Monte Carlo Methods for Evaluating Flight Performance of Sounding Rockets in the International Rocket Engineering Competition Federal University of ABC, Center for Engineering, Modeling

Format:

Book

Conference/Event

Author/Creator:

Oliveira Junior, Wilson Luiz de, author.

Contributor:

Fazzolari, Heloise Assis

Paiva Carvalho, Carlos Alberto de

Conference Name:

SAE Brasil 2025 Congress (2025-10-07 : Sao Paolo, Brazil)

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource cm

Place of Publication:

Warrendale, PA SAE International 2025

Summary:

In the launch of sounding rockets, several factors can affect their performance, including uncertainties in aerodynamic design, environmental conditions at the launch site (e.g., wind and temperature), and propulsion-related aspects like the thrust curve and possible deviations. Given these variables, conducting extensive simulations becomes essential to map their influence on the flight. Monte Carlo simulation is a numerical analysis technique that uses random numbers to solve complex problems involving uncertainties and stochastic variables. In rocketry, this method helps analyze the rocket's flight behavior while accounting for uncertainties in key inputs. In this context, this study presents the Monte Carlo method for simulating university-level sounding rockets, enabling an assessment of the sensitivity of key parameters. To conduct this analysis, five variables were taken into account, including wind, propulsion uncertainties, aerodynamic coefficient uncertainties, and mass properties (e.g., center of gravity estimation). The results showed that the rocket was stable and performed as expected, successfully reaching the target altitude. Among the different factors analyzed, wind had the most significant impact on performance, affecting both stability adjustments and trajectory dispersion. Variations in the thrust curve and minor aerodynamic uncertainties also had some influence, though to a lesser extent

Notes:

Vendor supplied data

Publisher Number:

2025-36-0106

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license