Material and dimensions of main chamber are:
RESEARCH SERIES:
HIGH ALTITUDE DEPLOYMENT SYSTEMS: WHAT WORKS!
BY
Arnold Roquerre
All Material Copyrighted 2003
HiRMI E-Match & FFFF Deployment System Test at Sea Level
ROUSE-TECH D3 (CO2) Deployment System Tests at Sea Level
FFFF Experiment 1 at 100000'- Charge Wrapped in Plastic Wrap
FFFF Experiment 2 at 100000'- Charge Wrapped in Plastic Wrap dipped in Epoxy
FFFF Experiment 3 at 100000'- Packed in Metal Cylinder
FFFF Experiment 4 at 100000'- Packed in PVC Fitting
CD3 (CO2) Experiment 5 at 100000'
Space Warp Technology (SWT) investigates High Altitude Deployment Systems to find what works! SWT examines rocket recovery systems used in high altitude rocket flights based on gun powder (FFFF) and CO2 pressurized canisters. Tests were carried out in an inexpensive "high altitude testing chamber" built large enough for realistic simulations. The chambers used were large enough to insure that partial pressurization of the units during the activation of the CO2 and FFFF based systems would not influences the validity of the test test. Space Warp Technology looked at how the following behaved at low pressure (e.g., 100,000 feet altitude):
Articles on the subject of deployment systems used in rockets at high altitudes by NASA and other publications involved in rocketry indicate that low temperature is not an issue with FFFF powder or air pressurization. This somewhat simplified the experiment by not requiring temperature to be factored in for the tests. The tests focused on the robustness of the CD3 (CO2) deployment device sold by Rouse-Tech when used to deploy recovery systems at high altitudes in rockets. The effectiveness of the chief activation system (the HiRMI) electric match was also thoroughly investigated because electric matches are key components to the above two systems. How exact airframe components have to fit to ensure that the FFFF or CO2 systems worked was examined. high altitudes.
Arnold Roquerre
.
Upper Atmospheric Testing Chamber
Designed by Arnold Roquerre
The PVC testing chamber is inexpensive to build - less than $100.
Equipment and Material:
Material and dimensions of main chamber are:
Face mask for protection
- a must!
Precision Pump Model D25 - On loan from Dr. Helmut K. W. Kallwass (many thanks).
Weiss Low Pressure Gauge.
Carbon Lucite Bell Jar has a volume of approximately 500 cubic inches.
Other Materials:
The cone is pressurized and
blows of taking the bulkhead with it and anything attached to the line behind
it.
CD3 (CO2) Deployment
System As Used in Test Cone & Airframe. The CO2 cartridge
is a 12 gram threaded cartridge. The CD3 is used in the same manner as FFFF gun
powder, except the CO2 cartridge is attached to the outside of the bulkhead.
Testing HiRMI E-Match at pressure equivalent to an altitude of 60,000'.
Click on Picture to See Video.
Testing HiRMI & 1.5 FFFF Gunpowder Separation at Sea Level.
Click on Picture to See Video.
Testing One CD3 (C02) Device at Sea Level.
Click on Picture to See Video.
Testing Two CD3 (C02) Devices simultaneously fired at Sea Level.
Click on Picture to See Video.
Equipment, conditions, amount FFFF used, igniter uses:
- Room temperature: 58F
- Powder charge: 1.5 gram with one HiRMI match wrapped in plastic wrap.
After wrapping FFFF powder and match, the package was dipped
in
5 minute Zpoxy to form an air tight shell.
- Pressure dropped to the equivalent altitude of 60,000'.
- Charge ignited by remote control. The receiver was inside of chamber along
with power
supply.
Results:
- Match ignited
- Almost no burn of FFFF.
Conclusion:
- Not enough powder burned to build pressure high enough to separate cone
from airframe.
Equipment, conditions, amount FFFF used, igniter uses:
- Room temperature: 54F
- Powder charge: 1.5 gram with one HiRMI match wrapped in plastic wrap.
After wrapping FFFF powder and match, the package was
then wrapped
in
vinyl electrical tape and dipped
in 5 minute Z-poxy twice to form an air tight
thick shell.
- Pressure dropped to the equivalent altitude of 100,000'.
- Charge ignited by remote control. Receiver was inside of chamber along with
power
supply.
Results:
- Match ignited .
- Partial burn of FFFF.
Conclusion:
- Not enough FFFF burned to build pressure high enough to
separate cone from airframe.
