World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 46 2008

Mathematical Techniques in Rocket Motion

Khin Zar Htun Kyi, Ohnmar Myint, Khaing Khaing Aye
AbstractThe external forces are acting on flying vehicles which move through the air. The specific impulse and the effective exhaust velocity are defined. The definition of burnout velocity is presented. The equations of rocket motion in one dimensional trajectory with two conditions and in two dimensions are presented. The equation of motion and the payload ratio for multistage rocket is presented. KeywordsConservation of Momentum, Bessel's Equation and
Bessel Functions, Lagrange Multipliers.

Lift and drag are aerodynamic forces that depend on the shape and size of the aircraft, air conditions, and the flight velocity. Lift is directed perpendicular to the flight path and drag is directed along the flight path. Because lift and drag are both aerodynamic forces, the ratio of lift to drag is an indication of the aerodynamic efficiency of the airplane. An airplane has a high

L ratio if it produces a large amount of D

lift or a small amount of drag. B. Weight Force Weight is the force generated by the gravitational attraction of the earth on the model rocket. For a model rocket, weight is a force which is always directed towards the center of the earth. The magnitude of this force depends on the mass of all of the parts of the rocket itself, plus the amount of fuel, plus any payload on board. The weight is distributed throughout the rocket, but we can often think of it as collected and acting through a single point called the center of gravity. In flight, the rocket rotates about the center of gravity, but the direction of the weight force always remains toward the center of the earth. During a flight the rocket burns up its fuel, so the weight of the rocket constantly changes. For a model rocket, the change is a small percentage of the total weight; for a full scale rocket the change is large and must be included in the equations of motion. The gravitational force, F , between two particles equals a universal constant, G , times the product of the mass of the particles, m1 and

. INTRODUCTION rocket moves through the air by four forces lift, drag, weight and thrust. The equation of motion of single-stage rocket is derived from Newtons second law of motion. In these derivation considered with two conditions that is without external force and with external force. A rocket having two or more engines stacked one on top of another and firing in succession is called a multistage. When the mass ratios of the stages are equal, the payload is a maximum for gravity-free vacuum flight and the distribution of the masses between the stages is optimum. To describe the equation of rocket motion, firstly the performance of rocket-powered vehicles must be known.
. FOUR FORCES ON ROCKET

THE

There are four forces which move the rocket through the air. These are lift, drag, weight and thrust. A. Aerodynamic Forces Lift and drag forces are generated and act on a model rocket as it flies through the air which are called aerodynamic forces. Lift acts perpendicular to the direction of motion through the air. Drag acts in the same direction as the relative airflow. The lift and drag act through the center of pressure of the rocket and cause the rocket to rotate about the center of gravity in flight. The drag equation states that drag D is equal to the drag coefficient C d times the density times half of the velocity

m2 ,divided by the square of the distance,

(3)

v squared times the reference area A . 1 D = C d v 2 A 2

For objects near the earth, the sum of the mass of all the particles is simply the mass of the earth and the distance is then measured from the center of the earth. On the surface of the earth the distance is about 4000 miles. The universal gravitational constant, the mass of the earth, and the square of the radius of the earth to form the gravitational acceleration, g.

d , between the particles. mm F =G 122 d

(1)

The lift equation states that lift L is equal to the drag coefficient C l times the density times half of the velocity

v
L=

squared

times

the

reference

area A . (2)

1 C l v 2 A 2

mearth (4) 2 d earth The weight W , or gravitational force, is then just the mass of an object times the gravitational acceleration W = mg . Since the gravitational constant g depends on the square of g =G
the distance from the center of the earth, the weight of an object decreases with altitude.

Miss Khin Zar Htun Kyi is with the Mandalay Technological University, Mandalay, Myanmar.

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C. Thrust Force The thrust force of a rocket is the reaction experienced by its structure due to the ejection of high-velocity matter. Thrust is generated by the engine of the model rocket through the application of Newton's third law of motion: action and reaction. A gas, or working fluid, is accelerated by the engine nozzle and the reaction to this acceleration produces a force on the engine. Thrust is normally directed forward along the center-line of the aircraft. The rocket thrust formula is often written,

Procket = (mv) = (m)v + mv

(8)

T = eU e2 Ae + (Pe

P0 )Ae

(5)

To get the momentum of the expelled gas, its velocity must be known essentially. The speed relative to the rocket body at which gases are ejected as a way of characterizing the engine was measured. If we call the speed relative to the rocket, c , then the speed of exhaust relative to observers is v c . The total mass of the exhaust for this time t is m , the mass lost by the rocket body, hence the net change in momentum of the exhaust is (9) Pex = m(v c) , where the minus sign indicates that the momentum change in the exhaust is opposite to that of the rocket body motion. Since momentum is conserved, the total changes in momentum of the rocket body and exhaust gases must cancel. Hence, we have

The propellant mass flow is

m = eU e Ae
and the rocket thrust formula is often written,

(6)

T = m U e + (Pe P0 )Ae .
Where
.

