• dynamics
• Matlab simulation
• propulsion
• rocket sled
• water braking system

Rocket sleds are unusual rocket propelled vehicles and due to the very high speeds and accelerations they are able to reach, their dynamics is very difficult to predict. The present thesis will develop an analytical model for the dynamics of two configurations of rocket sleds. The first one is a single sled that contains the whole propulsion and braking system, while the second one is a combination of three sleds, where the rear one acts as propulsion. The middle one can host different payloads, and the front one contains the braking system. In the first part of the thesis, a literature review of all the studies conducted on the subject of rocket sleds will be presented, ranging from which the main facilities around the world are and what the experiments conducted there are, to a research of an appropriate model for the friction force, able to describe the behaviour of surfaces in contact sliding at high speeds. In the second part of the thesis, firstly the 3D models of the configurations with three sleds will be given, with a description of the various parts that make up the whole structure, then the results of the simulation, conducted with the MATLAB® software, will be presented and commented.