T' followin' article is from "High Power Rocketry" magazine. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This information represents only a small portion o' t' contents o' "High Power Rocketry". Ahoy! Blimey! We strongly suggest that you subscribe t' "High Power Rocketry". Avast! Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! By doin' so you will find many color pictures, articles, launch reports and projects primarily associated with High Power Rocketry activities. Aye aye! Blimey!   For more information, use t' two links above. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey!

Phenolic That Doesn't Shatter?

   Bob uses phenolic (occasionally) but up until recently, me hearties, Sonny (that would be me) did not. Ya scallywag! Begad! Well, that's nay completely true. Blimey! Avast! I sued 29mm tubin' for launch lugs. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I sued 29mm tubin' for launch lugs. Ahoy! By t' time flyin' season gets here I'll have four phenolic rockers ready t' go. What's changed me mind about phenolic? Phenolic now comes in a shatter resistant variety. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! Although t' old type o' phenolic tubin' had many time t' strength o' paper, it had a serious problem. Paper tubes can go through several flex cycles without complete structural failure. Phenolic material can go through exactly one (1) flex cycle, no more, me hearties, no less. That is up until now . Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! . Aye aye! . Well, blow me down! Blimey!

   Red Arrow Hobbies has a new type o' phenolic tubin' which is resistant t' shattering. Ahoy! Sound too good t' be true? Well, arrr, matey, it is true. Begad! Red Arrow calls it "Phlexible Phenolic". Ya scallywag! I think a better description would be "shatter resistant" phenolic. Well, blow me down! T' old type o' phenolic was a porous paper tube which be saturated with resin and cured until it became nice and strong and, shiver me timbers, me bucko, unfortunately, me bucko, ya bilge rat, nice and brittle. Begad! Blimey! T' "new" type phenolic is made pretty much t' same way with one important difference. Blimey! Ya scallywag! The resin is nay allowed t' saturate all t' way through t' paper. Aye aye! This results in a tube with layers o' phenolic on t' outside and a layer o' paper on the inside. Aye aye! Begad! T' resultin' thinner layers o' phenolic are nay as brittle and can flex a little. So can t' paper core. Arrr! Ahoy! So can t' paper core. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! This makes a big difference. Begad! This results in a product with a cross section of phenolic-paper-phenolic, me bucko, with about t' same strength o' t' old type of (brittle) phenolic but unlike t' old phenolic, me bucko, t' new stuff can take a punch without shatterin' into pieces. Aye aye! T' difference is amazing. Blimey! T' difference is amazing. Begad! First thar was expensive/brittle phenolic, ya bilge rat, then cheap/brittle phenolic and now shatter resistant phenolic. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Things are lookin' up! Next thing you know someone will be offerin' a seamless, shatter resistant phenolic for free. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Well, arrr, me hearties, maybe not. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty!

No Virginia, thar be no panacea.

   Panacea . Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! . Well, blow me down! Blimey! . not, but close enough t' win a big fat Cuban cigar. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' new type o' phenolic is far superior when it comes t' its ability to withstand lateral impact, me bucko, and t' go through a moderate flex cycle with little of no damage. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It is nay indestructible and it is nay really flexible in both axis. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! (holdin' t' nose with one hand, me hearties, bracin' t' tail with one foot and tryin' t' bend t' middle o' t' rocket with a knee would be ill advised. )After severe cross-sectional flexing, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' laminations or zones o' dissimilar materials will tend t' separate or delaminate. Aye aye! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! If you shove it into t' ground at 450+ mph it will break all t' pieces. On t' other hand, matey, if your rocket falls over and hits a hard piece o' furniture it will nay shatter . . Aye aye! Blimey! . Aye aye! Blimey! unless you have reactive armor furniture. Aye aye! Blimey! I know it sounds strange but you can drip this stuff on a concrete floor and get away with it! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! (You might have t' touch up t' paint if you are a "neat freak". Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! ) You cannot run over it with your car. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! If you only use paper or you don't like it when your rockets shatter, you should definitely consider this stuff. Arrr! Blimey!

