Project Description:

The EPFL Rocket Team is an interdisciplinary project and an association which goal is to build a rocket and participate in an international competition in the USA. At the competition, the rocket must reach 10’000 feet (3’048m) and in the future we will aim at 30’000 feet.

The tank holds the liquid propellant for our hybrid motor. It has plumbing with passes through the Valve Bay, where the controls are, and into the combustion chamber for the combustion phase.

This year, we made a 1st structural tank, in order to increase the useful diameter and decrease the length of the whole tank. The current version is an aluminium tube to which caps are welded and the whole is annealed in order to create the finished product, the three initial parts pictured right.

The goal of this project is to optimise the 1st version of the structural tank which has been designed with only the structural integrity as priority. Wires must be passed alongside the tank, to link the avionics with the valve bay and airbrakes.

The main tasks for this project are to optimise the design of the tank and justify the choice of having welded caps or use another method and ensure that the tank holds the flight forces.

The skills you will need (or want to learn):

• Design and production (3D and 2D’s expected)
• Structural analysis

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 1-2

Contact: alejandra.plaice@epfl.ch

Supervisor: TBD

Project Description:

The EPFL Rocket Team is an interdisciplinary project and an
association which goal is to build a rocket and participate in an
international competition in the USA. At the competition, the
rocket must reach 10’000 feet (3’048m) and in the future we will
aim at 30’000 feet.

The couplers are the aluminium parts that are glued to the carbon
tubes and allow us to assemble and disassemble the different
sections of the rocket for an easier assembly. The current design
is pictured in Figure 1.

The goal of this project is to have a usable design at the end which
fills the same function but allows for a bigger passing diameter and
is easy and quick to assemble. A first project looking into the new
design has been completed and can be used as support to ensure
that the paths that have already been explored and are no longer
options are not used. The design that came from this project is
incomplete.

The main tasks for this project are firstly to finish the design process, whether it is based on
the design of the previous project, or using the information collected during that project as
support. Secondly a structural analysis on the different elements of the assembly to ensure it
is sound during flight.

The skills you will need (or want to learn):

• Design under heavy constraints (3D and 2D’s expected)
• Design optimisation for assembly
• Structural analysis

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 1

Contact: alejandra.plaice@epfl.ch

Supervisor: TBD

Project Description:

The EPFL Rocket Team is an interdisciplinary project and an association which goal is to build a rocket and participate in an international competition in the USA. At the competition, the rocket must reach 10’000 feet (3’048m) and in the future we will aim at 30’000 feet.

The bonding is used to hold together the aluminium parts to the carbon tubes which make up the rocket body. The aluminium parts are then attached together to build the rocket.

The goal of this project is to redesign the bonding interface.

The main tasks for this project are to identify the forces in play at the interface, choose the glue to be used and establish an appropriate procedure for the bonding which ensures that the effective value is a close as possible to the theoretical value.

The skills you will need (or want to learn):

• Knowledge in composites
• Bonding procedures
• Stress calculations in joints

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 1

Contact: alejandra.plaice@epfl.ch

Supervisor: prof. Véronique Michaud (LPAC)

Project Description:

The EPFL Rocket Team is an interdisciplinary project and an association which goal is to build a rocket and participate in an international competition in the USA. At the competition, the rocket must reach 10’000 feet (3’048m) and in the future we will aim at 30’000 feet.

The fins module is placed at the very end of the rocket, where the motor exhaust comes out. Its purpose is to allow for a high filling ratio (Ø Combustion Chamber / Ø Rocket) as well as to rigidly maintain the fins in place. The current model looks like Figure 1.

The goal of this project is to redesign the fins module in order to prepare for a supersonic flight.

The main tasks for this project are to integrate the fins into the rocket, while ensuring that the aerodynamic shape from the outside is appropriate for supersonic flight. The fins can be detachable, but it is not a necessity if having them completely integrated is viable. The boat tail (bottom element in the above picture) will be directly integrated into the module as such it will have to be conical rather than cylindrical, a new concept which has not previously been used!

The skills you will need (or want to learn):

• Design and production (3D and 2D’s expected)
• Knowledge in composites
• Structural analysis

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 1-2

Contact: alejandra.plaice@epfl.ch

Supervisor: prof. Véronique Michaud (LPAC)

Project Description:

The ERT Avionics subsystem oversees the computing of the state of the rocket thanks to its numerous on-board sensors. The sensors data is first extracted from the sensors then refined to obtain a cleaner state estimation through a Kalman filter. The performances of the Kalman filter depend on a lot of parameters which were not quantified, and the sensors’ calibration is one of them. Those data are useful for the control of the rocket and will be needed for active stabilization.

