Hello,
I have a question regarding stability and how to design for a stable rocket.
I have an initial center of mass for the full rocket without fuel/propellant, and one for a fully loaded rocket with propellant.
As the mass changes, and due to the placement of the tank, the center of mass for a fully loaded rocket is moved quite substantially to the front of the rocket.
But as the rocket is launched and the fuel is being burnt, the total weight of the rocket decreases, and I am assuming the center of mass then will move back to where it is for an empty tank.
With the current calculation, over half of the ascent occurs with an empty tank, and this leads to my question:
When designing the fins for stability, should one base the calculations on the center of mass for the fully loaded rocket or the empty tank?
With a fully loaded rocket, the stability is over 6.0, while for an empty tank, the number is around 1.5-2.
Hope someone may help
I have a question regarding stability and how to design for a stable rocket.
I have an initial center of mass for the full rocket without fuel/propellant, and one for a fully loaded rocket with propellant.
As the mass changes, and due to the placement of the tank, the center of mass for a fully loaded rocket is moved quite substantially to the front of the rocket.
But as the rocket is launched and the fuel is being burnt, the total weight of the rocket decreases, and I am assuming the center of mass then will move back to where it is for an empty tank.
With the current calculation, over half of the ascent occurs with an empty tank, and this leads to my question:
When designing the fins for stability, should one base the calculations on the center of mass for the fully loaded rocket or the empty tank?
With a fully loaded rocket, the stability is over 6.0, while for an empty tank, the number is around 1.5-2.
Hope someone may help