The beginning
Without any kind of contact with this area, supported by the curiosity coming from Youtube, I decided to build my first rocket engines. The propellant used was a mixture of potassium nitrate and regular sugar. I used steel and PVC chambers. The nozzles were made of nylon and, later, kitty litter. None of these rockets had any kind of theoretical care.
1º Engine
- Potassium nitrate and regular sugar;
- Steel engine chamber;
- Nylon nozzle and the other end covered with nylon;
Observations: The nylon ends eventually popped off due to the high pressure generated inside the chamber.
Date: 23-01-2021
2º Engine
- Potassium nitrate and regular sugar;
- Steel engine chamber;
- Nylon nozzle and the other end welded;
- Copper wire pieces for holding the nylon nozzle;
Observations: The oxidizer and fuel, so far, were just ground up and compacted inside the engine chamber. The steel tube was too heavy and the nylon nozzle melted.
Date: 24-01-2021
3º Engine
- Potassium nitrate and regular sugar;
- PVC engine chamber;
- Kitty Litter nozzle and the other end covered with Kitty Litter;
Observations: The rocket body was constructed from PVC pipe.
In these rockets, for better performance, the mixture of oxidizer and fuel was melted. Even though the engine was not tested on a test bench, a better performance was noticeable. All of these rockets flew, and were not subject to any static tests.
Date: 25-01-2021 to 07-02-2021