somebody Posted February 16, 2006 Posted February 16, 2006 FYI, I've seen nozzleless KNO3/sorbitol(+ 1-2% Fe2O3) rockets(cored).
BigBang Posted February 16, 2006 Posted February 16, 2006 Has anyone here tried using say xylitol oor other "exotic" sugars as fuel? I would like to know how they compare preformance wise to that of dextrose or sucrose.
BigBang Posted February 17, 2006 Posted February 17, 2006 Care to elaborate on what happened, what proportion you used?
Pyrohawk Posted February 17, 2006 Posted February 17, 2006 Has anyone experimented with effects for this propellant? This propellant is quite boring as there is little flame especially at night.  I've discussed extensively the effects available and getting a visible flame with James Yawn and we have both attempted several tests to get a flame out of this stuff to no avail. There just seems to be no way avoiding the carbonate almost completely extinguishing/hiding the flame except for Ti flakes....  I have tried quite a few things including the addition of many different grades of Al and have tried making RCandy with Ba(NO3)2 and Sr(NO3)2.....Yawn tried NaNO3 but none of them provided a flame of any sorts..... I might add you can't make Sr nor Ba Candy, it gets a very thick sticky texture that is impossible to cast and burns almost like snakes, producing tons of ash with barelyt any flame. The NaNO3 that Yawn tried did work as a propellant (not a great one) but still had no flame... I would love to get a flame out of this stuff but the damn carbonate keeps it from happening.....
Kilo_G Posted February 17, 2006 Posted February 17, 2006 Have you tried adding fine iron filing i.e. brake rotor dust? Probably wouldn't make fire but it'd probably make a tail, that would be a lot cheaper than Ti.
[w00t] Posted February 17, 2006 Posted February 17, 2006 mine fly with no core but not as good with a core.. doesnt matter if its granulated or powdered if ur going to melt it..
Sason.net Posted February 18, 2006 Posted February 18, 2006 sorry, my bad, I ment core less rocket I succeeded making a nozzle less rocket. a friend told me once that adding Al powder or shreds could make the fule stronger but has low affect on the tail effect I havet tried it yet Pyrohawk adding Al shreds to the fule is really make this fule stronger by your point of view?
Pyrohawk Posted February 19, 2006 Posted February 19, 2006 I didn't notice any increase in its power but keep in mind that I only tested one rocket at night with it......when I saw no effect in its tail I didn't mess with it anymore.... I have heard howevor that adding a little Al may increase power slightly in this propellant..... but I didn't notice it....
[w00t] Posted February 19, 2006 Posted February 19, 2006 i only noticed a nice effect with Aluminium powder when uisng charcoal instread of sugar tho..
Sason.net Posted February 22, 2006 Posted February 22, 2006 but we are talking about KN SU rockets....pyrohawk what is the size of your rocket that you tested?maybe Al shreds has an effect on the fule in some sizes i guess
Pyrohawk Posted February 23, 2006 Posted February 23, 2006 Am I correct in assuming you meant me??It was nothing special, just a bottlerocket. 3/4" ID and 3 1/2" long..... I wanna get back to rockets, I just have no time to do anything anymore...what with school and work...
Sason.net Posted February 23, 2006 Posted February 23, 2006 Oh its a very small rocket/// i thought you used a bigger one... never mindSorry my bad i ment you I'll try a KN SU Mg fule... yeah I know its dengarous but i will try and see if it has some affect
Zeppelin Posted February 24, 2006 Posted February 24, 2006 I have tried kno3\sugar with a little bit of sparkler dust in it, finely ground up and then melted. It seemed to burn much quicker than my other ones. Sorry i dont have and ratios, i dont have a digital weight yet... I just eyeballed it.
