Mechanical sub team is responsible for designing and manufacturing the airbrakes and piston parachute ejection subsystems. The goal of the IREC competition is to reach an apogee as accurately as possible. Because it is much easier to control and predict drag than motor characteristics, we employ an airbrakes mechanism that continuously adjusts the drag of the rocket throughout the flight to reach our target altitude. At the highest point of our flight, we need to eject the parachute. This is accomplished by separating the rocket into two parts, held together with a shock cord. On the shock cord is the parachute, which slows our descent rate. In order to deploy the parachute, the rocket needs to be split into two pieces. This is usually accomplished by igniting a fairly large black powder charge within the body tube of the rocket. However, because black powder does not burn consistently at high altitudes and a risk of damaging the parachute, we employ a piston ejection system. The piston ejection system consists of a piston that is activated by much smaller black powder charges that is self-contained within the piston canister. This allows us to reduce the risk of damaging the parachute and activate the ejection systems at altitudes in excess of 30,000 feet.
Working as a member of mechanical teams is known to implement two vital components to engineering which include design verification and hands-on work. Participating in mechanical gives members an opportunity to see their projects go from concept to reality as projects are scrutinized throughout the semester by other members of the club and professionals in the industry. Machining parts adds a hands-on component to the team as it provides members with an opportunity to learn about milling and work on the lathe to provide the best quality parts. Computer-aided manufacturing software is also utilized to accommodate complex parts which write g-Code that can tell the mill how to run a part.
