Vertical Wind Tunnel for Prediction of Rocket Flight Dynamics
Hoani Bryson,
Hans Philipp Sültrop,
George Buchanan,
Christopher Hann,
Malcolm Snowdon,
Avinash Rao,
Adam Slee,
Kieran Fanning,
David Wright,
Jason McVicar,
Brett Clark,
Graeme Harris,
Xiao Qi Chen
Affiliations
Hoani Bryson
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
Hans Philipp Sültrop
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
George Buchanan
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
Christopher Hann
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
Malcolm Snowdon
Rocket Lab Ltd., 3A Airpark Drive, Auckland 2022, New Zealand
Avinash Rao
Rocket Lab Ltd., 3A Airpark Drive, Auckland 2022, New Zealand
Adam Slee
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
Kieran Fanning
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
David Wright
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
Jason McVicar
School of Engineering and Information and Communication Technology (ICT), University of Tasmania, Private Bag 65, Hobart 7001, Australia
Brett Clark
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
Graeme Harris
Engineering and Architecture Department, Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT), P.O. Box 540, Christchurch Mail Centre, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
Xiao Qi Chen
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
A customized vertical wind tunnel has been built by the University of Canterbury Rocketry group (UC Rocketry). This wind tunnel has been critical for the success of UC Rocketry as it allows the optimization of avionics and control systems before flight. This paper outlines the construction of the wind tunnel and includes an analysis of flow quality including swirl. A minimal modelling methodology for roll dynamics is developed that can extrapolate wind tunnel behavior at low wind speeds to much higher velocities encountered during flight. The models were shown to capture the roll flight dynamics in two rocket launches with mean roll angle errors varying from 0.26° to 1.5° across the flight data. The identified model parameters showed consistent and predictable variations over both wind tunnel tests and flight, including canard–fin interaction behavior. These results demonstrate that the vertical wind tunnel is an important tool for the modelling and control of sounding rockets.
