Structures

The Structures subteam is responsible for designing and manufacturing the airframes used in the Spaceport America Cup competition and High Altitude Projects

Our Tubes

The main airframe of the rocket consists of student-built composite tubes. We use our own equipment to do wet layups over aluminum mandrels. Depending on the application, we typically choose between carbon fiber for its high strength, or glass fibers for when RF transparency is necessary.

In 2018, we developed a method to increase the range of fiber orientations in our composite layers,  thereby optimizing our tubes for the expected loads during flight. 

Structures also produces tubes for the Alka project team when that competition was being held prior to the COVID 19 Pandemic. For more information on this, take a look at our Alka page under our Archive

Modular Design Strategy

In past years, our rocket airframe has been made of 2 continuous body tubes, a nose cone and an aluminum fin can. For the 2022 SAC rocket, we switched to a modular design.  In effect, these will be 3-4ft sections that can be swapped out as desired. Radax aluminum couplers joined modules together.  The 2022 SAC rocket is also a change of pace for the team as we made an 8.5" vehicle instead of the usual 6" vehicle that had been standard for our team for the past 4 years.


Pictured above is the  2020-2021 SAC competition rocket

Fin Design & Construction

Fincans

The team designed a fincan with aluminum binder pieces and aluminum bronze fins for the 2023 high altitude project. 

Carbon Fiber Fins

For the 2022 SAC competition, we went back to composite fins designing a fully carbon fiber fincan, with a massive wingspan of 33"!

Manufacturing

The structures team are the experts in composites manufacturing & machining on the team. Pictured is using the student machine shop's water jet to cut our carbon fiber fins out

Structures Lead: Daniel Cockcroft (cockc007@umn.edu)

Would you like to attend a meeting? Check out the team calendar to find out when the next one is!