Airframe Components of Rockets and Missiles Table of Content 1 Nose cone 3 1.

1 Nose cone shapes and equations 3 1.1.1 General dimensions 3 1.1.2 Conical 3 1.1.3 Bi-conic 5 1.1.4 Tangent ogive 6 1.1.5 Secant ogive 7 1.1.6 Elliptical 8 1.1.7 Parabolic 9 2 Forward Fins & Aft Fins 10 2.1.1 Purpose of fins on a rocket 10 2.1.2 CG and CP 10 2.1.3 Why CP aft of the CG? 10 2.1.4 Why fins? 12 2.1.5 CP--how far aft of the CG? 13 2.1.6 Planform shape of the fins 13 2.1.7 Aerofoil shape of the fins 14 2.1.8 How many fins? 15 3 Airframe Tube 15 3.1 Airframe Function 15 3.2 Materials 15 4 Launch Lug 16 4.1 Use 16 4.2 Position 16 5 Boat-tail 16 Fig: by Courtesy : http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/rockpart.htm l Nose cone The nose cone is the forward-most part of the rocket. The purpose of the nose is to reduce the aerodynamic drag on the model. Most nose cones that you find in r ocketry are either made of either aluminum alloys, magnesium and high tensile (h igh stress) steel, these metals can withstand extreme heat and pressure. Nose cone shapes and equations General dimensions In all of the following nose cone shape equations, L is the overall length of th e nose cone and R is the radius of the base of the nose cone. y is the radius at any point x, as x varies from 0, at the tip of the nose cone, to L. The equatio ns define the 2-dimensional profile of the nose shape. The full body of revoluti on of the nose cone is formed by rotating the profile around the centerline (C/L ). Note that the equations describe the 'perfect' shape; practical nose cones ar e often blunted or truncated for manufacturing or aerodynamic reasons. Conical A very common nose cone shape is a simple cone. This shape is often chosen for i ts ease of manufacture, and is also often (mis)chosen for its drag characteristi cs. The sides of a conical profile are straight lines, so the diameter equation is simply Cones are sometimes defined by their half angle, : and Spherically Blunted Cone In practical applications, a conical nose is often blunted by capping it with a segment of a sphere. The tangency point where the sphere meets the cone can be f ound from:

where: rn is the radius of the spherical nose cap. The center of the spherical nose cap can be found from: And the apex point can be found from: xa = xo rn Bi-conic A bi-conic nose cone shape is simply a cone with length L1 stacked on top of a f rustum of a cone (commonly known as a conical transition section shape) with len gth L2, where the base of the upper cone is equal in radius R1 to the top radius of the smaller frustum with base radius R2. L = L1 + L2 for : half angle: and for : half angle: and Tangent ogive Next to a simple cone, the tangent ogive shape is the most familiar in hobby roc ketry. The profile of this shape is formed by a segment of a circle such that th e rocket body is tangent to the curve of the nose cone at its base; and the base is on the radius of the circle. The popularity of this shape is largely due to the ease of constructing its profile. The radius of the circle that forms the ogive is called the Ogive Radius and it is related to the length and base radius of the nose cone as expressed by the fo rmula: The radius y at any point x, as x varies from 0 to L is: The nose cone length, L, must be equal to, or less than the Ogive Radius . If the y are equal, then the shape is a hemisphere. Spherically blunted tangent ogive A tangent ogive nose is often blunted by capping it with a segment of a sphere. The tangency point where the sphere meets the tangent ogive can be found from:

where: rn is the radius and xo is the center of the spherical nose cap. And the apex point can be found from: xa = xo rn Secant ogive The profile of this shape is also formed by a segment of a circle, but the base of the shape is not on the radius of the circle defined by the ogive radius. The rocket body will not be tangent to the curve of the nose at its base. The Ogive Radius is not determined by R and L (as it is for a tangent ogive), but rather is one of the factors to be chosen to define the nose shape. If the chosen Ogive Radius of a Secant Ogive is greater than the Ogive Radius of a Tangent Ogive wi th the same R and L, then the resulting Secant Ogive appears as a Tangent Ogive with a portion of the base truncated. and Then the radius y at any point x as x varies from 0 to L is: If the chosen is less than the tangent ogive , then the result will be a Secant O

