A new propulsion system GUI based control amenable model development for high-power rockets

Abstract

This paper proposes a new algorithm to model and characterize an autonomous high-power rocket using an indigenously developed graphical user interface (GUI) platform. This platform features a newly devised app, termed as THIEC Rocketry App which embeds the simulation based analysis to determine the design parameters of the rocket, required for a vertical flight. A solid propellant using potassium nitrate and sucrose, also known as rocket-candy, is considered for the GUI development. The GUI facilitates the designer to specify the desired flight parameters for the rocket propulsion system. Various characteristic plots for visualization and analysis are made available in GUI. The obtained parameters from the GUI are then utilized in computer-aided designing (CAD) for further identification of geometrical parameters like inertia tensor, center of gravity (CG) and center of pressure (CP). The mathematical control amenable model of the rocket is then developed using first principles so as to achieve an altitude up to 3 km. The overall system represents a complex nonlinear multi-input multi-output (MIMO) dynamics, having six degrees of freedom. The Newton-Euler formulation is employed to develop the equations of motion. The attitude control using canards is analyzed via simulations for the complete flight path - the boost and coast flights. Finally, the developed GUI based model is validated by practically manufacturing the components of the propulsion system for the small-scale high-power rocket. The proposed model will create the pathway for the development of some robust model-based control schemes for such autonomous rockets in future.