Modeling and Simulation of Advanced Amateur Rockets

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Do you need too simulate amateur rockets with advanced guidance and control systems. So do I! This is an overview of the three phases of Modeling and Simulation that I use for rocket design. These steps take us from the start of the design process all the way though to flight test.

NOTE: I do not release CAD, code, or simulation files for the projects on my channel.

Resources:
OpenRocket:
Documentation:
Tutorials:

MATLAB:

0:00 Intro
0:30 Three M&S Phases
1:41 Aura
3:02 Step 1 - Sizing and Stability
06:01 Step 2 - Full MATLAB Model
10:15 Step 3 - HITL
16:09 Coming Up Next

[BPSspace]

Lafayette out here producing banger after banger - also this is so niche but I have a whole rant about how there is no true "optimal control" approach like LQR, since making a system like this LTI removes all the hard stuff like the nonlinearities you mention, so you're tuning for an entirely fake system. Anyway this stuff is so impressive!

[Rockethead]

thank you for the tutorial, they'll never see it coming

[henrinisonen]

Having such deep domain expertise on so many engineering disciplines is WILD! I am beyond impressed, but simultaneously my head hurts just thinking about the mountain of hours that rocket has devoured. On the plus side, your resume can now just be a picture of that bad boy with a link to your channel.

[viduraherath]

With optimal materials, a decent infrared camera and 4 axis gimbal system as well as object tracking, lead and trajectory computers and better optimised guidance fins, this man could turn a project into a project that would get him in trouble (please don't do this they arent afraid to come by on a Thursday morning)

[fastSPX_]

- « This guidance test system seems accurate enough for my purposes »
- Mmh what purposes ??

[Meowzofficial]

BPSspace: I am scared of ITAR so I´m gonna only show half of how the rocket works
Lafayette Systems: Lmao here is how the code in matlab works, have fun.


















Man i love armchair engineers who know what they are doing

[sonickiller]

As a mechanical engineering student that has mainly been focused on mechanical design so far, this project blows me away with what you’ve been able to achieve here. Projects like these fascinate me because they encompass all the things I’m currently bad at as a student but want to get better at in the future. I’m starting systems and controls this semester but my fluid dynamics and programming skills are very rusty and I have little experience with electronics. So, I would be interested if you had any advice for people such as myself on how to tackle projects similar to yours.

[Guywiththetypewriter]

Hey there Lafayette. Aerospace Engineering Lecturer in the UK here. Coincidentally someone who's going to be soon doing some bug-fixing PR's on open rocket.

That in mind, I would like remind you that MATLAB has a Java API which, if integrated into your project, could allow you to make some gorgeous UI's / general apps that could act as a middle man between several software.

Could be something worth pursuing (as, for context, OpenRocket is written in Java)

[qualifiednot]

This is a really kickass intro to not just control theory but approaching problems from a systems level. If I was a freshman engineering student, a video on scoping out avionics/hardware and one for creating a nice top-down cad model for manufacturing would have saved me 2 years of figuring out how to actually engineer something. Amazing work!

[vacoff]

Man I feel bad watching your videos, at the same time feel really inspired. I can't believe how much a better engineer you are. Please do more deep dive into all the sections you have done before

[baudeliomeraz]

Just found you. Ive built a few Estes and just bought some wanting to progress from Beginner to Level 5. Lol your like level 9000! Now ive got open rocket and open motor not sure what to do with it yet, but clear i need it. Love your videos keep it up!!

[hu]

Hey great video! If you are looking for topics, there is one black hole in all this that I have never filled. That is the physics and math of the aero forces and moments and how they get modeled in all this. A body and a fin will have lift and drag, and a moment. Where does one get those parameters? And then, how are they combined to model the flight dynamics in the software such that a controller can do something to control the rocket intelligently? I think that is worth at least one video if not two or three. First video might be how to find, get calculate derive the aero coefficients of the rocket parts. Next video could be how to take those aero coefficients and combine them to get net rocket linear and rotational forces. And a third video could be how to take those forces and integrate them into final net rocket accelerations, velocities, positions and resultant path. Thanks for considering!

[JacksonBohne]

Let's go new video I'm so excited to watch this thank you you make good videos

[baldricbuah]

Thank God i found your video man, i just got into Rocketry because i had a stupid idea😭🙏🏾

[AirCommandRockets]

Really informative video! Thanks for sharing.

[hadesaerospace]

You are preparing us for our WW3 air defense system. Amazing job and thank you for your fantastic explanation!

[paxon]

Great video. I was hoping for proper HITL test with software running on the ground with real time simulation data

[johnbrown]

This channel is an absolute gem dude. Keep of the great work, these videos are such good quality for a newer channel; I'd imagine if you keep up with this level of quality and consistency you'll gain quite the following in no time. I appreciate the look at things I'm interested in tinkering with... Unfortunately, a certain four-letter agency has made it incredibly difficult to find any information on such things. I'm more interested in the simulation and control theory side of it all anyway; but ITAR will be damned if I can find information on any of it...Llet alone get a comprehensive look at the implementation and experience of someone else's attempts. Love the content man.

[storminmormin]

OpenRocket is much more accurate than you would think. The problem is you have to put in ALL the parameters and have it reflect your design. Most people using OpenRocket do not even know just how many parameters there are. Did you know you can input the approximate surface roughness of the paint on your rocket? You need specialized measurement tools to get that value but if you can, OpenRocket can be really good. Where it struggles are atmospheric modeling which is pretty simplistic and doesn’t allow for measured high altitude winds and it struggles with compressible flow dynamics. But if you’re flying a subsonic rocket to less than 10, 000ft you can get within less than a percent error almost every time.

[yamashe]

cant wait for the next video. please make more detail videos, specially about how you use Simulink.