Butane Rocket Launcher
In my 2023 Spring Mechanical Engineering Lab, we launched butane water bottle rockets with 4-bar linkages. The goal of this lab was to spin the linkages so the bottle flipped, the butane boiled in the water, and the bottle rocket launched from an optimal angle. To optimize the distance that the bottle traveled, we did experiments with varying amounts of butane, water, and water temperatures to determine the maximum amount of pressure, and thereby thrust, that the rocket could generate. We also conducted experiments on what size nozzle to use and the stability of our launcher. We developed a model to find the maximum pressure using the temperature of water and the ratio of butane to air inside the bottle. We also included in this model the height of a wall that the rocket had to clear. The model successfully predicted the flight path of our rocket. A final video summarizing our progress and final launch is included below.
