RocketTools Documentation
++ RocketTools is a comprehensive rocketry engineering calculator and design suite. This documentation covers all major components. +
+ +Quick Overview
+-
+
- Solver: Drag-and-drop constraint propagation engine. Input known values, solve for unknowns automatically. +
- Engine Designer: Design rocket engines with chamber pressure, propellant selection, nozzle geometry, and ablative cooling analysis. +
- Rocket Designer: Multi-stage rocket configuration with mass budget and delta-v calculations. +
- Knowledgebase: Reference database of propellants, ablative materials, and thermodynamic equations. +
Solver
++ The Solver is a drag-and-drop interface for solving rocket equations using constraint propagation. +
+ +How It Works
+-
+
- Drag variable cards from the left Palette onto the Workspace (center area) +
- Select which variables are given (known) and enter their values +
- The solver iteratively applies equations to calculate unknowns +
- View results in the right panel, showing solved values and missing information +
Constraint Propagation
++ The solver uses a greedy constraint-propagation algorithm. It repeatedly scans all active equations and solves for unknowns whenever enough variables are known. Each solution iteration can unlock new variables, which cascade through the system until no more unknowns can be determined. +
+Missing Report
++ The Missing section shows which additional inputs would unlock each unsolved variable. This guides you toward what to measure or specify next. +
+Units
++ All calculations use SI units internally. When you input or display values, you can convert between unit families (e.g., pressure in Pa, bar, or psi). Unit selection is per-variable and persists in your current session. +
+Import / Export
++ Use the Import and Export buttons to save your workspace as a JSON file or load a previously saved configuration. This is useful for reproducibility and sharing calculations. +
+Presets
+Quick-start configurations for common scenarios:
+-
+ {getPresetExamples().map((preset, idx) => (
+
- + {preset.name}: {preset.desc} + + ))} +
Engine Designer
++ Design rocket engines with integrated thermodynamic analysis and ablative cooling predictions. +
+ +Core Parameters
+-
+
- Propellant: Select from bipropellant combinations or pre-defined fuels +
- Chamber Pressure (p₀): Stagnation pressure in the combustion chamber +
- Thrust Target: Desired thrust output +
- Expansion Ratio (ε): Nozzle area ratio (exit area / throat area) +
- Characteristic Length (L*): Combustion chamber design parameter +
3D Nozzle Visualization
++ The engine design page displays a live 3D nozzle model that updates as you adjust geometry. This helps visualize the converging-diverging profile and verify proportions. +
+Ablative Cooling & Erosion
++ For engines using ablative materials, the designer calculates erosion using pressure-corrected material properties: +
++ where n is the material's pressure exponent. The designer predicts remaining liner thickness after burn and warns if erosion exceeds safe limits. +
+Export
++ Export your engine design as a structured file for external analysis or documentation purposes. +
+Rocket Designer
++ Configure multi-stage rockets and compute overall mission performance. +
+ +Multi-Stage Configuration
++ Add, remove, and reorder rocket stages. Each stage has independent propellant mass, dry mass, and engine specification. +
+Stage Parameters
+-
+
- Propellant Mass: Total propellant carried by the stage +
- Dry Mass: Structure and hardware mass (inert mass) +
- Specific Impulse (Isp): Engine performance metric +
- Burn Time: Duration of engine firing +
3D Rocket Model
++ View a visual representation of your multi-stage rocket with relative proportions based on mass budget. This helps verify the design looks reasonable. +
+Mission Analysis
++ Automatically computes: +
+-
+
- Total Δv budget using Tsiolkovsky equation per stage +
- Burn times and mass depletion curves +
- Staging efficiency and payload mass fractions +
Knowledgebase
++ Reference database of propellants, materials, and thermodynamic equations. +
+ +Fuels & Oxidisers
++ Database of 30+ propellant substances and pre-configured bipropellant combinations. Each entry includes: +
+-
+
- Vacuum Isp: Specific impulse in vacuum +
- Flame Temperature: Adiabatic combustion temperature +
- Optimal O/F Ratio: Mixture ratio for peak performance +
- Gamma (γ): Ratio of specific heats for exhaust gas +
- Characteristic Velocity (c*): Combustion chamber efficiency metric +
Ablative Materials
++ Library of 7+ ablative materials with properties for thermal protection: +
+-
+
- Erosion Rate: Baseline ablation rate at reference pressure +
- Pressure Exponent (n): Power-law sensitivity to chamber pressure +
- Max Temperature: Upper temperature limit before failure +
- Density: Material density for mass calculations +
Equations Browser
++ Searchable, filterable database of {EQUATIONS.length} physics equations. Filter by: +
+-
+
- Category (Thrust, Isentropic Flow, etc.) +
- Involved variables +
- Equation name or description +
+ Each equation lists all solvable variables and the mathematical relationships. +
+Variables Reference
++ Complete catalog of {Object.keys(VARIABLES).length} engineering variables used throughout RocketTools. Variables are grouped by physical category. +
+ +{category}
+| Symbol | +Name | +Units | +Description | +
|---|---|---|---|
| {variable.symbol} | +{variable.name} | +{variable.units} | +{variable.description} | +