give that bulges out to a maximum diameter that is greater than the base diamete r. The classic example of this shape is the nose cone of the Honest John. Also, the chosen ogive radius must be greater than twice the length of the nose cone. Elliptical The profile of this shape is one-half of an ellipse, with the major axis being t he centerline and the minor axis being the base of the nose cone. A rotation of a full ellipse about its major axis is called a prolate spheroid, so an elliptic al nose shape would properly be known as a prolate hemispheroid. This shape is p opular in subsonic flight (such as model rocketry) due to the blunt nose and tan gent base. This is not a shape normally found in professional rocketry. If R equ als L, this is a hemisphere. Parabolic This nose shape is not the blunt shape that is envisioned when people commonly r efer to a parabolic nose cone. The Parabolic Series nose shape is generated by rot ating a segment of a parabola around a line parallel to its Latus rectum. This c onstruction is similar to that of the Tangent Ogive, except that a parabola is t he defining shape rather than a circle. Just as it does on an Ogive, this constr uction produces a nose shape with a sharp tip. For the blunt shape typically ass ociated with a parabolic nose, see the Power Series. (The parabolic shape is als o often confused with the elliptical shape.) For : K can vary anywhere between 0 and 1, but the most common values used for nose con e shapes are: K = 0 for a cone K = 0.5 for a 1/2 parabola K = 0.75 for a 3/4 parabola K = 1 for a full parabola For the case of the full Parabola (K=1) the shape is tangent to the body at its b ase, and the base is on the axis of the parabola. Values of K less than one resul t in a slimmer shape, whose appearance is similar to that of the secant ogive. The shape is no longer tangent at the base, and the base is parallel to, but offset from, the axis of the parabola. Forward Fins & Aft Fins

Purpose of fins on a rocket The purpose of putting fins on a rocket is to provide stability during flight, t hat is, to allow the rocket to maintain its orientation and intended flight path . If a typical amateur rocket was launched without fins, it would soon begin to tumble after leaving the launcher, due to the way that aerodynamic and other for ces (such as wind) act upon the rocket, in relation to the forces that are exert ed upon the rocket by the motor and by gravity. The problem here is that the roc ket's centre of pressure (CP) would be forward of its centre of gravity (CG). Fi tting fins on a rocket serves to locate the centre of pressure aft of the CG. Th is begs the question -- what exactly are the centre of gravity and the centre of pressure and why the importance of these? CG and CP The CG is simplest to explain. It is the mass balance point of the rocket, that is, if the rocket was laid horizontal and balanced on a pencil, the CG is the lo cation where the rocket balances. This is important, because this is the point t hat the rocket would rotate about if it was spun end over end. The CP is similar , it is where the resultant force of aerodynamic pressure acts, or the aerodynam ic balance point. This is perhaps best visualized by imagining yourself holding the rocket outside the window of a moving car, however, holding it perpendicular to the airflow (e.g. nosecone pointing away from you). If you were to hold the

