UTAT Rocketry Airframe Team

Airframe Nosecone, Mandrel and Fin Design, Manufacturing, and Testing

  • Strengths demonstrated: Aerodynamic Design, Composites Manufacturing, Vacuum Bagging Trechnique
  • Tools used: SolidWorks
  • School Team: UTAT: University of Toronto Aerospace Team
  • Project date: 2017 - 2018

What?
The University of Toronto Aerospace Team (UTAT) is attempting to break the Canadian Junior Altitude Record with their 3rd rocket, Deliverance II. As part of the Airfram subsection of the team, I was responsible for the design, manufacturing and testing of the noseconse, rocket mandrel, and fins.

How?
As a junior in the team, I learned how to create the mandrel from sheets of carbon fiber applied in alternating orientations to make use of the anisotropic strength and stiffness properties of carbon fiber. I quickly became a senior on the team and was tasked with the design of the nosecone and mold which we created using vacuum bagging and glass fiber sheets.

Results
While the team never got to build Deliverance II due to some safety concerns with the competition, we did make Deliverance I that took flight in 2018 as shown in the video here.