instructables
Steel High-Power Model Rocket Engine
by proberts-1
In this instructable, I'll go through the steps I took in
constructing a steel model rocket engine for use in a
medium-size high-power model rocket. The motor
uses solid propellant casted from household
materials, and the design is inspired by Richard
Nakka's experience (more at nakka-rocketry.net).
Steel High-Power Model Rocket Engine: Page 1
Building a rocket is a fun pastime if you take the
necessary safety precautions, but dealing with
explosives in a confined chamber is inherently
DANGEROUS and I am not responsible for any injury
or harm that occurs as a result of your use of this
instructable.
Step 1: Step 1: Materials
For this project, you'll need the following materials:
1-1/4 in. steel EMT conduit
1018 Low-Carbon steel bar stock
10-24 machine screws (at least 6)
Silicone sealant
Assorted O-rings
Spectracide brand stump remover
Sorbitol (a type of sugar available at health
Step 2: Step 2: Making the Nozzle
This is by far the most time-consuming step of the
process, and once it is complete things tend to go
smoothly.
On the metal lathe, position the steel bar (cut to a
desired length of around 4 or 5 inches) so that it spins
around its center of rotation and does not put too
much shear stress on the mount. Use lathe cutting
tools to work the diameter of the bar down so that it
will just fit into the conduit tubing. then, come in at a
15 degree angle and make the inner part of the
diverging section of the nozzle, cutting away from the
center first and eventually expanding the cut into an
inner cone. Then, switch the cutting side of the lathe
attachment, and cut away the outside of the cone at a
15 degree angle. This doesn't help the rocket work
better, but cuts down on weight and makes it look like
a distinctive rocket nozzle.
Once this is finished, turn the nozzle around and cut
an inner cone in the other side, this one at 30
degrees. This usually takes a while, but make sure to
Steel High-Power Model Rocket Engine: Page 2
supplement stores)
Tools:
Power drill
Metal lathe with several assorted cutting tools
Drill press
Well-ventilated cooking surface
10-24 screw thread tap and drill bits around this size
leave the outside of the nozzle a cylinder in this
section - this is what will mount to the engine body.
The two inner cones should meet at a region of
minimum diameter called the "throat". This section
constricts the flow of hot gases and accelerates them
to mach 1 inside of the nozzle, so it is very important
to make sure that this is smooth without any sharp
ridges, to avoid causing acoustic shocks and
disrupting the flow.
Lastly, cut a ridge near the bottom of the cylindrical
section for O-ring placement. This is important as it is
what seals the rocket tight, but might take some trial
and error depending on the size of O-rings you can
acquire.
Once the nozzle is turned, the last step is to drill
holes for the machine screws. Being careful to space
the holes at 120-degree cylindrical angles, use the
drill press to drill 3 holes of a slightly larger diameter
than the screw taps. The nozzle is now complete!
Steel High-Power Model Rocket Engine: Page 3
Step 3: Step 3: Pressure Bulkhead

Our last step on the lathe is to cut the pressure bulkhead. This is basically a cap to stop gases from coming out of
the back of the engine. Cut a short section of steel (around half an inch) so that its diameter is close to the inner
diameter of the pipe, and cut another ridge for an o-ring. Then, drill 3 holes just as in the nozzle for mounting.

Steel High-Power Model Rocket Engine: Page 4

Step 4: Step 4: Preparing the Casing

Using the drill press, change drill bits to a slightly
smaller drill bit (ideally, the one that came with the tap
when you bought it). After cutting the tube to a length
of 6 inches on your favorite saw, drill holes so that
they align with the ones on the nozzle and bulkhead
on opposite sides of the tube. Then, carefully tap
threads in each hole. You can then test the fit of
everything with the screws and O-rings, making sure
everything is tight and aligned linearly. In the picture,
you can see the nozzle attached and sealed with
high-temperature silicone sealant, because my O-
rings were a little small.

Steel High-Power Model Rocket Engine: Page 5

Step 5: Step 5: Propellant Grain
There are several options for homemade propellant
grains, but the one I used uses 60% KNO3 and 40%
Sorbitol (C6H14O6) mixed and casted into a solid
grain. The KNO3 (from stump remover) acts as an
oxidizer, allowing the sugar molecules to combust
quickly and releasing a large amount of energy. Using
a pan you're not planning on cooking food on, mix
100 grams of this mixture and start it on low to
medium heat. Within a few minutes, the sugar will
start to caramelize, and throughout this process you'll
want to move the mixture around with a spoon or
spatula so that it doesn't stick and burn. Once the
mixture forms a slurry with the consistency of runny
peanut butter, pour the mix into your rocket with the
Steel High-Power Model Rocket Engine: Page 6
nozzle attached and the bulkhead off. You don't want
this to stick, so it is good to use some sort of lubricant
on the rocket or coat the edges in paper. Also, the
propellant grain needs a cylindrical hole down the
middle to burn, so insert a pencil or a wooden dowel
through the throat while this dries.
This type of propellant is very hygroscopic, meaning
that it absorbs moisture from the environment readily.
To avoid this, once the mixture dries and holds its
shape, remove it from the rocket and place it in a
Tupperware container until it is ready for use.
Steel High-Power Model Rocket Engine: Page 7
Step 6: Step 6: Ignition
Ignition can be quite challenging under the wrong
conditions, and there are a few different ways to do
this. In the above picture, you can see me
experimenting with fuses I made by soaking yarn in a
supersaturated mixture of KNO3 and sugar, then
drying in an oven at 300 degrees for 20 minutes.
Unfortunately, these fuses didn't work, which I expect
is due to the fact that the cord was made of nylon
instead of cotton. At the last minute, I was forced to
buy some Estes model rocket igniters from the store
and use those. For a static test of the rocket engine, I
have it duct-taped to a curb far from any pedestrians
or cars. This is not the best set up - it would be better
and safer to use a specially-designed test stand that
ensures the rocket will stay in one place. However, in
this case I was using a small propellant grain and had
some time constraints.
When I tested this design, I was able to ignite some
Steel High-Power Model Rocket Engine: Page 8
different propellant grains, but unfortunately the
ignition wires were shorting out on the steel nozzle,
so I was forced to come in through the back and
loosen the bulkhead. This ended up breaking the seal
and much of the gas was directed out the back. The
nozzle still worked and directed a fraction of the
exhaust in the correct direction, but this model did not
produce a large amount of thrust. With better igniters
and further tweaking, there is no reason this wouldn't
successfully provide 50-100 pounds of thrust with the
right propellant grain.
The above video shows a test of the engine, with the
aforementioned problem obvious. From my viewing
position, you could see the plume out of the nozzle
that is unfortunately obscured by smoke in the video
due to the back blowing out.
 https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FLK/FU1F/JN28JR4S/FLKFU1FJN28JR4S.mov
… Download

Great project. If you get a chance I would recommend embedding the video. If you upload it to a
site like YouTube, you can embed the video in the page using the Embed Video tool in the step
editor. Then readers would be able view the video on the page without having to download it.

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