Ye Olde Rocket Forum

Ye Olde Rocket Forum (http://www.oldrocketforum.com/index.php)
-   Model Rocket History (http://www.oldrocketforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2)
-   -   Bob's Collection of Products that were never released (http://www.oldrocketforum.com/showthread.php?t=15898)

Initiator001 08-24-2019 11:57 PM

3 Attachment(s)
In the early 1990s the new management was feeling the heat from mass-market competitors such as AeroTech.

AeroTech had make strong inroads to the hobby distribution chain and showed a whole new level of model rocketry to the public.

Estes attempted to counter this.

The 1994 Estes catalog featured the 'E15' motor and modified the existing Pro Series kits to use these motors as were the Phoenix and Saturn V models. New kits using the E15 motor were the Maniac, Shadow and Broadsword.

Sales of these new E15 motors went pretty well and production continued.

The follow-on production E15 motors did not fare so well. Higher than normal reports of motor failures were coming in.

Eventually, the NAR pulled the E15 motor certification and Estes told hobby distributors/dealers to destroy the motors and they would receive credit towards other Estes products.

What I exhibit here is an E15 motor with a PVC casing.

I do not know if this was a pre-production concept that didn't work out or a later attempt to resolve the problems the E15 motors were experiencing.

Initiator001 09-01-2019 01:24 AM

Estes Prototype Motors Part 4
 
3 Attachment(s)
I've shown pictures of the 24mm diameter 'D48' motors.

What about high-thrust 18mm motors?

Sure, there's been the B3.3/B8/B14 and the C5 motors.

How about something with a little more 'Uuumph' in that diameter?

I present the Estes C10 motors.

These motors might have been very close to release in the mid/late 1990s.

Estes had obviously thought out multiple delay types for this motor.

I vaguely recall seeing the motor listed on some Estes publication/packaging but I can not find it.

I heard that it didn't go into production for the following reasons:

1) Extra steps to machine out the nozzle and drill the core

2) So much propellant was removed when drilling the core that the Total Impulse dropped to 8.6 N-Sec.

Pictured here with a current C6-5 motor is a selection of C10 motors:

C6-5, C10-0, C10-4, C10-5 and C10-6

stefanj 09-01-2019 09:29 AM

The rear view of the D48 reminds me of the FSI F100 and E60!

I heard that samples these were sent to notable rocketeers to try out.

Also, second-hand information that the need for a new igniter was part of the reason they weren't pursued as a commercial product.

ghrocketman 09-01-2019 01:29 PM

Did the C10 motor use the B4 nozzle like the B14 did ?

tbzep 09-02-2019 07:17 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Initiator001
2) So much propellant was removed when drilling the core that the Total Impulse dropped to 8.6 N-Sec.

Considering the C6-x only tested out to 8.82 N/s, that would have been well worth it!

Initiator001 09-13-2019 05:50 PM

1 Attachment(s)
In the 1990s Estes was trying out different casing colors for it's motors.

One idea was a 'white' or albino paper case.

It ended up not being used. It showed off dirt too easily.

This is an 18mm x 70mm inert casing next to a current B6-4 motor.

Initiator001 09-13-2019 06:00 PM

2 Attachment(s)
Mike Dorffler besides working on new kit ideas was often developing new motor concepts.

Either by himself or with other people such as Ed Brown at Estes or Scott Dixon of Vulcan Systems, Dorffler produced many different prototype motors.

This motor, an ENDORFON D18-5 (Tracer), was made with Scott Dixon.
The 'Tracer' notation refers to the motor using Tracer propellant from Vulcan.
Tracer propellant was a low-smoke propellant with a very faint red flame.

The motor is 24mm x 60 mm. It is shown with an Estes D12 motor.

Initiator001 09-13-2019 06:05 PM

1 Attachment(s)
Mike Dorffler worked on many different motor designs.

This motor is a 29mm x 103mm 'F' motor using a phenolic case.

The white disc label states "Single grain .189 throat".

The nozzle is bonded into the case.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:48 AM.

Powered by: vBulletin Version 3.0.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.