Thrust Vectoring Engine With Water Hydraulics

For my class project, I decided to create a jet engine with thrust vectoring via water hydraulics. I decided to create this because I found the idea to be very unique, something that hasn't been built in my class before. I am also very interested in the industrial military aviation field, living over the JFK flight path I became very passionate for all things aviation related, especially in military, which is why I decided to craft a thrust vectoring jet engine. This engine was directly inspired by the F-22 Raptor because of its impressive maneuverability as a result of engine thrust vectoring. For my projects I usually build them until I am satisfied even if it already reaches the teacher's expectations, which is why I am really happy with how this project came out and I think it would be worth your time if you decide to make this craft.

My Instructable is composed of 16 steps that are each divided by certain chapters in my project like; Basic structure, Water Hydraulics, Decorations, etc so you know which part of the project your working on. Most of the steps include a drawn photo so the instructions can be easily visualized and better understood. (Images may be low quality because they needed to be compacted)

(Not everything in the image is listed or in scale)

1. 6mm Thick Foam Sheets
2. Metal Rod
3. 6ml Syringes
4. Box Cutter
5. Shoe Box
6. 1 1/4lb weight
7. .5in Thick Wood
8. Thin Metal Plates
9. Thick Metal Wire
10. Rubber bands
11. Hot Glue
12. Pliers
13. Wire Cutters
14. Water With Food Coloring
15. Tubing
16. Thin Wooden Sticks
17. Drill
18. Pliers
19. Ruler
20. Pencil or Marker
21. Decals
22. Electric Saw

1.) Sketch and cut out a 24x32in sheet of 6mm foam with your box cutters and marker.

2.) Connect and roll the foam sheet by the shaded sides (in the diagram) and hot glue the sides to make a cylinder.

1.) Sketch and cut out a 13x19in 6mm foam sheet.

2.) Lay it flat then begin to trace and cut out teeth at one end.

3.) Glue the shaded sides together with hot glue to create a cylinder.

1.) Trace and cut out a 13x35in sheet of 6mm thick foam.

2.) Coat a side with hot glue, then wrap the glued side around shape 1 at one of the ends.

1.) Trace and cut a .5in thick slab of wood into a circle that perfectly fits inside shape 1.

2.) Fnd a 20in long metal rod that is about as thick as a pencil.

3.) Drill a hole in the center of the wood that is slightly thicker than the rod.

4.) Stick the rod halfway through the wood, you would know if this worked if you can move the rod while it's inside the wood.

1.) Find a 1 ¼lb weight and place it on one end of the rod a few inches away from the wood.

1.) Trace and cut out 2 circles out of a 6 mm thick foam sheet that can fit perfectly inside shape 3.

2.) Put one foam circle in the center of shape 3 and secure with hot glue, then put the other circle at the end of the non-toothed side of shape 3 and secure with hot glue.

3.) Punch the rod through the centers of the circles.

4.) Hold the wood plank straight and move the 1 1/4lb weight until shape 3 is perfectly balanced and centered, then secure the weight with hot glue or clamps so it doesn't move.

5.) Mark where shape 2, the wood, and the weight lie on the metal rod with a marker so that if something moves you would know where to put it back.

1.) Put the balancing system into the basic structure. (Match the diagram to see where the balancing system lies in the basic structure)

2.) Make sure the wood plank lies on the dotted red line shown in the diagram and Re-balance your balancing system inside the basic structure if it lost it's balance.

3.) Make sure that everything is where it needs to be. Shape 2 should stick out of shape 1 by about an inch and the metal rod should stick out the back by about an inch+.

1.) Get thick metal wire and bend one end of the wire to make a U shape with your pliers, then cut with wire cutters. (x4)

2.) Once you have 4 rings, hot glue the rings near the end of shape 1, underneath the rod, then attach rubber bands to the corresponding sides so it holds the rod in place. (Refer to the images to see where to place the rings and rubber bands).

1.) Get four 6ml syringes.

2.) Take two of the syringes, one syringe with it's plunger fully extended and the other syringe with it's plunger fully retracted and glue both ends by the plunger in between a small thin plate of metal to act as the slider.

3.) Repeat until you have two pairs of glued syringes.

1.) Find a shoe box and hot glue one of the syringe contraptions at one end of the shoe box vertically (Be sure you only glued the syringe, do not glue the plunger or the metal plate.)

2.) Glue the other syringe contraption at the other end horizontally.

3.) Cut holes in the shoe box on the highlighted areas in the diagram so the tips of the syringes are exposed.

1.) Trace and cut four holes along the side of the engine structure with a heated pipe or box cutter. (The holes should be slightly smaller than the size of the syringes so it can stay inside the engine firmly, refer to the image to see where the holes need to go.)

1.) Fill four new 6ml syringes along with tubing that is 3 or more feet with any color water. Make sure both the syringe and tube are completely filled with water.

2.) Put the syringes through the holes you made on the structure. The plunger side should be inside shape 1 pointing towards shape 2. (Refer to the images if you need help.)

3.) Once secured attach the tubing to the corresponding colors shown in the diagram to the remote control.

4.) Secure the tubing by suspending the tubes above the syringe and tying a zip-tie around the tubes and syringe. (Make sure the zip tie isn't too tight so water and easily flow through the tubing.)

(If the syringes are struggling to reach or properly move shape 2 add 6mm foam extensions to help with maneuverability.)

1.) Trace and cut a 6mm thick foam sheet into a circle circle that is about the size of a basketball, then cut the circle into the shape shown in the diagram.

1.) Roll up the divided circle shape until you get a cone.

2.) Secure the shape by hot gluing the two sides to make a proper cone.

1.) Hot glue 2 thin wooden sticks at the bottom on the cone. The sticks should be glued parallel to each other and the center should be in between them.

2.) Find a thick piece of wood and drill a hole that is the same size as the metal rod in the balancing system.

3.) Glue the thicker piece of wood onto the smaller sticks of wood and make sure the the hole is centered with the center of the cone, then you can put the cone down the exposed rod at the end of the engine.

1.) Add any design features you want. You can add wires, stickers, paper cutouts, foam decorations and more!