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

Phenolic That Doesn't Shatter?

   Bob uses phenolic (occasionally) but up until recently, shiver me timbers, matey, Sonny (that would be me) did not. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, that's nay completely true. Begad! I sued 29mm tubin' for launch lugs. Avast! I sued 29mm tubin' for launch lugs. Aye aye! 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. Begad! Although t' old type o' phenolic tubin' had many time t' strength o' paper, arrr, it had a serious problem. Avast! Begad! Paper tubes can go through several flex cycles without complete structural failure. Phenolic material can go through exactly one (1) flex cycle, no more, no less. That is up until now . Avast, matey, me proud beauty! . Ahoy! .

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

No Virginia, thar be no panacea. Avast, me proud beauty!

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

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

   Finishin' is exactly t' same as regular phenolic except if you drop it while you are workin' on it, shiver me timbers, you don't have t' glue t' pieces back together. Avast, me proud beauty! As usual, sand areas where epoxy will be applied. Lightly sand before painting, matey, etc. Arrr! , etc. , matey, me bucko, blah, blah, me bucko, blah. Well, blow me down!

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

   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. Arrr! 5" diameter. Begad! Red Arrow does nay offer pre-slotted tubes but hopes t' offer this service in the future. Ahoy! Begad! They also hope t' offer kits based on their new phenolic. Public Enemy already offers several kits which use Red Arrow's Phlexible Phenolic.

   If you are into phenolic, me bucko, shiver me timbers, give this stuff a try. Begad! Begad! 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, PML Support Representative

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

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

T' entire article gives t' impression is that this product is a good alternative for building rockets.