rocket by grasping it with two fingers (such that it could pivot horizontally), the location where it would be perfectly balanced in the airflow is the location of the centre of pressure (it is somewhat more complicated, however, as the CP location varies with the angle of attack; in this example, the angle of attack i s 90 degrees). For a rocket that is to be stable in flight, this point must be a ft of the CG by a certain amount. Why CP aft of the CG? The importance of the location of CP relative to CG is apparent by considering a free body diagram of a rocket in flight. Figure 1 shows a stable rocket, with the CP aft of the CG. In this figur e, the rocket is illustrated in a simplified form. This is because this principl e is true for a body of any shape, not only for a finned rocket (for example, fi reworks rockets don't have fins yet are stable bodies). In Fig. 1A, the rocket i s shown during the powered flight This is an ideal state, with all the forces ac ting through the CG and no external (perturbing) forces present. The rocket is s table and accelerating with exclusively linear motion along the line of thrust. In Fig. 1B, a perturbing force is introduced, in this example, the force due to a gust of wind. The resultant of this pressure force acts through the CP, causin g the rocket to rotate about its CG, changing slightly the angle of attack (alph a). This change in angle of attack immediately generates a lift force, acting as sho wn (normal to the body) through the CP. This force balances the force due to win d, and the rocket remains stable, with its flight path only slightly altered. Fig. 2A illustrates a rocket with the CP, CG locations reversed, that is , the CP is ahead of the CG. This is an undesirable scenario. In this figure, th e rocket is initially stable, being in the same ideal situation as in Fig. 1A, w ith no perturbing forces present. Along comes a disturbing force, again a gust o f wind, as illustrated in Fig. 2B. The wind force acts with its resultant throug h the CP, again generating a slight rotation, and consequential change in angle of attack. Again, a lift force is generated due to the change in angle of attack , but this time the lift force acts in the same direction as the wind force. The consequence of this is an unchecked rotation of the rocket about its CG, as sho wn. The rocket becomes unstable, that is, its flight path is no longer linear mo tion, but rotational motion is introduced. The rocket tries to turn around and f ly backward. The thrust force from the motor does not allow this, of course, and so the rocket tumbles out of control. Why fins? It may be apparent from the preceding discussion that fins, per se, may not be n ecessary to maintain the stability of a rocket. Other means are possible to achi eve the same result, such as a stick attached to a fireworks rocket. However, fi ns are ideally suited to the task for many reasons. Fins are lightweight, low in drag, easily made and attached, can have just about any planform as is required , and probably most importantly, provide good assurance of a dynamically stable rocket This is because fins provide a high restoring lift force at even small an gles of attack. This is important to reduce turning momentum of the rocket (due to its mass), which can lead to an underdamped wobbling rocket (which would zigzag during its ascent), or at worse, dynamic instability caused by the restoring force being insufficient to overcome turning momentum. CP--how far aft of the CG? The exact location of the CP relative to the CG is rather a tradeoff. Having the CP too close to the CG risks having a rocket that is dynamically underdamped or even unstable. As well, since the CP for a typical rocket moves forward with in creasing angle of attack, a sharp wind gust or other perturbation may result in loss of stability. Having the CP too far aft of the CG is also undesirable. This is because the rocket will experience significant or even sever weathercocking, which means its flight path will veer in a direction into the wind, rather than climb vertically. For model rockets, the rule-of-thumb is to have a rocket with one-calibre stability. Calibre refers to body diameter, so that the CP should b

