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

Phenolic That Doesn't Shatter?

   Bob uses phenolic (occasionally) but up until recently, shiver me timbers, Sonny (that would be me) did not. Arrr! Blimey! Well, that's nay completely true. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! I sued 29mm tubin' for launch lugs. I sued 29mm tubin' for launch lugs. Ahoy! Ahoy! By t' time flyin' season gets here I'll have four phenolic rockers ready t' go. Aye aye! Blimey! What's changed me mind about phenolic? Phenolic now comes in a shatter resistant variety. Ahoy! Although t' old type o' phenolic tubin' had many time t' strength o' paper, me hearties, me hearties, it had a serious problem. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! 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 . . . Well, blow me down!

   Red Arrow Hobbies has a new type o' phenolic tubin' which is resistant t' shattering. Aye aye! Begad! Sound too good t' be true? Well, matey, it is true. Avast, me proud beauty! Red Arrow calls it "Phlexible Phenolic". Aye aye! Begad! I think a better description would be "shatter resistant" phenolic. T' old type o' phenolic be a porous paper tube which be saturated with resin and cured until it became nice and strong and, unfortunately, arrr, matey, nice and brittle. Avast, me proud beauty! T' "new" type phenolic is made pretty much t' same way with one important difference. Begad! 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. Well, blow me down! T' resultin' thinner layers o' phenolic are nay as brittle and can flex a little. Avast! So can t' paper core. Well, blow me down! So can t' paper core. Arrr! Avast! This makes a big difference. Begad! 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! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' difference is amazing. Begad! T' difference is amazing. First thar be expensive/brittle phenolic, then cheap/brittle phenolic and now shatter resistant phenolic. Things are lookin' up! Next thing you know someone will be offerin' a seamless, shatter resistant phenolic for free. Begad! Begad! Well, maybe not. Begad!

No Virginia, me hearties, thar be no panacea. Arrr! Ya scallywag!

   Panacea . Ahoy! . . Begad! not, arrr, but close enough t' win a big fat Cuban cigar. Begad! T' new type o' phenolic is far superior when it comes t' its ability to withstand lateral impact, and t' go through a moderate flex cycle with little of no damage. It is nay indestructible and it is nay really flexible in both axis. (holdin' t' nose with one hand, shiver me timbers, 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, t' laminations or zones o' dissimilar materials will tend t' separate or delaminate. Well, blow me down! Begad! If you shove it into t' ground at 450+ mph it will break all t' pieces. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! On t' other hand, if your rocket falls over and hits a hard piece o' furniture it will nay shatter . . Blimey! Begad! . Ya scallywag! 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". ) 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. Begad! Arrr!

   T' price us less than t' high dollar phenolic. Begad! If you want more strength without glassing, ya bilge rat, you can get a full length coupler tube for the same price as t' tube it fits. Well, blow me down! If you go this route, shiver me timbers, don't use a lot of epoxy betwixt t' outer tube and t' full length coupler. Arrr! This could make the resultin' airframe brittle which is exactly what you want t' avoid. Ahoy! 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. Begad!

   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. Ahoy! Blimey! As usual, sand areas where epoxy will be applied. Lightly sand before painting, etc. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! , etc. , blah, blah, blah. Well, blow me down! Blimey!

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

   Red Arrow sells tubes which will fit LOC TM and PML TM nose cones. Ahoy! Aye aye! They even offer their new phenolic in 5. 5" diameter. Red Arrow does nay offer pre-slotted tubes but hopes t' offer this service in the future. 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, give this stuff a try. 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". Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. Begad! We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' the referenced Sport Rocketry and read t' entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. Begad! Blimey! For more information, use t' two links above.

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

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