model rocket cluster design

[casrip1@gmx.com]

hey guys, i'm planning out a model rocket design with store-bought motors (unfortunately i can't get my hands on any oxidizers, stupid canadian law...) and i'm planning to go with a cluster motor design because i plan on sending some payload.

 

i'm planning on using 3 estes e12-0 standard motors (those are the strongest e-type motors right?) what i'm wondering is what type of mounting design should i use.

 

i have two ideas: 1. put in 3 motors evenly spread out, tilted parallel to the tangent of the circle. 2. 3 motors evenly spread out, tilted both, parallel to the tangent of the circle as well as perpendicular to the tangent of the circle.

 

i don't know if that made much, if any sense... by circle, i refer to the body of the rocket. by moving it parallel to the tangent of the shape of the body, it adds a simple tilt in the motor placement which should cause the rocket to spin to increase stability (think of it as mounting the motors tilted on the sides of a triangular prism). by moving the motor in parallel AND perpendicular to the tangent, i feel like it would add even more stability but i'm not sure (think of it as mounting the motors tilted on the sides of a tetrahedron)

 

which of the 2 placements sound better to you guys?

 

also, this rocket design will be a non-recovery type; more specifically, i plan on making the rocket split in mid air into 2 pieces, exposing the payload in mid-air. so i'm wondering, can i drill into the backs of the rocket motors (in the end cap) in order to insert a fuse which would light up when the motor runs out of propellant? this fuse would run along the side of the rocket body (which would be pre-cut in half and taped together with the fuse running along the tape) so when this fuse ignites it will basically split the rocket in two (by burning off the tape). then, i could place a small charge above/below the payload with a fuse leading to a 2nd motor with a slightly longer fuse than the first fuse (separation fuse). this would give the first fuse the time to separate the rocket into two, and then the small charge would ignite and push the 2 sides of the rocket body apart, exposing the payload.

 

i'm totally in love with the idea of working with multi-sequence rocket designs and eventually i wanna get to a point where i could launch a rocket into the air, have it split and then have the payload deploy (or perhaps, maybe have the payload carry another motor to take it further, or whatever).

 

so does the design plan so far sound like something that can be successfully implemented into an amateur model rocket? keeping in mind this rocket will be no longer than 2 feet.

Edited July 26, 2013 by casrip1@gmx.com

[alexwang32]

Boy, this sounds pretty cool. I'm no rocket scientist so I dunno how it will go, but it sounds promising.