Aluminum rocket forumulas

[firetech]

Does anyone know any good comps for aluminum rocket fuel with bp chems that makes white sparks or a nice white flame?

Thanks

[Mumbles]

I've heard just taking your normal fuel and adding 5-10% atomized aluminum adds a very nice white flame and a bit of a tail. Coarser flitter type Al would probably give a better tail. The glitter sized atomized aluminum does make the fuel a bit hotter, so you might not want to use rockets that are already on the verge of CATO.

 

Moved to the rocketry section.

[pyrogeorge]

can i use Al flakes??around 10-20 mesh..?

 

I will use it in comets.

[TheSidewinder]

That mesh might be a BIT too coarse for what you want to do. The Al will burn, yes, but it might not be dense enough within the grain to make much of a tail.

 

But, like many things pyro, give it a try! It won't hurt and might look very good. Be sure your Al is coated to prevent an Al-Nitrate reaction.

[Mumbles]

These rockets are pressed dry. Unless you're storing them for years, or have terrible quality chemicals, there is no chance of a reaction. If it makes you feel safer, you can add a little boric acid.

 

This reminds me. You should only press rockets containing aluminum. The Al will increase the sensitivity.

[qwezxc12]

firetech,

 

I've attached some videos of 1lb endburner rockets I made a while ago to test various metals in the BP. All the rockets were identical in nozzle size and construction, except for the -350 flake one, which had a little more fuel than the rest. As you can see the different grades of Al do increase the combustion temp and whiten the flame, but do not contribute much to any tail. The flitter grade Al I used did make a little bit of spark, but until you get into Fe, Fe/Ti, and Ti flake or sponge, there's not much of a tail.

 

The -350 flake and 5um spherical Al do add quite a bit of power to a standard BP rocket - I've made many a "bomb-on-a-stick" dialing in Al% and nozzle size...like mumbles said, adding Al to a rocket on the edge of CATO will ensure its demise.

 

Have fun experimenting.

[psyco_1322]

Those are some pretty spirally rockets