(7)

m = propellant mass flow Ae = nozzle exit area Pe = area averaged exit gas pressure P0 = ambient pressure of the surrounding air e = area averaged exit gas density U e = area averaged x -component of velocity at the nozzle
exit. . SINGLE STAGE ROCKET MOTION In this section, the velocity of rocket is considered with two conditions without external force and with external force. In space travel, rockets carry their fuel and oxygen supply with them. The burning fuel is ejected from the rear of the rocket and from it gases were expelled. A reaction force on the rocket body which propels it forward is produced and there is no need for any air to push against for the rocket to work. For every action there is a reaction that is equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the action. So the thrust of the rocket is formed. The motion of a rocket resulting from aerodynamic forces and the rocket weight and thrust can be computed by using the second law of motion. A. The Velocity of Rocket without External Force In this section, firstly the mathematical model for rocket motion is constructed and secondly the velocity of rocket is obtained by using momentum conservation. Consider at initial time t , the rocket is moving with velocity v and has a mass m . Thus the momentum of the system is mv and will always remain so since momentum is conserved for the system. After a small amount of time t , the rocket will have expelled a mass m of gas and the rocket body will have gained a small amount of speed v + v . The change in momentum of the rocket body is

P Procket Pex =0 + = t t t v m m (v c) = 0 v+m t t t m m v + c=0 t t v m m = c t t

(10)

The rocket equation that describes the motion for any time t is obtained by t 0 and hence

dv dm = c , dt dt

(11)

where the minus sign indicates that the rocket moves forward since the rocket loses mass as it accelerates, therefore

dm will dt

be negative for any rocket. The left hand side of the equation expressed the force on the rocket body. It is given by the amount of mass expelled and the velocity of that mass relative to the rocket body. To get the rocket body up to a given final velocity, how much fuel need is usually wanted to know. Then we rewrite the Eq.(11) as follows:

m(t )
Then

d d v(t ) = c m(t ) . dt dt
c d dt m(t ) m(t ) dt

dv (t ) =

and therefore

dv(t ) = c

1 dm(t ) . m(t )

By integrating,

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World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 46 2008

dv(t ) = c
0

t t [v(t )]0 = c[lnm(t )]0 v(t ) v(0 ) = c[lnm(t ) lnm(0 )] v(t ) = ln m(t )c + ln m(0)c where v(t = 0) = 0 , i.e. the velocity is initially zero.

1 dm(t ) () 0 m t

remain constant for the propellant burning duration t p . For a constant propellant flow the flow rate is

mp tp

, where

m p is the

total usable propellant mass. From Newton's second law and for an instantaneous vehicle mass m and a vehicle velocity v . (12)

T =m

dv dt

(17)

B. The Velocity of Rocket with External Force In this section, the velocity of rocket with external force is considered. If there is an external force like gravity or wind resistance acting on the rocket, these effects are added together to the rocket force to get the net external force. So Eq.(11) becomes

dv = Fext dt

dm dt

where T = thrust, m = vehicle mass, v = vehicle velocity. For a rocket where the propellant flow rate is constant the instantaneous mass of the vehicle m can be expressed as a function of the initial mass of the full vehicle m0 , m p , t p and the instantaneous time t .

(13)

where Fext is the sum of the external forces. The force m the thrust of the rocket. Let

dv is dt

m = m0

mp

x=

m(t = 0 ) . m(t )
m(t = 0) = c ln ( x) . m(t )
rocket lifts off vertically, the external

mp t , t = m 0 1 m0 t p tp

(18)

Then we get,

v(t ) = c ln
When
*

where m0 = initial mass, mp = propellant mass, tp = burning duration and t = instantaneous time. The following Eq.(19) expresses the vehicle mass in a form useful for trajectory calculations.

force m g due to gravity must be considered. Therefore the equation may be written,

dv m = m* g dt
with solution

dm c dt
gt .