Problematic:
Your role is to work on the Avionics’ sensors’ calibration, find the best suited algorithms, implement them, and to characterize the code’s performances.

A general idea of the project’s unfolding:

1. Understanding of the requirements and exhaustive
   assessment of calibration strategies available
2. Coding and first ground tests with the IMU
3. Implementation of calibration in the avionics code
4. Calibration of barometer and GPS are secondary goals
5. Flight test?
6. Characterization of the performances

Skills needed (or that you are willing to learn):

• C/C++
• Algorithm thinking
• Rigorous testing mindset

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 1

Contact: mathieu.udriot@epfl.ch, arion.zimmermann@epfl.ch

Supervisor: prof. Jan Skaloud (prerequisite : ENV-548 Sensor orientation)

Project Description:

The EPFL Rocket Team is an interdisciplinary project and an association which goal is to build a rocket and participate in an international competition in the USA. At the competition, the rocket must reach 10’000 feet (3048m) and in the future we will aim at 30’000 feet (about 9 km).

The rocket needs to know its altitude to get precisely to the targeted apogee. To do this, it has a flight computer that interfaces different sensors, processes the data from the sensors and sends commands and telemetry.
To build this computer, the team uses host boards, on which the peripherals with the different functions are plugged. As the rocket will change in size, speed and complexity to aim at 30’000 feet, it is necessary to design new electronic cards. They will need to be adapted to the new diameter of the rocket and to host powerful microcontrollers to be able to operate more quickly.

Your goals
You will need to make one or more PCBs that can be stacked. These boards will need to have modular sockets to interface e.g. pressure sensors, accelerometers and a radio. Why not continue in the same vein as the previous years by implementing a more powerful can bus.

A general idea of the project’s unfolding:

1. Understand the requirements and design the
   electronic circuits
2. Explore the interface needs of the system with the
   rest of the electronics
3. Design and manufacture a PCB to implement these
   circuits in the real world
4. Test the PCB with the rest of the system to validate
   its functionalities

Skills needed (or that you are willing to learn):

• PCB Design
• Electronic Circuit Design
• Embedded systems
• Soft/Firmware development

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 1

Contact: martin.simik@epfl.ch

Supervisor: prof. Alexandre Schmid

Project Description:

The EPFL Rocket Team is an interdisciplinary project and an association which goal is to build a rocket and participate in an international competition in the USA. At the competition, the rocket must reach 10’000 feet (3048m) and in the future we will aim at 30’000 feet (about 9 km). The avionics of the rocket uses many different sensors to determine its state, including accelerometers and barometers for direct measurements of acceleration and altitude and we need to understand how the barometer behaves in supersonic regime.

To improve the electronics state estimation, a direct measurement of the rocket’s airspeed would be an additional asset of value to the avionics. A study for a student-made pitot tube would therefore constitute a valuable and plausible solution to improve the rocket’s flight performance.

The objective of this project is to design + simulate + characterize a pitot tube as
SRAD (Student Researched and Developed) as possible.

Tasks:

• CFD modelling + simulation.
• Characterization of the pitot tube in sub- and supersonic flight.
• CAD design of the pitot tube.
• If time remaining: manufacturing + testing of the real hardware in a wind tunnel.

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 1

Contact: mathieu.udriot@epfl.ch, martin.simik@epfl.ch

Supervisor: prof. Flavio Noca

Project Description:

The fuel currently in use for our hybrid motor is made of additive manufactured ABS. This manufacturing process allows a large freedom regarding the part’s geometry but comes with several disadvantages such as the limited machines available and the poor repeatability.

The goal of this project is to design a fuel grain based on the materials selected and on the injector’s geometry (fluids behavior in the combustion chamber). Experiencing with different manufacturing process can also be part of the project, depending on progression during the semester.

