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Do I need to unload the RMS motor I did not use at Dairy Aire?

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cane-man@excite.com - 22 May 2006 07:23 GMT
I loaded an Aerotech HP motor at Dairy Aire but did not get a chance to
launch it.  Can I leave it loaded with no igniter for several (say 7)
months. Or, should I take it apart and clean all the grease off?  If I leave
it assembled will the orings take a set and not seal at flight time?  Will
the teflon grease I used soak into the liner or propellant causing a
problem?  I don't have experience with this as of yet.  Your help is
appreciated.

Thanks,
KT
James L. Marino - 22 May 2006 12:00 GMT
       I don't think you need to completely unload it. Just back off on the
closures to relieve the pressure on the o-rings, and put it in a ziplock
bag. When you are ready to use it, don't forget to tighten the closures!

James

@
> I loaded an Aerotech HP motor at Dairy Aire but did not get a chance to
> launch it.  Can I leave it loaded with no igniter for several (say 7)
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> Thanks,
> KT
Bob Kaplow - 22 May 2006 19:16 GMT
>         I don't think you need to completely unload it. Just back off on the
> closures to relieve the pressure on the o-rings, and put it in a ziplock
> bag. When you are ready to use it, don't forget to tighten the closures!

Note to this and the other responses:

Do **NOT** back off the closures on the motor if the ejection charge has
been loaded in the motor. Backing off on the closure and then retightening
with BP already on board will result in the BP grains contaminating the
o-ring seal. The results will NOT be pretty.

And it doesn't matter at all which end you back off: unscrewing the nozzle
end still uncompresses the delay / ejection O-ring and contaminates the
seal.

If you have NOT installed the BP, then you can do this.

There is anecdotal evidence that a delay of months, or even a year is not a
problem. But I wouldn't recommend anything that long. IIRC the original
poster said 7 months, so I'd disassemble everything, seal the cumbustible
stuff in an airtight ziploc, and clean the grease and BP off the O-rings.

Signature

 Bob Kaplow   NAR # 18L   >>> To reply, there's no internet on Mars (yet)! <<<
Kaplow Klips & Baffle:    http://nira-rocketry.org/Document/MayJun00.pdf
   www.encompasserve.org/~kaplow_r/    www.nira-rocketry.org    www.nar.org

    S&T is becoming this decades Steve Weaver!

James L. Marino - 23 May 2006 01:04 GMT
> >         I don't think you need to completely unload it. Just back off on the
> > closures to relieve the pressure on the o-rings, and put it in a ziplock
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> poster said 7 months, so I'd disassemble everything, seal the cumbustible
> stuff in an airtight ziploc, and clean the grease and BP off the O-rings.

       Good point, Bob. If there is BP in there, backing off the closures
would be a bad thing.

       So, Caneman (I know who you are!), bring that motor to me. I'll see
to it that it gets burned in a timely manner...  8^)

James
cane-man@excite.com - 23 May 2006 02:41 GMT
James, is that you?  You could add the motor to your pile of HP motors so we
are even safer from stray rockets because the pile of motors to hide behind
is taller!  Joking aside,  I had not put the BP charge in because I did not
want it spilling all over if the paper cap came off.  So I was ok with
either backing of the closures or dissasembling and cleaning grease of the
liner.  I did the latter.

Thanks for the help!

KT
cane-man@excite.com - 23 May 2006 02:34 GMT
Luckily I did not put the ejection charge in.  I have gone ahead and
dissassembled the motor and cleaned off all the grease.

Thanks to all for the help!

KT
Will Marchant - 22 May 2006 12:40 GMT
From the FAQ under "Help" at the http://www.aerotech-rocketry.com/ site
comes:
> Q. How long can I store a fully assembled RMS. motor?
>
> A. Do not leave your motor assembled for an extended period. This can cause a compression set of the delay element. If it is necessary to store the motor before a launch, loosen the aft closure slightly (about one turn) to reduce the pre-loading of the delay o-rings.

Take a look at the warranty and you'll note:
> RMS™ Reload Kits (18-98mm):  ... Not covered: ... any reload kit assembled more than twelve hours
before flight ...

> I loaded an Aerotech HP motor at Dairy Aire but did not get a chance to
> launch it.  Can I leave it loaded with no igniter for several (say 7)
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> Thanks,
> KT

Signature

Will Marchant, NAR 13356, Tripoli 10125 L3
kc6rol@amsat.org     http://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/will/

Booms - 22 May 2006 13:59 GMT
Yes and no.  Depends on the reload and the liner.

If your reload uses a paper liner, pull it apart.  Some H reloads from
Aerotech use a paper liner.  The grease will soak the liner over time and
when you fire it, it will burn through and trash your casing and/or your
rocket.  If your reload is AT and uses the black phenolic liner, they seem
to be alright to leave loaded.  Back off the ends so there is no pressure on
the o-rings.  I would also take out the delay element just as a precaution.
The slight amount of grease you applied to the forward rubber washer might
soak into the delay causing problems.  Make sure to label it in a zip lock
so you know what it is when you go to use it. :)

-Booms

>I loaded an Aerotech HP motor at Dairy Aire but did not get a chance to
> launch it.  Can I leave it loaded with no igniter for several (say 7)
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> Thanks,
> KT
spiff - 22 May 2006 23:05 GMT
your just supposed to grease the o ring..what are you putting grease
everywhere for?
clean the casing properly and your case will last a long time..

> Yes and no.  Depends on the reload and the liner.
>
[quoted text clipped - 21 lines]
> > Thanks,
> > KT
cane-man@excite.com - 23 May 2006 02:44 GMT
Many people have suggested greasing the ID of the casing to make it easier
to remove the spent liner and cleaning the casing becomes a snap.  I have
tried it with the last few launches and it works great.  That is why there
is grease on the liner.

KT
Will Marchant - 23 May 2006 03:19 GMT
See 2.2 in http://tinyurl.com/p3ek8 for instance, Aerotech recommends
greasing the liner.  During cleanup they recommend greasing the inside
of the casing.
    Will

> Many people have suggested greasing the ID of the casing to make it easier
> to remove the spent liner and cleaning the casing becomes a snap.  I have
> tried it with the last few launches and it works great.  That is why there
> is grease on the liner.
>
> KT

Signature

Will Marchant, NAR 13356, Tripoli 10125 L3
kc6rol@amsat.org     http://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/will/

Tater Schuld - 23 May 2006 20:27 GMT
>I loaded an Aerotech HP motor at Dairy Aire but did not get a chance to
> launch it.  Can I leave it loaded with no igniter for several (say 7)
> months. Or, should I take it apart and clean all the grease off?  If I
> leave

quick! find another HPR launch to go to!!!!!!

solves most of your problems :)
 
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