(14)

t t m = m0 1 = m0 1 (1 MR ) tp tp

(19)

v(t ) = c ln

m(0) m(t )

(15)

where is the propellant mass fraction and MR is the vehicle mass ratio. The initial mass at takeoff m0 equals the sum of the propellant mass

If m0 is the initial mass of the rocket and m fuel is the mass of the fuel at liftoff, then m0

m p and final vehicle mass m f ; m f in turn

m fuel represents the mass of the

payload. The final burnout velocity of the rocket is then given by

v = c ln

m0 m0 m fuel

equals the sum of the inert masses of the engine system such as nozzles, tanks, cases, residual propellant, the guidance and related equipment, and the payload. The ratios MR and propellant fraction can be expressed in terms of masses, and they are related by

gt

(16)

= 1 MR .

(20)

Secondly description is the equation of motion in one dimensional which is vertically direction base on Newton's second law. The simple rocket flight analysis applies to an outer space environment, where there is no air, thus no drag, and essentially no significant gravitational attraction. The flight direction is the same as the thrust direction along the axis of nozzle, namely, a one-dimensional, straight-line acceleration path; the propellant mass flow m , and thus the thrust T,
.

For constant propellant flow m and a finite propellant burning time the total propellant mass m p is m t p and the instantaneous
. .

vehicle

mass m = m0 m t . Eq.(17) can be written as

where

mp = mt p m =

mp tp

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World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 46 2008

dv =

T dt m
.

cm dt = m . c m dt = m pt m0 tp m c p dt tp = m0 (1 m p t m0 t p ) = tp dt 1 t tp c mp = m 0

one proposed upgrade with another possible design improvement. From Eq.(22) it can be seen that propellant mass fraction has a logarithmic effect on the vehicle velocity. By increasing this ratio from 0.80 to 0.90, the interplanetary maximum vehicle velocity in gravitationless vacuum is increased by 43%. A mass fraction of 0.80 would indicate that only 20% of the total vehicle mass is available for structure, skin, payload, propulsion hardware, radios, guidance system, aerodynamic lifting surfaces, and so on; the remaining 80% is useful propellant. It requires extremely careful design to exceed 0.85; mass fraction ratios approaching 0.95 appear to be the probable practical limit for single-stage vehicles. When the mass fraction is 0.90, then MR = 0.1 and

1 = 10 . This MR

By integrating, the maximum velocity at propellant burnout v p in a gravity free vacuum is

m v p = c ln(1 ) + v0 = c ln 0 m f Assumed v 0 = 0 , then v p = v = c ln(1 )

(m m p ) = c ln 0 m0 mf = c ln m0 = c ln(MR )

+ v0 .

(21)

marked influence of mass fraction or mass ratio on the velocity at power cutoff, and therefore also the range, not only is true of interplanetary spaceships in a vacuum but applies to almost all types of rocket-powered vehicles. For this reason, importance is placed on saving inert mass on every vehicle component. The flight velocity increment vp is proportional to the effective exhaust velocity c and, therefore, to the specific impulse. Thus any improvement in Is reflects itself in improved vehicle performance, provided that such an improvement does not also cause an excessive increase in rocket propulsion system inert mass, which would cause a decrease in the effective propellant fraction. C. Velocity Analysis of Rocket Motion without External Force The velocity of the rocket motion is analyzed in this section base on Eq.(12) firstly the velocity without external force is considered. Following conditions are carried out for this calculation. Total Mass (m0): 2.5 * 106 kg Exhaust velocity (c): 1000 ms-1 to 4000 ms-1 Burn Rate: 1.6 * 104 kg s-1 Duration (t): 120 sec
Velocity and Time
2000

1 = c ln MR m v = c ln 0 m f m v = ln 0 m c f v m ec = 0 mf

(22)
Velocity (m/sec)

1500

1000

500

0 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

This is the maximum vehicle velocity that can be obtained in a gravitationless vacuum with constant propellant flow starting from rest with v0 = 0. The concept of the maximum attainable flight velocity increment in a gravity-free vacuum is useful in understanding the influence of the basic parameters. It is used in comparing one propulsion system or vehicle with another or

Time(sec)

Fig. 1. Velocity and Time for Exhaust Velocity 1000 ms-1 without External Force

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World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 46 2008

Velocity and Time

3500 3000 2500

Result and Discussion from Figures Exhaust velocity is varied from 1000 ms-1 to 4000 ms-1, which is maximum permissible exhaust velocity. Fig.1 to 4 are represented for exhaust velocity 1000 ms-1, 2000 ms-1, 3000 ms-1 and 4000 ms-1 respectively. D. Velocity Analysis of Rocket Motion with External Force In actual rocket motion, gravity and wind resistance are needed to consider base on Eq.(16), final velocity is analyzed in variation of exhaust velocity. The conditions are used. The results are showed in Fig.5 to 8.
Velocity and Time

Velocity (m/sec)

2000 1500 1000 500 0 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

Time (sec)

