Design and Static Stability of a Model Missile Rocket.

Abstract— This study focuses on ensuring the static stability of model missile rockets, which is crucial for maintaining a zero angle of attack and returning to equilibrium when disturbed by external forces such as wind or model inconsistencies. The objective is to develop and compare methods for determining the center of pressure and assessing static stability to simplify the design process for reliable launches of exhibition and sports model rockets. The methodology includes a simplified method that approximates the center of pressure as the center of the rocket's two-dimensional silhouette, suitable for small angles of attack (15-20°), a graphical method that has been developed and compared to various methods for estimating the center of pressure and assessing static stability and has been validated using SolidWorks Flow simulation.  The results show that static stability is achieved by placing the center of gravity in front of the center of pressure. The simplified and practical plane figure method yields an error of 15-28%, which is suitable for demonstration rockets, while the analytical method achieves high accuracy with an error of 0-0.34%, which is ideal for competitive sports models. The graphical method provides moderate accuracy with an error of 3-12%. Validation with SolidWorks confirms the reliability of these techniques. The proposed methods streamline the design process for both demonstration and sports model rockets, ensuring the analytical method recommended for high-performance models in international competitions and the possibility of further refinement in future research. Conclusion. The proposed method for ensuring static stability of a model rocket makes it possible to simplify the design process of both demonstration and sports models of rockets for reliable demonstration launches.

SolidWorks, Flow Simulation, Model rocket, Center of pressure, Static stability of the rocket, Rocket design, Stabilizers

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