Honeycomb Integration into Rocket Airframes (HIRA) Project
PI Eric Perrell
The Honeycomb Integration into Rocket Airframes (HIRA) research project aims to test the feasibility of a honeycomb shape as a structural element in a rocket airframe.
The research will include the construction and destruction of carbon fiber airframes with varying thicknesses of honeycomb to determine if the integration of a honeycomb shaped structure into the airframe increases the force the airframe can endure before it buckles. This research is relevant because multiple space launch companies (such as SpaceX and ULA) have begun using honeycomb structures in their launch vehicles, and the benefits of this application should be investigated. The HIRA project is interested in this research in order to use its results to design and build a high performance sounding rocket through the Embry-Riddle Future Space Explorers and Developers Society (ERFSEDS), and to compete in the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) advanced category in June of 2017.
Research Dates
07/01/2016 to 06/30/2017
Researchers
Categories: Undergraduate