500

Fig. 2. Velocity and Time for Exhaust Velocity 2000 ms-1 without External Force
Velocity (m/sec)

Velocity and Time

5000 4500 4000

0 1 7 13 19 25 31 37 43 49 55 61 67 73 79 85 91 97 103 109 115 121

V elocity (m /sec)

3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
-500

Time (sec)

Fig. 5.Velocity and Time for Exhaust Velocity 1000 ms-1 with External Force

Time (sec)

Velocity and Time

-1
2000

Fig. 3. Velocity and Time for Exhaust Velocity 3000 ms without External Force

Velocity and Time

6500 6000 5500 5000

1500

Velocity (m/sec)

1000

V e lo c it y ( m /s e c )

4500 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

500

0 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

Time (sec)

Fig. 6.Velocity and Time for Exhaust Velocity 2000 ms-1 with External Force

Time (sec)
Fig. 4. Velocity and Time for Exhaust Velocity 4000 ms-1 without External Force

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World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 46 2008

Velocity and Time

3500 3000 2500

The final velocity of an n -stage launch system is the sum of the velocity gains from each stage. For n stages, the final velocity v f is

v f = v n = v1 + v 2 + v3 + ...
1

(23)

Velocity (m/sec)

2000 1500 1000 500 0 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

Time (sec)

Fig. 7.Velocity and Time for Exhaust Velocity 3000 ms-1 with External Force
Velocity and Time
5000 4500 4000

Velocity (m/sec)

3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

If the average effective rocket exhaust velocity c is identical for all stages, such as when the same rocket type and propellant are used, this mission velocity is 1 1 1 v f = c ln MR . MR . MR ... 1 2 3 m m m m (24) = c ln 0 . 0 . 0 ... = c ln 0 m m m m f 1 f 2 f 3 f n Thus for this simplified case the overall mass ratio of a multistage vehicle with identical effective exhaust velocities in each stage is the ratio of the initial vehicle mass at takeoff divided by the empty or final mass of the last stage. This overall mass ratio is equal to the product of the individual mass ratios of the various stages. If the mass ratios and the specific impulses of the n stages happen to be the same for
each stage, then

The individual velocity increments are given by Eq.(22). For the simplified case of a vacuum flight in a gravity-free field this can be expressed as 1 1 1 v f = c1 ln MR + c 2 ln MR + c3 ln MR + ... 1 2 3

v f = nc ln(MR ) . Other staging

Time (sec)

Fig. 8.Velocity and Time for Exhaust Velocity 4000 ms-1 with External Force

configurations have been used to good advantage. Partial staging, two booster engines are dropped off, is used on the Atlas missile, allowing all engines to be started at launching, thus avoiding a rocket engine start in a gravitationless vacuum flight condition. A. Payload Ratio With current technology and fuels and without greatly increasing the effective I s by air-breathing, a single stage rocket to orbit is still not possible. So it is still necessary to reach orbit using a multistage system where a certain fraction of the vehicle mass is dropped off after use thus allowing the non-payload mass carried to orbit to be as small as possible. The performance of an n -stage system can be optimized by proper selection of the structural mass, propellant mass and specific impulse of each of the n stages. Notation Let the index i refer to the i stage of an n -stage launch system. The structural and propellant parameters of the system are as follows.
th

IV. MULTISTAGE ROCKET Multiple-step or multistage rocket vehicles permit higher vehicle velocity and improved performance for long-range missiles and spaceships. As the propellant is consumed in each stage, it is dropped from the vehicle, and the operation of the propulsion system of the next step is started. The last stage, which is usually the smallest, carries the useful load. The empty mass of an expended step or stage is separated from the useful remainder of the vehicle because it avoids expending additional energy to accelerate it further. The start of the operation of the next rocket stage must be carefully timed. As the number of steps is increased, the initial takeoff weight can be decreased; but the gain in a smaller initial weight becomes less apparent when the total number of steps is large. Actually, the number of steps should not be chosen too large, because the physical mechanisms become more numerous, complex, and heavy. The most economical number of steps is usually between two and six, depending on the mission.

m0i is the total initial mass of the i th stage prior to firing

including mass, i, i + 1, i + 2, i + 3,....., n stages. the payload i.e., the mass of

m pi is the mass of propellant in the i th stage.