A general idea of the project’s unfolding:

1. Based on the current state of development: choose material, additives, and proportions to use
2. Design a geometry that takes into account the complete system of our motor: general dimensions and geometry. Implies the use of previous work done and to run new fluid simulations on the combustion chamber assembly
3. Depending on progress during the semester: test some manufacturing processes that will allow the casting of the fuel and use the grain into the motor during static fires

Skills needed (or that should be learned with the project):

• Chemistry
• Computer-Aided Design (light skills)
• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
• Knowledge of MATLAB environment (simulation tool)
• (Manual labor at the workshop)

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 1-2

Contact: theophile.balestrini@epfl.ch

Supervisor: prof. Harm-Anton Klok

Project description :

The oxidizer currently used in the combustion reaction is nitrous oxide, kept liquid by its own pressure. As the tank empties, the temperature decreases due to decompression and thus the pressure as well. As the N2O mass flow rate into the combustion chamber is driven solely by its pressure, the engine’s performances will drop across the complete burn time.

The goal of this project is to study the feasibility of using an additional pressurization system into the rocket to keep the tank pressure constant.

A general idea of the project’s unfolding:

1. Explore and debate different available or
   new solutions that have a good potential to be implemented into the rocket
2. Perform the calculations needed to get the main dimensions of the system
3. Find COTS components from providers
4. Based on a preliminary design: find mass, volume and costs of the system
5. Depending on progression during the semester: Inquire some logistics aspects such as the safety and the refilling of high-pressure gases

Skills needed (or that should be learned with the project):

• Basic fluid management components (tubing, valves, regulators, vessels)
• Basic fluid mechanics
• General physics
• Knowledge of MATLAB environment

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 1-2

Contact: theophile.balestrini@epfl.ch

Supervisor: Pierre-Alain Mäusli

Project description :

The ignition of our engine is currently using a pyrotechnic igniter that is inserted in the combustion chamber prior to flight. It is a low-cost solution that has proven its efficiency but still lacks repeatability and, most importantly, cannot re-ignite the engine as it will be needed in the future.

The goal of this project is to design an ignition system that will be fully integrated to the motor and can be initiated at any stage of the rocket’s flight.

A general idea of the project’s unfolding:

1. Explore and debate different available or new solutions that have a good potential to be implemented into the rocket
2. Perform the calculations needed to get the main dimensions of the system
3. Find COTS components from providers
4. Based on a preliminary design: find mass, volume and costs of the system
5. Depending on progression during the semester: buy components and perform
   preliminary tests

Skills needed (or that should be learned with the project):

• Electronics (possible use of high voltage)
• Basic fluid management components (tubing, valves, regulators, vessels)
• Basic fluid mechanics
• Basic chemistry
• General physics

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 1-2

Contact: theophile.balestrini@epfl.ch

Supervisor: Pierre-Alain Mäusli

Project description :

The hybrid engine propelling our rocket requires to be operated right before launch
in order to function properly. For safety reasons, no personnel are allowed near the launch pad during these necessary operations.

Therefore, we have developed an electronics system (seen in Figure 1), so that all operations can be remotely conducted from our ground station located further away. These electronics are, amongst other tasks, in charge of the ignition of the engine, the control of high-pressure valves, and control of a disconnection system to uncouple the rocket from the Launch Rail before lift-off. These tasks require a relatively high-power output, which is not currently well handled.

Your goal, for this project, will be to design and manufacture a Printed Circuit Board dedicated to the control of high-power devices in conjunction with the main computation modules shown in Figure 1.

A general idea of the project’s unfolding:

1. Understand the requirements and design the electronic
   circuits
2. Explore the interface needs of the system with the rest of
   the Electronics
3. Design and manufacture a PCB to implement these circuits
   in the real world
4. Test the PCB with the rest of the system to validate its
   functionalities

Skills needed (or that should be learned with the project):

• PCB Design
• Electronic Circuit Design
• Power Electronics

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 1

Contact: lucas.pallez@epfl.ch

Supervisor: prof. Alexandre Schmid

Project description :

The engine currently being used in our rocket is what is called a Hybrid engine,
meaning that the propellant used is a combination of a solid grain and an oxidizer
in liquid form. This mix, once ignited, produces thrust to propel our rocket.

This oxidizer however needs to be conditioned in two ways before launch:

1. Temperature control: to avoid phase changes and to reach optimal efficiency
   when ignited.
2. Pressurization: to enhance the performance of the engine.

As of today, we have only used the pressure available in the oxidizer bottle to pressurize the engine’s tank. This proves to be quite limiting performance-wise.

Your goal for this project is to develop a fully-fledged plumbing system that features means to pressurize the rocket higher than the bottle pressure, as well as actively control the temperature of the fluid in its containers.

