SEDS Newsletter '13

NEWSLETTER

JULY 2013 Volume 1

Students for the Exploration and

Development of Space

----

University of California, San Diego

Welcome: - How SEDS@UCSD all began

Advisors: - Dr. Forman Williams – UC San Diego

Combustion Professor - Jonathan Jones – Marshall Space Flight Center

Aerospace Engineer - Carl Tedesco - Flometrics

Senior Engineer - Paul Breed – Unreasonable Rocket

Design Advisor

3D Printed Injector Plate: - A first glance into the future of rocket science

The Static Fire System: - Creating the test stand that will ensure

workability

DIY Rocket Competition: - The challenge to design a 3D Printable Rocket

motor

The Future: - A look into SEDS’s future goals

Contents

Students for the Exploration and Development of Space 9500 Gilman Dr. MC0078 La Jolla, CA 92093-0078

[email protected]

Page 2 Vol. 1

SEDS

Students for the Exploration

and Development of Space (SEDS) is a

globally recognized organization, with

36 chapters in the US, that is expanding

rapidly around the world. The chapter

at UC San Diego was founded during the

2012-2013 academic school year by

Deepak Atyam, Joshua Benedictos, Ken-

neth Benedictos, Benjamin Liu, and Del-

phine Sherman.

The founding President,

Deepak Atyam, was inspired by a col-

league, working on rocket engines, to

pursue further research into metal

printed motors. That colleague, and

current SEDS@UCSD mentor, Jonathan

Jones, assisted us in the development of

complex rocket engines using a relative-

ly simple precision device, a 3D printer.

In theory the time and cost to manufac-

ture an injector plate could be signifi-

cantly reduced via the utilization of a

Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DLMS)

printer. With the assistance and guid-

ance of Marshall Space Flight Center

and other prominent individuals in the

Aerospace field, SEDS@UCSD became a

group of undergraduate researchers on

a mission to design, print, and test the

feasibility of 3D printed rocket engines.

As a tight knit team of engi-

neering students working diligently,

SEDS has become a well-established

organization at San Diego, in the span of

just a few months.

Welcome

Dr. Forman Williams is the staff advisor for SEDS at

UCSD. Dr. Williams holds a PhD in Engineering Science and is re-

nowned for his specialization in the field of combustion through

his authoring of Combustion Theory (Addison, Wesley, 2nd

and co-

author of Fundamental Aspects of Combustion (Oxford, 1993). He

received his BSE from Princeton University in 1955 and his PhD

from California Institute of Technology in 1958. He then taught

at Harvard University until 1964 and later remained at UCSD since 1988. Dr. Williams

generously provided work space in his combustion lab on campus for the SEDS team to

assemble their static fire test system.

Carl Tedesco is the technical advisor for SEDS, providing

workspace at his engineering company, Flometrics, in Carlsbad,

CA. He currently holds the position as senior engineer at Flomet-

rics, responsible for the design, fabrication, analysis, testing, and

documentation of consumer products from medical devices to

spacecraft components. Mr. Tedesco received his Bachelor of

Science in Mechanical Engineering (1997) as well as his Masters of Science in Mechanical

Engineering (2004) from San Diego State University (SDSU). He served as the advi-

sor/mentor for the SDSU Rocket Project since 2003 and currently maintains that position

today. Mr. Tedesco has taught Fluid Mechanics courses at SDSU as well as provided a great

deal of information and physical assistance in the assembly and plumbing of the SEDS static

fire system.

Paul Breed, a prominent engineer in the Aerospace field, is an

advisor for SEDS who has counseled the club as well as donated nu-

merous parts for the static fire test system. Paul Breed is the current

owner of Netburner and has served as Network Management Engi-

neer at Argon Networks, Shiva, and Cabletron. A graduate from

Harvey Mudd College, Paul Breed is most notable for his blog “Unreasonable Rocket,” in

which he documents the projects that he constructs in his garage. A striking individual in

the area of 3D printing, he designed and printed the 1st

successfully flown liquid fueled 3D

rocket engine.

Jonathan Jones, an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space

Flight Center, has been an advisor for SEDS since the formation of the

club. He introduced the concept of 3D printing and challenged SEDS to

design the injector plate providing advice on the dimensions and warning

the team about common mistakes to avoid while designing a rocket’s

propulsion system. He also provided SEDS access to GPI Prototype &

Manufacturing Services, Inc., a rapid prototyping and additive manufac-

turing service company that printed out the 3D rocket engine

propulsion system. He also provided SEDS access to GPI Prototype & Manufacturing Ser-

vices, Inc., a rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing service company that printed out

the 3D rocket engine design.