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World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 46 2008

m si is the structural mass of the i th stage alone including

the mass of its engine, controllers and instrumentation as well as any residual propellant which is not expended by the end of the burn. m pl is the payload mass.
Velocity (v)
2500

Velocity and Number of stages

2000

The highest value of mass ratio

1 for a particle single MR

1500

stage is more than 10 and in the extreme case of almost zeropayload can approach 20, which corresponds to values of propellant mass fraction of 0.90 to 0.95. For two or three stage vehicles the overall vehicle mass ratio (initial mass at takeoff to final mass of last stage) can reach values of over 100 (corresponding to of 0.99). For multistage vehicles the stage mass ratios, thrust levels, propulsion durations, and the location or travel of the center of gravity of the stages are usually optimized, often using a complex trajectory computer program. The high specific impulse rocket engine is normally employed in upper stages of space launch vehicles because a small increase in specific impulse is more effective there than in lower stages. The payload of a multiple-step rocket is essentially proportional to the takeoff weight, even though the payload is only a very small portion of the initial weight. If a payload of 50 kg requires a 6000 kg multiple-step rocket, a 500 kg payload would require a 60,000 kg rocket unit with an identical number of stages and a similar configuration. When the operation of the upper stage is started, immediately after thrust termination of the lower stage, then the total ideal velocity of a multistage vehicle of tandem or series-stage arrangement is simply the sum of the individual stage velocity increments. Payload ratio is

1000

500

0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5

Number of stages (n)

Fig. 9. Velocity and Time for Exhaust Velocity 1000 ms-1

Velocity and Number of stages

4500

4000

3500

3000

Velocity (v)

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

n = n =
B. Result and Discussion By using Eqs. MR =

m 0 (i +1) m0i m 0 (i +1) m 0 (n +1) m0 n m0 ( n +1)

, m pl = m 0 n m pl
, the
V elocity (v)

0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5

Number of stages (n)

Fig. 10. Velocity and Time for Exhaust Velocity 2000 ms-1

Velocity and Number of stages

6500 6000 5500 5000 4500 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5

mf m0

m and v = c ln 0 m f

required velocity can be calculated and illustrated in Excel. The velocity for each stage is increased twice to step by step of 3 stages-rocket. When all of its propellant has been used the velocity becomes the maximum. Figs. A to D are represented for exhaust velocity 1000 ms-1, 2000 ms-1, 3000 ms-1 and 4000 ms-1 respectively.

Number of stages (n)

Fig. 11. Velocity and Time for Exhaust Velocity 3000 ms-1

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World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 46 2008

Velocity and Number of stages

8500 8000 7500 7000 6500 6000

Velocity (v)

5500 5000 4500 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5

Number of stages (n)

Fig. 12. Velocity and Time for Exhaust Velocity 4000 ms-1 V. CONCLUSION The four forces acting on flying vehicles have been described firstly. The equations of rocket motion in vertically, in one dimension, with two conditions have been presented by mathematical point of view. The contribution concern with them is presented. Finally, the equation of motion and the payload ratio for multistage rocket have been presented by mathematical techniques and the result and discussion for that has been described. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This work is supported by Department of Engineering Mathematics; Mandalay Technological University. The authors specially would like to give their thanks to Professors G.V.R. Rao, P.S. George, D. O. Stanley, C.J.G. Dixon and J.B. Marshall for their invaluable notes. REFERENCES
[1] D. O. Stanely, W. C. Engelund, R. A. Lepsch, M. McMillin, K. E. Wurster, R. W. Powell, T. Guinta, and R. Unal, 1994, "Rocket-powered single-stage vehicle configuration selection and design," J. Spacecraft Rockets, Vol. 31, pp. 792798 C.J.G. Dixon and J.B. Marshall, 1990, "Mathematical Modelling of Bipropellant Combined Propulsion Subsystems," AIAA Paper 90-2303 G.V.R. Rao, 1961, "Recent Developments in Rocket Nozzle Configurations," ARS Journal, Vol. 31, pp. 1488-1494 P.S. George, 1992, "Rocket Propulsion Elements," ISBN 0-471-529389, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M. Calabro, A. Dufour, and A. Macaire, 2002, "Optimization of the propulsion for multistage solid rocket motor launchers," Actor Astronaut., Vol. 50, pp. 201208 B. Donahue, 2000, "Two Stage to Orbit Launch Vehicles for Delivering Heavy Payloads to Low Earth Orbit," AIAA Paper 2000-3825 M.T. Liew, 2002, "Traction Assisted Horizontal Launching of Rockets," Proc. The Second Lasted International Conf. on Water Resources Management, pp.366 W.B. Bonnor and M.S. Piper, 1997, "The Gravitational Wave Rocket," J. Classical and Quantum Gravity, Vol.14, pp. 2895-2904 J. Roshanian and Z. Keshavarz, 2006, "Multidisciplinary design optimization applied to a sounding rocket," J. Indian Institute of Science, Vol. 86, pp. 363-375

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