e located one body diameter aft of the CG. Anything more than two-calibre stabil ity leads to excessive weathercocking. Amateur rockets, which tend to be more ma ssive (literally, have more mass for a given size) than model rockets, may requi re a CP further aft than this recommendation, owing to the much greater turning momentum that results from its mass. I generally aim for the CP to be 1.5 to 2 c alibres aft of the CG of a fully loaded rocket. Planform shape of the fins Strictly speaking, the shape (planform) of fins for an amateur rocket is not hig hly important Nearly any reasonable shape will do the job, as long as the requir ed CP-CG relationship is maintained, and the span is sufficient to generate good restoring (lift) force. Bear in mind that fin span is more effective than fin l ength. Probably the best shapes for fins are either the clipped delta or the tra pezoidal (which is really a clipped delta with a forward swept trailing edge). I f it is necessary for stability purpose to move the CP further aft than either o f these two shapes allow, then the tapered swept planform may be considered. The se three fin planforms are shown in Fig. 3. There is one notable advantage to th e trapezoidal planform. Since the trailing edge is located forward of the end of the body tube, the fins are somewhat protected from impact damage (bending) whe n the rocket touches down. Even though the parachute reduces the descent rate si gnificantly, my rockets ended up with bent fins when using either of the other t wo planforms, as it is the fin trailing edges that initially make contact with t he ground. Aerofoil shape of the fins Although the fins are made of relatively thin sheet material (such as aluminum o r plywood), it is beneficial to shape the edges to provide something of an aerof oil shape in order to reduce pressure drag and induced drag. For rockets that wi ll fly at a velocity that is fully in the subsonic regime, the leading edges sho uld be rounded, the trailing edges should be wedge shaped, the outboard edge sho uld be left square edged, and of course the fin root edge does not need to be sh aped. The leading edge and trailing edges of a supersonic fin, however, should b oth be wedge shaped. Another design, that is suitable for both subsonic and supe rsonic fins, is the unsymmetrical aerofoil. The leading and trailing edges are c hisel-shaped, such that greater lift is developed on one surface of the fin. Thi s introduces a slight rotation to the rocket, about its longitudinal axis. This aids stability, and tends to eliminate minor veering that may result from unbala nced drag, such as from the presence of launch lugs. This fin profile was used o n the Cirrus One rocket with good results -- once stability was achieved, the ro cket climbed skyward very straight. These three aerofoil shapes are illustrated in Figure 4. An aerodynamic fairing at the junction of the fin root and the body is a good id ea, which could be beneficial in reducing interference drag.This sort of feature is often present on model rockets, with a glue or putty fillet applied at this junction serving this purpose. Another benefit to this sort of fairing is that i t increases the structural strength of the fin with regard to out-of-plane bendi ng loads that could result from handling or touchdown forces. How many fins? The function of a rocket's airframe may vary slightly by the design of the rocke t, but predominantly, the airframe is the central structural member of the rocke t. The motor mount and the fins transfer thrust to the airframe, and everything else - electronic bays, nose cone, bulkheads, etc. - is pushed by the airframe. Rockets can have multiple airframes like the Estes Trident, or Estes Ram Jet, of just one like most typical rockets. Regardless, the airframe is susceptible to all of the stresses involved in the entire flight from thrust, mach transitions, early or late ejection events, the recovery harness tugging on it in different directions, and the impact of landing in often awkward attitudes. Clearly, at least three fins are required (for hopefully obvious reasons). And I can't imagine a need to have more than four fins, other than for aesthetic reas

ons. So the question becomes -- 3 or 4 fins? Nearly all my rockets had four fins . With such an arrangement, I found it simpler to form the root bend on the fins , and end up with fins that were neatly and symmetrically aligned. Three fins ar e best when designing a high performance, low drag rocket. This allows interfere nce drag (drag caused by interference of the airflow over the body and fins at t he junction) to be reduced by 25 percent. For this reason, the Cirrus One rocket was designed with a set of three fins. Airframe Tube Airframe Function Materials Because of the stresses involved, the airframe's material plays an important rol e in the performance and in some cases, the motor selection for a rocket. Launch Lug Launch lugs are small cylinders attached to the sides of most model rockets, int o which the launch rod is placed prior to a launch. They are generally made of e ither plastic or thin cardboard to minimize additional mass. Use The sole purpose of launch lugs is to provide stability for a model rocket prior to and during liftoff by forcing the rocket to remain parallel to the launch ro d during the first seconds of flight, before significant velocities are reached and enough momentum is built up to maintain stability. At higher velocities, the fins act as the rocket's primary stabilizing devices. Position In smaller rockets, one launch lug is generally considered enough, and is attach ed at the joint between one of the rocket's fins and the main rocket body. In la rger, heavier model rockets, a second launch lug is generally added closer to th e nose cone and lined up with the first, to provide additional support. The diam eter of a launch lug generally closely matches that of the launch rod, although it is very slightly larger to minimize friction during the precarious first mome nts of flight. Length varies, ranging from less than a half-inch in smaller rock ets to a few inches or longer in larger ones. Boat-tail A transition section at the tail of a rocket (or other vehicle) that gradually n arrows the body down to the motor diameter. It thereby helps reduce base drag. A component of aerodynamic drag caused by a partial vacuum in the rocket's tail a rea. The vacuum is the hole created by the rocket's passage through the air. Bas e drag changes during flight. While the motor is firing, the drag is minimal sin ce the tremendous volume of gas generated by the motor fills this void. The drag takes a sharp jump at burnout when this gas disappears. Base drag can be reduc ed by the use of a boat-tail to transition the main body diameter down to the mo tor diameter which helps direct air into the evacuated area. When properly desig ned, a boattail can reduce base drag below zero (i.e. actually generate a small amount of forward thrust) by making use of the "pumpkin seed" effect.