Page 3 Vol. 1

SEDS

3D Printed Injector Plate

UCSD became the first university in

the world to design and print a liquid fueled

metal rocket engine. Starting with a group of

eager and determined students in the field of

rocket science, SEDS began reading books,

learning rocket equations, and working

out graduate school

level problems prior to

acquiring knowledge

on injector plate and

combustion chamber

designs. Through their

continual research and

the help of their men-

tors, SEDS was able to

engineer their own

rocket motor with

unique upstream man-

ifolding, specifically

utilizing the advantages

of 3D printing. The injector plate’s orifice pat-

tern features a F-O-O-F element pattern with

two outer fuel orifices converging with two in-

ner oxidizer orifices. An innovative boundary

film cooling layer, with a spiral orientation, was

incorporated in the design in an attempt to

concentrate the propellant combustion to the

center so that heat flux could be decreased on

the chamber walls. In addition, a regenerative

cooling jacket was designed to encase the en-

gine from the throat to the nozzle. The regen-

eratively cooled jacket is used to improve the

performance, and lifespan of the motor. With

the finalized design, SEDS decided to print the

engine with cobalt-chromium as the material

of choice using a Direct Metal La-

ser Sintering (DMLS) 3D printer.

Unfortunately, upon receiving the

team’s printed engine, the 3D

printing company didn’t manufac-

ture the motor as was detailed.

October

- Project Assigned by Jonathan Jones

November – January

- Reviewed Textbooks: Study-ing textbooks and docu-ments on rocket propulsion to ensure understanding of the rocket equations and de-signs

February

- Applied rocket equations to given parameters to deter-mine dimensions for the rocket engine

Any testing of the propulsion

system was postponed until ear-

ly-October 2013. SEDS members

that are at UCSD for the summer

are working on finalizing the

testing stand, working on a data

acquisition system, and obtain-

ing sensors to measure thermal

fluctuations and pressure in the

engine. The printed engine has

been shipped to Langley Re-

search Center where technicians

are working with President,

Deepak Atyam, to try and cor-

rect the manufacturing error.

Pictured: 3D printed Regeneratively Cooled Liquid Fueled Rocket Engine

2012-2013 Timeline

Page 4 Vol. 1

SEDS

March

- Fundraising: The SEDS team

took every opportunity to

barbeque a homemade reci-

pe of delicious marinated

chicken at campus events in

order to buy parts and mate-

rials

April

- Determined injector plate

element pattern (FOOF):

Compared the pros and cons

of various element patterns

and concluded that the FOOF

design was best suited for

optimum engine perfor-

mance

the pneumatic valves were successfully

tested with liquid oxygen to check for

proper function in subzero tempera-

tures. Countless hours were spent on

the design and construction of the stat-

ic fire test system to ensure safety and

reliability. After completion, a pressure

test was conducted to assure that all

valves were properly working. Lastly, a

leak test was done with a highly sensi-

tive solution called “Snoop,” which

bubbled at locations on the test appa-

ratus that were leaking air during the

pressure test. This pin pointed areas

that needed to be either tightened or

re-fitted to prevent leakage. Once as-

sembly was complete and all tests con-

firmed faultless working components,

the static fire test system was com-

plete. The entire system will be mount-

ed to a grounded I-beam at the Friends

of Amateur Rocketry (FAR) launch site

in Mojave, California, and will be fired

in early-October, 2013.

in the walls of the combustion

chamber to improve engine performance

and efficiency. With the finalized design,

SEDS decided to print the engine with

The Static Fire System

With a finalized

design of the engine, it

was essential for SEDS to

test their system in order

to gauge the feasibility

and efficiency of creating

a rocket motor via the

method of 3D printing.

The Static Fire System will

be used to test the engine

and was conceptualized

and fabricated by the

SEDS team. It will be

Pictured: SEDS Static Fire System

With a final-

ized design of the

engine, it was essen-

tial for SEDS to test

their system in order

to gauge the feasibil-

ity and efficiency of

creating a rocket mo-

tor via the method of

3D printing. The Stat-

ic Fire System will be

used to test the

engine and was concep-

tualized and fabricated

by the SEDS team. It will

be implemented to de-

termine whether or not

3-D printed rocket mo-

tors can meet their an-

ticipated performance

level. Prior to fabrication

of the test stand, a

schematic of the entire

system was drawn and

the SEDS team gathered

necessary parts through

donations, borrowing,

and fundraising.

The static fire test appa-

ratus consists of a blow-

down system and con-

tains two separate tanks

(the liquid oxygen tank

and the RP-1 tank) fol-

lowed by a system of

pipes, fittings, and actu-

ators that lead to the

engine. However, before

assembly, a flow-test of

the injector plate was

performed to ensure the

orifices were not

clogged, which might

have occurred during

printing. In addition, the

pneumatic valves were

tested with liquid oxy-

gen to check for proper

function in subzero

temperatures. Countless

hours were

With a final-

ized design of the en-

gine, it was essential

for SEDS to test their

system in order to

gauge the feasibility

and efficiency of creat-

ing a rocket motor via

the method of 3D

printing. To test a

rocket engine a con-

traption called a Static

Fire System is used,

aptly named due to the immobile na-

ture of the structure, to conduct the

experiment. The Static Fire System was

conceptualized and fabricated by the

SEDS team. It will be implemented to

determine whether or not 3D printed

rocket motors can meet their expected

level of performance. Prior to fabrica-

tion of the test stand, a schematic of

the entire system was drawn to scale

and the team gathered necessary parts

through donations, borrowing, and var-

ious fundraisers.

