Aerostructures Project List
AE1: Composites Manufacturing
Description
This project is dedicated to building the rocket airframe. This is a challenging task due to our use of composites, mostly carbon fiber and glass fiber. As part of this project you will learn how to make composite parts using Vacuum-Assisted Resin Infusions (VARI) and Prepreg.
We will teach you the theory behind our different manufacturing techniques and then it will be all hands on. Your workflow will involve showing up to weekly worksessions to help in every stage of building the rocket airframe from individual part manufacturing to final assembly. There will also be many opportunities to conduct R&D and testing to find ways to further optimize our manufacturing techniques to help with a 60k rocket development.
Keywords
Manufacturing, Composites, Carbon Fiber, VARI, Prepreg, R&D, Mechanical Testing
Timeline
Medium-term project (1 year), renewed yearly
Requirements
Good critical thinking and problem-solving skills
Ability to come up with innovative ideas
Interest in manufacturing and hands on work
Resources
AE2: Jigs and Tooling
Description
The Jigs and Tooling project involves a variety of smaller projects, which can be tackled individually or in collaboration with a teammate. While some projects are specific to the Aerostructures subteam, others offer the chance to collaborate with members from different subteams, gaining exposure to various aspects of the rocket design and building! These projects contribute to learning CAD, how to produce engineering drawings, and tooling, all of which are very useful in industry and for personal projects down the line!
Specifically, Jigs and Tooling aims to find solutions that simplify construction processes, enhance other subteams' work, and make challenging tasks feasible. For example, in the past year, we made a drop test jig for the Recovery subteam, making drop tests possible! We also made a new tube-cutting jig that significantly improved the precision and cleanliness of the cuts on the mainframe tube. The workflow will consist of problem analysis, initial design, design review for improvement, and ultimately building your solution!
Keywords
CAD, Design, Tooling, Manufacturing, Jigs, Stands
Timeline
Continuous, medium-term project: a few weeks/months long each
Requirements
Interest in design
Interest in manufacturing
Familiarity with CAD is a plus
Resources
AE3: Composite Mould Development
Description
We are conducting research and development for future rockets which will bring us to altitudes we’ve never reached before. We want to develop new, in-house composite moulds to replace the outdated off-the-shelf moulds we are currently using. Composite moulds offer great versatility to be adapted to our current manufacturing techniques, and will allow us to produce more complex and intricate geometry for the rocket parts. These will include producing split moulds (2-4 piece) to produce future airframe components, such as one-piece fin can which would integrate the rocket body tube and the fins all in one piece. The composite moulds will also allow us to start manufacturing composite parts for other subteams such as ‘fintennas’ to improve the reliability and strength of the radio signals we receive from the rocket.
This project will give you the chance to work on your design skills, as well as gaining experience with various hand tools and hands-on manufacturing of composites. We are still in the early stages of development for our composite moulds so this project will involve large amounts of R&D to find ways to best optimize our processes.
Keywords
Research and development, composite materials, manufacturing, materials engineering, mechanical properties
Timeline
Long-term project (1-2 years)
Requirements
Good problem solving skills, ability to conduct research and come up with innovative ideas
Interest in manufacturing and hands on work
Interest in composite materials
Resources