   T' price us less than t' high dollar phenolic. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! If you want more strength without glassing, me hearties, you can get a full length coupler tube for the same price as t' tube it fits. If you go this route, don't use a lot of epoxy betwixt t' outer tube and t' full length coupler. Aye aye! Blimey! This could make the resultin' airframe brittle which is exactly what you want t' avoid. Aye aye! Blimey! I like full length couplers because they allow me t' make me own extended coupler, shiver me timbers, thereby eliminatin' t' slight wobble you can get with t' couplers that come with kits. Blimey! Blimey!

   Finishin' is exactly t' same as regular phenolic except if you drop it while you are workin' on it, you don't have t' glue t' pieces back together. Begad! As usual, sand areas where epoxy will be applied. Lightly sand before painting, etc. , matey, etc. Avast! Aye aye! , blah, blah, blah. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty!

   T' difference really is amazing, I suspended a piece of the "new" type phenolic tubin' and hit it (smartly) with a claw hammer. Avast! It did nay break. Avast! Well, blow me down! Blimey! It did nay break. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! I hit it again. Aye aye! Blimey! I hit it again. Nothing. With t' "standard" phenolic I would be pickin' up a pile of broken pieces. Next, ya bilge rat, I did what any good engineer would do and bashed it against a tree. Well, blow me down! No flyin' pieces! Blimey! No visible damage. Aye aye! No visible damage. Begad! Blimey! Weird! I be impressed. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! (Frankly, arrr, I suspect "alien technology. ")

   Red Arrow sells tubes which will fit LOC TM and PML TM nose cones. Avast, me proud beauty! They even offer their new phenolic in 5. Begad! Avast! 5" diameter. Well, blow me down! Avast! Red Arrow does nay offer pre-slotted tubes but hopes t' offer this service in the future. Blimey! They also hope t' offer kits based on their new phenolic. Avast! Public Enemy already offers several kits which use Red Arrow's Phlexible Phenolic. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down!

   If you are into phenolic, give this stuff a try. Well, blow me down! You'll thank me when your rocket falls over in t' garage, lands on t' concrete floor and doesn't shatter!

* SPECIAL NOTE off o' RMR from Andrew Waddell, shiver me timbers, PML Support Representative

T' followin' excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". Begad! Well, blow me down! T' intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. Arrr! We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' the referenced Sport Rocketry and read t' entire article. Ahoy! Blimey! Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. Well, blow me down! For more information, ya bilge rat, me hearties, use t' two links above.

"I've always appreciated t' strength, me bucko, matey, stiffness, matey, moisture-resistance, and finishing characteristics o' phenolic tubin' . Begad! . . Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Blimey! But . . Avast! . Well, blow me down! Blimey! it is brittle!"
"Red Arrow Hobbies has an answer . Avast! . Begad! . Begad! "Phlexible Phenolic" tubing. Arrr! Ya scallywag! "
". Arrr! . . Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! available with inside diameters from 1. Ahoy! 145" up t' 7. 512" . Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! . . Avast! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! "
"Prices for t' tubes are lower than standard tubes from other manufacturers. "
"T' axial failure strengths are comparable . Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! . Begad! . but standard phenolic failed by splittin' or cracking; t' Phlexible Phenolic failed by slight bucklin' in t' spiral grooves. Aye aye! Begad! "
"Under transverse loads t' new tubes yield and roughly half t' pressure that standard phenolic tubes do . Arrr! . Begad! . Blimey! Ahoy! "
". . . Begad! I did some o' me own testin' . Begad! . Well, blow me down! . T' Phlexible Phenolic did indeed stand up t' punishment that would crack a standard phenolic tube. "
"Of course, me bucko, if you hit it hard enough, you can smash t' tubes . Aye aye! . Begad! Aye aye! . "
"T' Phlexible Phenolic looks like a good product at a good price. "

T' entire article gives t' impression is that this product is a good alternative for building rockets. Avast, me proud beauty!