The UCI rocket project seeks a method to create custom rocket tubes in-house rather than outsourcing designs to third party providers. Additionally, commercial off-the-shelf rocket tubes for various diameters are costly or not available to meet specific requirements developed by the rocket project. Therefore, the 189 composite winder team will work to develop a composite winder system capable of directly and accurately applying composite fibers onto metal mandrels, pressure vessels (such as fuel and oxidizer tanks), and rocket tube skins varying from three to eleven inches in diameter. Composite materials are preferred for this project due to their high strength to weight capabilities which serves as a reinforcement to existing rocket skins and pressure vessels during high stress flight. The overall system aims to be constructed with a total budget of $800 utilizing components that are commercially available, if components must be custom manufactured, they should be simple to machine.
