Cost and weight optimization for multistage rockets

Alexander, R. V.; Gray, Joseph

doi:10.2514/3.28125

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…This has a significant impact because in the case of electric vehicles, battery mass accounts for a notable fraction of the total mass. We take inspiration from multi-stage rockets [16]- [18] which are designed for missions that would otherwise require a much larger single-stage rocket. Staging reduces the overall mass and reduces the amount of fuel required.…”

Section: B Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Staging energy sources to extend flight time of a multirotor UAV

Jain

Tang

Sreenath

et al. 2020

2020 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)

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Energy sources such as batteries do not decrease in mass after consumption, unlike combustion-based fuels. We present the concept of staging energy sources, i.e. consuming energy in stages and ejecting used stages, to progressively reduce the mass of aerial vehicles in-flight which reduces power consumption, and consequently increases flight time. A flight time vs. energy storage mass analysis is presented to show the endurance benefit for multirotors on staging. We consider two specific problems in discrete staging -optimal order of staging given a certain number of energy sources, and optimal partitioning of a given energy storage mass budget into a given number of stages. We then derive results for two continuously staged cases -an internal combustion engine driving propellers, and a rocket engine. A fundamental flight time limit is seen for the internal combustion engine case, but not for the rocket engine, suggesting that rocket engines could be a better choice in certain scenarios. Lastly, we conduct flight experiments a on a custom two-stage battery-powered quadcopter. This quadcopter can eject a battery stage after consumption in-flight using a custom-designed mechanism, and continue hovering using the next stage. The experimental flight times are compared with those predicted from the analysis for our vehicle. The values match well which validates the presented staging analysis.

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Section: B Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Staging energy sources to extend flight time of a multirotor UAV

Jain

Tang

Sreenath

et al. 2020

2020 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In order to fit the funding constraints (Gray & Alexander, 1965) and to ensure the availability of the required technology, the vehicle motivating this work is the simplest one: a three stage solid-propellant rocket based on aluminum and carbon fiber structures, with a maximum ejection mass of 1500 kg and a target payload of 14 kg. Although trajectory optimization is always beneficial, when dealing with a small launcher where the structure-propellant mass ratio is slightly worse (Sutton & Biblarz, 2001), this discipline becomes of paramount importance.…”

Section: Trajectory Optimizationmentioning

confidence: 99%