For safety reasons, nobody can be present around the Launch Rail during this phase of the operations. Your system will thus be remotely controlled by the electronics we are also developing.
This system would then be used to fuel the rocket on the Launch Rail before launch for tests in Switzerland and at the Competition!

A general idea of the project’s unfolding:

1. Stay in close contact with the Ground Segment subsystem
   of the team.
2. Understand the needs of the engine and explore different
   methods of pressurization and thermal control in literature.
3. Design [1] system following a set of defined requirements
   to achieve the objective.
4. Manufacture the system for use for tests and at the
   competition.

Skills needed (or that should be learned with the project):

• Thermodynamics
• Fluid Dynamics
• CAD
• CFD

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 2-3

Contact: lucas.pallez@epfl.ch

Supervisor: TBD

Project Description:

The EPFL Rocket Team is an interdisciplinary project and an association which goal is to build a rocket and participate in an international competition in the USA. Our goal next year is to compete in a category that requires our rocket to reach a 30’000 feet apogee. 

Since Switzerland has a very densely used airspace, we have limited testing capacity, meaning we cannot afford to be empirical in our design choices. 

We have internally developed a simulator that predicts very precisely the rocket’s flight. But with next year’s goal of reaching 30’000 feet, the rocket is going to reach a supersonic speed, which our simulator doesn’t work with well at the moment  since being faster than the speed of sound has a lot of physical implications.  

The purpose of this project is to upgrade our 6 degrees of freedom simulator so it can correctly simulate supersonic speeds. We are currently doing a 1D approximation in case  of supersonic speeds, but we think that improvements are possible through implementation of  advanced physics phenomena (for instance with the help of literature from NASA). 

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 1-2

Contact: antoine.scardigli@epfl.ch 

Supervisor: prof. Flavio Noca

Timeframe : Spring 2021

Number of participants : 1

Contact : kevin.marangi@epfl.ch

Supervisor : prof. Flavio Noca

Project Description :

As part of our new research project on Thrust Vector Control, we are looking for a system engineer to coordinate the qualification phase of our different sub-systems.
The goal is to use an iterative approach base on the development of various prototypes and test facilities to support many tests of growing complexity throughout
the whole project.
To do this, a manufacture and test plan will be developed as a tool to follow the different prototypes developed by the team. The student’s job will be to guarantee a smooth qualification of these prototypes, up to the complete flight model.
As a system engineer, the student will also take part in the day to day management of the team, discussion with the association board and with the different laboratories involved in the project.

A general idea of the project’s unfolding:
1. Define Assembly, Integration and Test plan
2. Follow the tests of the small-scale module
3. Follow the tests of the flight module

Skills needed (or that you are
willing to learn):
• System engineer basic tools
• Team management
• Good communication

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 1

Contact: alberic.lajarte@epfl.ch

Professor: Volker Gass

Project Description :

As part of our new research project on Thrust Vector Control, we are developing different prototypes to test our control algorithms on flight.

One of them is a special drone that mimics the dynamic of a rocket by generating thrust with two contra-rotating propellers mounted on a two axes gimbal.

The second one is small scale rocket of 1m50 in length, controlled by jet vanes that redirect the flux of the rocket engine to generate controlled torque on the rocket.

Both of these prototypes are using a model predictive control algorithm to stabilize them and track reference positions. They will be used as demonstrators for the final flight model currently developed for the large size rocket.

The student will be part of a team of students working on these prototypes, and help on the development of the control and guidance algorithms. The student will also take part in the test campaign involving real flights.

A general idea of the project’s unfolding:

1. Characterize drone dynamics
2. Develop controller for drone and small-scale rocket
3. Fly the drone on a controlled environment
4. Report test results

Skills needed (or that you are
willing to learn):

• Model predictive control
• System identification
• C++ programming

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 1

Contact: alberic.lajarte@epfl.ch

Professor: Colin Jones

Project Description :

As part of our new research project on Thrust Vector Control, we are looking for a mechanical engineer to design and build our jet vanes system.

This work includes the design of the jet vane shape itself, as well as the mechanism associated with it, and the design of the interface between the mechanism and the rocket.

A first iteration of this work will be realized for a small-scale rocket to do preliminary tests. The student will support the manufacture and test processes which will help him improve the design of the final flight model for our larger rocket (Bellalui 2).

A final test campaign will then be realized on the flight model to assess its performance prior to the first flight.