The static fire test apparatus

consists of a pressure-fed system that

utilizes two separate tanks holding liq-

uid oxygen and RP-1 (Rocket Propel-

lant-1), respectively. The tanks are fol-

lowed by a system of pipes, fittings,

and actuators that lead to the engine.

However, before assembly, a flow-test

of the injector plate was performed to

ensure the orifices were not clogged,

which might have occurred during

printing. In addition,

Page 5 Vol. 1

SEDS

First Print with a Plastic Printer

- Printed plastic 3D Injector

plate with a Makerbot plastic

printer. Got a first look at the

physical model of the pro-

posed injector plate

- Flow tested plastic injector

plate with water. Analyzed

potential printing errors and

improved design to prevent

faults in the final metal print-

ing of the injector plate

May

- Static Fire System Design began.

- Construction of the static fire test apparatus: acquired skills in pipe bending, flaring, and honed machining skills.

The DIY Rocket Competition is a

contest created by DIYRockets Inc. and

is dedicated to lowering the cost of

space exploration through cooperative

efforts by its contestants. The objective

of the competition itself is to create a

collaborative design and a business case

for safe and cost-efficient 3D printed

rocket engines that are capable of carry-

ing up to 10kg payloads into Low Earth

Orbit. SEDS-UCSD’s design won Best

Student Team taking home $2,500 prize

money as well as each team member

receiving $165 in credit for 3D printing

at Shapeways printing center

This past year we have designed,

analyzed, and printed a 200lb thrust

rocket engine that is soon to be tested

in the Mojave this upcoming October.

UCSD will be the first University in the

world to have accomplished this and if

successful, will be the first entity out of

NASA to have tested the feasibility of 3D

parts to this level.

DIY Competition

The resolution of the Makerbot Replicator 2 plastic printer wasn’t able

to print every orifice precise to its dimensions which blocked the impingement

of some holes.

SEDS has currently designed

an engine that acts as the third stage

of a NanoSat launcher capable of at-

taining 200lbs of thrust. If the static fire

test is successful, it will be confirmed

that 3D printers are a viable option for

producing entire rocket engines of this

size, not just individual components.

With the assistance SEDS received from

local companies and from the first per-

son in the world that has designed,

printed, and tested metal rocket en-

gines, Paul Breed, the SEDS team be-

lieves that they will succeed in their

static fire test. Their next step, after a

successful static fire, would be to con-

duct a proof of concept test in an at-

tempt to design, print, and test the first

stage of a three stage NanoSat launch-

er. If triumphant, it will be theoretically

proven that all 3 stages of a NanoSat

launch vehicle can be printed for a frac-

tion of the cost and time with sizeable

increase in performance, efficiency, and

accuracy.

Page 6 Vol. 1

SEDS

June

- 3D printed rocket motor re-ceived in two separate parts.

- Hydro-tested metal injector plate and completed static fire system assembly.

After the DIY Competition,

SEDS@UCSD will continue their en-

deavor for space exploration and ex-

pand their network as well as gain visi-

bility in the Aerospace industry. This

will be done by attending conferences

and communicating with prominent

professionals and industries. In the

past, the SED team members engaged

in industry tours specifically with

Space-X and the Jet Propulsion Labora-

tory. In addition, they organized din-

ners with professionals where they

conversed and learned about the indi-

vidual’s job and experience working in

the Aerospace field.

In the future, SEDS plans on

attending the AIAA Space 2013 Confer-

ence & Exposition in September 2013,

which will be hosted in San Diego. They

will find out what lies ahead in the

Not Pictured: Edmond Ngo, Jin Oh

The Future


latest innovations in space technology

as well as showcase their past year’s

project as they discuss their work, chal-

lenges, and solutions. Later, the team

members will relocate to Arizona State

University from November 7th to No-

vember 10th in order to participate in

the SEDS SpaceVision conference. This

event will demonstrate the cooperative

efforts of scientists and engineers with

business people, artists, and journalists

who will continue to make our civiliza-

tion a space faring one. SEDS@UCSD

also plans to write a technical paper and

submit it for entry to the AIAA Region VI

Student Conference in 2014. Further-

more, SEDS plans on entering other var-

ious competitions to continue their

growing passion for space exploration

and development of new technologies.


Page 7 Vol. 1

SEDS

Deepak Atyam President [email protected]

Joshua Benedictos Vice-President [email protected]

Kenneth Benedictos Secretary [email protected]

Edmond Ngo Treasurer [email protected]

Special thanks to:

Garvey Spacecraft

Corporation

Club Officers

Benjamin Liu Chapter Representative [email protected]

Documents

SEDS Newsletter '13