High-Power Rocket Motor Hardware

Aerotech high-power RMS hardware has a number of components

• The casing. This is a polished aluminium tube which varies in length according to the size of the motor reload. The tube has a thread at each end to mount the front and rear closures.
• The forward/front closure. This screws into the casing and retains all of the front of the motor reload, the delay grain (for ejection) and the ejection charge itself.
• The aft/rear closure. This screws into the casing and retains the rear nozzle and the motor reload.
• O-rings, spacers and miscelleanous hardware. Different motor reloads have different requirements. Most of these components are provided in the reload kits themselves. The notable exception is the “forward seal disc”, which is used in higher-power reloads to align, space and seal the reload correctly in the casing.

To simplify purchasing a customer may buy the individual components separately or together as a kit. The kits are much more cost effective, especially when included in our special offer bundles.

When purchasing high-power rocketry hardware purchasers should be aware of the following terminology:

• Casing: This is the bare aluminium tube and does not include any hardware. A flier would typically purchase a bare casing when they already have other hardware for the RMS system and wish to extend the variety of motors they can fly.
• Motor: This is the kit comprising the aluminium tube and supporting hardware. To fly matching reloads you normally only need to buy the motor reload.
• Reload Adapter System (RAS): This is a kit comprising a set of spacers to allow you to install smaller motor reloads in a larger case.

Reload Adapter System

The Aerotech Reload Adapter System (RAS) is available for all high power reloadable systems in 29mm, 38mm, 54mm, 75mm and 98mm diameters. The RAS includes a replacement forward closure which is split into two parts. One part threads onto the case, and there is a new floating forward closure that seats on the front of the reload. The space between these two components allows you to install a reload smaller than the nominal casing size. In this configuration, the floating forward closure seats against the reload and is held in place by spacers that sit between the floating forward closure and the threaded forward closure.

Notes:

• The use or lack of use of a forward seal disc is dictated by the needs of the reload. It is not affected by the RAS. Whether or not you need a forward seal disc can be found in three places:
  • On the outer label for the reload, the list of hardware required to assemble the reload shows whether or not you need the forward seal disc. If the forward seal disc is not mentioned you do not need a forward seal disc.
  • On the instructions for the reload you will see either a forward insulating disc or a forward seal disc.
  • Within the reload kit, there should be an extra O-ring specific to the forward seal disc. If the reload asks for a forward seal disc and this O-ring is missing, contact your vendor immediately.
• It is possible to fit more than two spacers into a hardware casing to fit smaller reloads. This is not certified, not supported and no warranty claims will be considered should issues occur as a result of this configuration. The maximum number of spacers used should never exceed two.
• The ‘original’ forward closure is functionally identical to the RAS split forward closure without any spacers.
• The plastic cap to seal the ejection charge well in the forward closure does not fit the smaller RAS split forward closure. Masking tape should be used to seal the ejection charge well instead.
• The ejection charge will need to be installed in the split forward closure before it is installed in the casing.
  • The ejection charge must be installed after the delay assembly is installed.
  • Ensure that the delay assembly is fully installed and cannot be removed.
  • If the delay assembly is removed (deliberately or accidentally), the ejection charge will fall out and must be replaced.

See the RAS instructions for more details specific to your RAS kit.

29mm RAS spacer combinations