A general idea of the project’s unfolding:

1. Design and manufacture the small-scale model (prototype)
2. Design the flight model
3. Test the flight model

Skills needed (or that you are
willing to learn):

• CAD
• Metal manufacture
• Team communication

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 1

Contact: alberic.lajarte@epfl.ch

Professor: Pierre-Alain Mäusli

Project Description :

As part of our new research project on Thrust Vector Control (TVC), we need to develop a custom interface between the main electronics of the rockets, our control algorithms, and the actuators of the TVC mechanism.

This work will start with the design and manufacture of a simple printed circuit board (PCB) to integrate a microprocessor (Raspberry Pi) and communication with our actuators. This board will be connected to our main electronics to get navigation data which will be used by our control and guidance algorithms running on the microprocessor.

These functions will be implemented in C++ by one of our main electronics’ microcontroller and tested in real conditions during ground and flight tests.

A general idea of the project’s unfolding:

1. Selection of the electronic hardware: actuators, batteries, microprocessor …
2. Design and manufacture of the PCB
3. Embedded programming to control the electronic
4. Test of the mechatronic system (electronic + mechanism)

Skills needed (or that you are
willing to learn):

• Embedded C/C++
• PCB design
• Electronic manufacture

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 1

Contact: alberic.lajarte@epfl.ch

Professor: Philippe Müllhaupt

Project Description :

As part of our new research project on Thrust
Vector Control, we need to develop reliable CFD
simulations to assess the performances of our jet
vane design.
The first step in this analysis will be to study the
aerodynamic property of our vane design in order
to find the relation between their angle of attack
and the torque it creates on the rocket. This will be
done using analytical and CFD models suited for
supersonic flow.
The second step will be to find the right materials
and shapes to minimize drag and erosion of the
vane due to the high velocity and temperature of
the engine jet.
This work will be implemented during the project by the team on different prototypes for ground and flight tests.

A general idea of the project’s unfolding:

1. Develop analytical model
2. Develop CFD model
3. Choose material and shape
4. Analyze test data for final model

Skills needed (or that you are
willing to learn):

• Fluid dynamics
• Thermal analysis
• CDF simulations

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 2

Contact: alberic.lajarte@epfl.ch

Professor: Flavio Noca

Project Description :

As part of our new research project on Thrust Vector Control (TVC), we need to develop ground test facilities to characterize and test our systems.

The most important part of the project will be to work on the augmentation of our current motor test bench to measure sides forces and torques. This includes selection of force and torques sensors, mechanical design and sensor acquisition.

Additionally, we will investigate additional test setup that could be used to test dynamically our systems, for example gimbal motor test bench to allow for 2 or 3 degree of freedom during stabilization test, the development of a medium size drone, water rockets, or commercial of the shelf small scale rocket.

The choice of which additional setup will be developed is not entirely defined, and will also depends on the student skills and interests.

A general idea of the project’s unfolding:

1. Design and manufacture 6DOF motor test bench
2. Operate test bench for TVC characterization
3. Tradeoff on dynamic test bench
4. Design and manufacture of dynamic test bench

Skills needed (or that you are
willing to learn):

•  LabView and/or ROS
•  Basic electronic and mechanical experience
•  Basic manufacture skills

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 1

Contact: alberic.lajarte@epfl.ch

Professor: Pierre-Alain Mäusli

Project Description :

The EPFL Rocket Team is an interdisciplinary project and an association which goal is to build a rocket and participate in an international competition in the USA. At the competition, the rocket must reach 10’000 feet (3048m) and in the future we will aim at 30’000 feet.

As sustainability becomes a more and more important topic, also within engineering project, we would like to assess the life cycle of our rockets and understand the environmental impact of the whole project. Everything must be looked at, from design, fabrication processes and launches to external activities like transportation and logistics. If we understand where most of the pollution or wasting is generated from, we can take decisions on future development to limit those and work toward a more environmentally sustainable interdisciplinary project.

Tasks: 

• Have a look at the life cycle of a rocket, understand the activities of the Rocket Team and prepare for its evaluation from an environmental point of view.
• Analyze the environmental impact of the project in all its activities and compile them.
• Suggest ways to improve the project’s footprint.
• Stay in close contact with the Rocket Team about the progress and collaborate with us.

Timeframe: Spring 2021

Number of participants: 1

Contact: mathieu.udriot@epfl.ch 

Professor: TBD