Water rocket acts as an excellent homemade product for a fun pastime. The advantage of its creation is the lack of the need for fuel. The main energy source is compressed air, which is pumped into a plastic bottle using a conventional pump, as well as liquid that is released from the tank under pressure. Let’s find out how a water rocket can be constructed from a plastic bottle with a parachute.
Operating principle
A do-it-yourself water rocket from a plastic bottle for children is going to be quite simple. Only a suitable container filled with liquid is required, an automobile or
bicycle pump, as well as a stable launching pad, where the craft will be fixed. After installing the rocket, the pump pressurizes the bottle. The latter soars into the air, spraying water. All "charge" is consumed in the first seconds after take-off. Further, a water rocket continues to move along a
ballistic trajectory.Tools and materials
A water rocket from a plastic bottle requires the following materials:
- actually the container itself is made of plastic;
- valve plug;
- stabilizers;
- parachute;
- launch pad.
In the process of designing a water rocket, scissors, glue or adhesive tape, a hacksaw, a screwdriver, all kinds of fasteners may be required.
Bottle
The plastic container for creating a rocket should not be too short or long. Otherwise, the finished product may be unbalanced. As a result, a water rocket will fly irregularly, fall on its side, or it will not be able to rise into the air at all. As practice shows, the ratio of diameter and length of 1 to 7 is optimal here. For initial experiments, a bottle of 1.5 liters is quite suitable.
Bung
To create a nozzle of a water rocket, it is enough to use a stopper-valve. You can cut it off the bottle from under any drink. It is imperative that the valve does not let air through. Therefore, it is better to remove it from a new bottle. It is recommended to check its tightness in advance by closing the container and squeezing it tightly with your hands. The stopper-valve can be attached to the neck of a plastic bottle with glue, sealing the joints with tape.
Launch pad
What does it take for a water rocket to take off from a plastic bottle? The pad plays a decisive role here. For its manufacture, it is enough to use a sheet of chipboard. The bottleneck can be fixed with metal brackets mounted on a wooden plane.
Parachute
So that a water rocket can be used several times, in order to successfully land it, it is worthwhile to provide a self-expanding parachute in the design. You can sew his dome from a small piece of dense fabric. A strong thread will serve as slings.
The folded parachute folds neatly and fits into a tin can. When a rocket soars into the air, the lid of the tank remains closed. After starting a homemade rocket, a mechanical device is triggered, which opens the can door, and the parachute opens under the influence of air flow.
To implement the above plan, it is enough to use a small gearbox, which can be removed from the old radio-controlled machine or wall clock. In fact, any battery-powered electric motor will do here. After the rocket takes off, the shafts of the mechanism begin to rotate, winding the thread connected to the lid of the container for the parachute. As soon as the latter is released, the dome will fly out, open and the rocket will smoothly go down.
Stabilizers
So that a water rocket soars evenly into the air, it is necessary to fix it on the launch pad. The simplest solution is to make stabilizers from another plastic bottle. The work is performed in the following sequence:
- To begin with, a plastic bottle of at least 2 liters is taken. The cylindrical part of the container should be flat, not contain corrugations and textured inscriptions, since their presence may adversely affect the aerodynamics of the product during startup.
- The bottom and neck of the bottle are cut off. The resulting cylinder is divided into three strips of identical size. Each of them is folded in half in the shape of a triangle. Actually, the folded strips cut from the cylindrical part of the bottle will play the role of stabilizers.
- At the final stage, strips are cut off from the folded edges of the stabilizers at a distance of about 1-2 cm. The formed protruding petals in the central part of the stabilizer are turned in opposite directions.
- Corresponding slots are made at the base of the future rocket, where the petals of the stabilizers will be inserted.
An alternative to plastic stabilizers can serve as pieces of plywood in the shape of a triangle. In addition, a rocket can do without them. However, in this case, it will be necessary to provide solutions that will allow the product to be fixed on the launch pad in a vertical position.
Fore part
Since the rocket will be installed with the cork down, it is necessary to put a streamlined nose on the bottom of the inverted bottle. For these purposes, you can trim the tip from another similar bottle. The latter must be worn on the bottom of the inverted product. You can fix such a bow with tape.
Launch
After the above steps, the water rocket is essentially ready. It is only necessary to fill the container with water by about a third. Next, you should install the rocket on the launch pad and pump air into it using the pump, pressing the nozzle to the cork with your hands.
A pressure of about 3-6 atmospheres should be pumped into a bottle with a capacity of 1.5 liters. It is more convenient to achieve the indicator using a car pump with a compressor. In conclusion, it is enough to release the plug-valve, and the rocket will fly into the air under the action of a stream of water that beats from it.
Finally
As you can see, making a water rocket out of a plastic bottle is not so difficult. Everything that is required for its manufacture can be found in the house. The only thing that can cause difficulties is the manufacture of a mechanical parachute deployment system. Therefore, in order to facilitate the task, its dome can simply be put on the nose of the rocket.