Equipment, conditions, amount FFFF used, igniter uses:
- Room temperature: 54F
- Powder charge: 1.5 gram with one HiRMI match in aluminum cylinder
packed tight
with paper. Cylinder wrapped in vinyl elastic tape and
dipped
in 5 minute Z-poxy form an air tight shell, .
- Pressure dropped to the equivalent altitude of 100,000'.
- Charge ignited by remote control. Receiver was inside of chamber along with
power
supply.
Results:
- Match ignited.
- total burn of FFFF.
The resulting explosion separated the bell.
Conclusion:
- Enough FFFF burned to build pressure to separate cone from airframe.
Equipment, conditions, amount FFFF used, igniter uses:
- Room temperature: 54F
- Powder charge: 1.5 gram with one HiRMI match in PVC fitting
consisting of two PVC fittings
packed tight with paper.
- Pressure dropped to the equivalent altitude of 100,000'.
- Charge ignited by magnetic remote control. Receiver placed inside of
chamber along with the power
supply.
Results:
- Match ignited.
- Total burn of FFFF.
Video of the test.
Conclusion:
- Enough FFFF burned to build pressure to separate cone from airframe.
Experiment
5
5/28/03
Equipment, conditions, amount FFFF used, igniter uses:
- Room temperature: 65F
- Powder charge:
FFFF to drive plunger, one HiRMI match in
CD3 System and one 12 gram
CO2 cartridge.
Note:
The instructions suggest pouring epoxy into the match chamber to seal them. This was not done. Paper wadding was pressed into the wells around the matches. Each match had the cover removed and red electrical tape wrapped around the outside of the match head to prevent a short should it touch the sides of the CD3 metal container. Each match was then pulled into the opening and more wadding pressed around the match.
- Pressure dropped to the equivalent altitude of 100,000'.
- Charge ignited by magnetic switch. The switch and a 9 volt battery had been
placed inside the low pressure chamber
along with the cone and airframe.
Results:
- Match ignited.
- Total burn of FFFF used to drive CD3 plunger.
- CD3 plunger pierced the 12 gram CO2 canister which blew the cone off the
airframe.
Video of the test.
Conclusion:
- Enough pressure built up to separate cone from airframe.
Ejection systems based on FFFF
black powder
have to burn long enough to ensure that all the powder is consumed before
pressure drops. Finding ways to accomplish the above easily and at low cost is
what much of research addressed.
Conventional charge
deployment systems will not work at high altitudes. In order to work, the FFFF
has to be kept under pressure until most of the FFFF has ignited. One way to
achieve this is to pack the FFFF gun powder in a metal tube and then seal the tube such
that the powder, when ignited, is contained within the chamber until most of the
powder has been ignited. The long and short, it comes down to chamber pressure. As
long as chamber pressure can be maintained until all the powder is burned,
altitude is not an issue.
The performance of FFFF
black powder at
high altitudes is reliable, cheap and simple to use if the FFFF is properly
packed in a metal or PVC container. FFFF won out over CD3 every time when the
two system were used in a loose fitting configuration. Only in a tight fitting
compartment does the CD3 system compete with FFFF.
The CD3 Deployment System
works. The only caveat I would give is that of the somewhat anemic separation when
using only one CD3 when the compartment to be pressurized is not airtight. This may
prove to be a problem for some deployment designs. If the compartment is air
tight, the CD3 is as reliable as FFFF properly packed in a
metal or PVC container. On the other hand using two CD3 units fired
simultaneously increased the margin for compartments not totally airtight. While
not exactly the same separation as given by the FFFF charges, the difference
would not be a concern.
Deployment systems for use in small sounding rockets
should be tested in a pressure chamber, if possible. The apparatus is reasonably
inexpensive compared to a high altitude rocket and the electronics usually
accompanying a high altitude flight. Set up and testing is time
consuming. However, the time and money saved, the increase in safety from
knowing if the design will work, and increased safety margins gained makes the effort worth while.
If one does not have access to a
low pressure testing chamber, one can be assembled using a 6" diameter by
18" PVC pipe for the testing chamber for under $100 including fittings. A low pressure pump
can be rented for less than $150 or purchased used for under $350. A small clear test chamber, that can be used in conjunction with
the larger chamber, can be made cheaply -
Bell
Jar.
All the results presented above are what one researcher, myself, has concluded. More research and information by others performing similar experiments would contribute to this area of research. Believe it or not, NASA or any other government agency is not the final word on anything including space flight. Space flight is still very much a frontier anyone with the interest can participate in and, possibly to the knowledge base that will benefit space flight.