[w00t] Posted February 28, 2006 Posted February 28, 2006 I have tried kno3\sugar with a little bit of sparkler dust in it, finely ground up and then melted. It seemed to burn much quicker than my other ones. Sorry i dont have and ratios, i dont have a digital weight yet... I just eyeballed it. i think u should try to dissolve the powder in hot water and filter it. and then dry up the stuff i nthe filter and use that instread. the oxidizer in the sparklers changes the balance of the entire mixture. it could also make it burn even faster
Pyrology Posted March 2, 2006 Posted March 2, 2006 Question: i suck with rockets, How does one mount a payload? and insure it goes off while the rocket is in flight? thinking about a little project. Big rocket goes up, flash charges goes off, raining parachute army men
Frozentech Posted March 2, 2006 Posted March 2, 2006 Question: i suck with rockets, How does one mount a payload? and insure it goes off while the rocket is in flight? thinking about a little project. Big rocket goes up, flash charges goes off, raining parachute army men I hotglue mine directly to the top of the rocket, then tape up from the tube, over the header and down the other side to the tube again. If it's a cylinder shaped payload, hotglue , then kraft paper pasting over both the top of the rocket tube and the header. To ensure it goes off in flight, make a passfire hole in your bulkhead ( clay pressed on top of the fuel grain ). You can either use a very short time fuse, or you can use zero delay, quickmatch or a straw with some blackmatch in it to pass fire to the shell. If you do that you may want to add a couple scoops of a delay composition to the top of the fuel grain.I don't have access to all my pics here ( I am at work ) but I am sure others on here can post some examples or lead you to a tutorial. Here is one example, not too precise but you should get the idea...http://geocities.com/mini_bielecki/r_yloads.htm
SpakFace Posted March 13, 2006 Posted March 13, 2006 I have a quick question regarding this propellant, does anybody know what the flashpoint is? I searched Google but couldn't find anything, thanks in advance.
Mumbles Posted March 19, 2006 Posted March 19, 2006 The flash point is below room temperature I believe. Finding the flash point of solids is kind of hard to do at times. Are you actually after the flash point, or the autoignition temperature. They are two different things that a lot of people confuse.
SpakFace Posted March 20, 2006 Posted March 20, 2006 Ah yes, I must of meant autoignition, as I was wondering if hot glue would cause the propellant to ignite? And would a layer of cardboard or something between the propellant and glue decrease the chance of ignition?
Mumbles Posted March 21, 2006 Posted March 21, 2006 Well, it is higher than 186C. Hot melt glue softens and melts at around 90C. It should be alright. I would however use a cardboard as a barrier. The tip of the glue gun is a lot hotter than 90C. The tip may be able to ignite the composition. What are you planning to use hot glue for?
SpakFace Posted March 21, 2006 Posted March 21, 2006 I plan to use hot glue as the endcap and nozzle, to see if it would be good enough, although now that I think about it, the heat from the propellant burning may melt it. Is there anything else I can use if hot glue isn't suitable? I know people use kitty litter and clay but is there some glue or putty that would be good enough for nozzles?
Boomer Posted March 21, 2006 Posted March 21, 2006 End cap: OK. Heat transfer through plastic is slow, i.e. only the layer next to the propellant will melt. Nozzle: No way. The hot gasses moving through will erode the hole FAST, to the point of a nozzleless motor  Maybe for very small motors that burn under a second, with washers inserted... but why bother. If you don't want to ram at all (i.e. no citty litter + propellant is also cast), use at least epoxy, ideally mixed with sand to a stiff paste. Tried re-enforced plaster? Concrete? Cryptonite?
FrKoNaLeaSh1010 Posted March 21, 2006 Posted March 21, 2006 I have read of people using durhams rock hard plumbing putty however i cant remember if it was just for endplugs for salutes or fountain nozzles. It could be worth a shot if you have it laying around. I use speedy-dry which is a clay like substance (not sure if its clay) that is designed to put on oil spills in mechanic shops....comes in 50lb bags but i'm sure you could go to a local mechanic shop and they might give you a pound (they usually have multiple 50lb bags. My dad is a mechanic thats how i got it but it works great for fountain and rocket nozzles.
Mumbles Posted March 21, 2006 Posted March 21, 2006 It is just clay. The bag we have in the garage says it may contain silica, don't know what that is for. It may just keep the granules free flowing.
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