~timhesterberg/WaterRockets.html

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