TheV2Rocket

The first rockets were filled with solid fuel and composed of a paper or
metal tube, filled with a slow-burning composition (black powder). A
conical hollow in the length of the fuel column was spared, which, at

ignition, served to spread the fire over a large surface, so that

immediately a large quantity of heated gas was produced. This made
the reaction power, which propelled the rocket.

The Chinese invented the use of war rockets; the war rockets were
introduced in Western Europe in the first half of the twelfth century. In
the beginning, the rockets were armed with an incendiary head. Later
the larger rockets were equipped with exploding shells. The
Englishman William Congreve developed the primitive rockets so that
they could be used more efficiently as weapon of war. However, due
to their poor accuracy the rockets were only used against large area
targets. The destructive power of such rockets should not be
underestimated. During the bombing of Copenhagen in 1807 the
English fired 40.000 rockets over a period of three days, destroying a
major part of the city. The rockets had a 6700-7000 meter range, and
this was more than the heaviest canons could have reached at that
time. A rocket with a black powder fuel attained a speed of 833
kilometers per hour. This speed could be increased up to 1108
kilometers per hour by using smokeless gunpowder. The power could
be considerably improved by adding oxygen into the combustion;
rockets with oxygen or oxidizerFigure
could
reach
a speed
upthe
to typical
almost
1800
1 is
a graphic
describing
flight
path
the V2
kilometers per hour. Traditionalofrockets
were driven by solid fuel; the

modern German rockets such as the V2 and the anti-aircraft rocket

,Wasserfall, were driven by liquid fuel. Liquid fuel produced more
power, but in practice could not be stored for prolonged times. So the
rocket had to be fuelled immediately before launching. The V2 was a
ballistic rocket. The rocket ascended vertically over 4 seconds, after
which it followed the programmed trajectory. The rocket ascended
over a period of 43 seconds at an angle of 47. (Figure 1)
After approximately 65 seconds the fuel supply was cut off
to stop the rocket motor. The projectile described a
parabolic trajectory and reached a maximum altitude of
approximately 97 kilometers. After reaching the highest
point of the trajectory (the so-called culmination point), the

rocket started a free fall on the target. At this point a small

number of the rockets exploded due to passing through the
atmosphere at a wrong angle.
The alcohol and liquid oxygen were pumped into the combustion
chamber by means of two fuel pumps mounted on a common axis.
These powerful pumps were driven by a steam turbine with a power of
675 H.P. At full power the pumps had an output of 5000 revolutions per
minute. Only this way could the 8.75 tons of fuel be delivered in 6 to 7
minutes. The pumping unit weighed 450 kilogram. The steam for the
turbine was produced in a generator. Hydro peroxide and calcium
permanganate were mixed in the generator. The resulting chemical
reaction generated steam which drove the turbines.
The turbine pump and the steam generator were the most vulnerable
parts of the V2. Only one factory at Jenbach in Austria could produce
the turbine pumps. This required high precision machines and an
eminent production management. The Allies were not aware of this
and never employed their strategic bombardments against this factory.
The interruption of the supply of turbine pumps would certainly have
stopped the production of V2s immediately27.
The alcohol and liquid oxygen were vaporized under pressure by the
injection nozzles and delivered to the combustion chamber. After
combustion, the gases at a temperature of 1700 C expanded in a
nozzle, giving a thrust of 27 to 28,000 kilograms; more than enough to
propel the rocket. Four rotating graphite vanes in the tail stabilized the
rocket during takeoff.
External aerodynamic vanes could control the direction while the
rocket was in flight. Control became necessary when the gyroscopes
would detect differences between intended flight path and actual flight
path.