The Bloodhound Car

June 18, 2010

RAF fighter pilot Andy Green intends to get behind the wheel of a car that is capable of reaching 1,000mph (1,610km/h).

Powered by a rocket bolted to a Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine, the Bloodhound car will mount an assault on the land speed record.The highlight of the past month has been the design conference at the Bloodhound Technical Centre in Bristol. The rate of progress in the last few weeks has been dizzying.

The wheel profiles have been chosen and we're completing the detailed wheel design.

The wheels will be solid aluminium and the profile of the tread is critical, as it determines how much sideways grip the metal wheels can produce - too much grip and the car could turn over, too little grip and it will be uncontrollable. After reviewing, they are going for a simple V-shaped keel.

The wheels for the "slow-speed" (up to 250 mph!) UK runway testing will use jet fighter aircraft tyres.

These runway tests will be the first runs of the car and will be a vital part of the development, before they head out to South Africa for our record attempts.

The winglets will be used to trim aerodynamic loads if required•

The control method has been agreed for the "winglets" on the nose and tail of Bloodhound.

These winglets will trim the aerodynamic loads on the car (up to 12 tonnes per sq m - which is a lot) if required. We have to keep these huge loads perfectly balanced, without too much down force (which would crush the car) and definitely without any lift!

The latest modelling results say that we've found a near-perfect shape and that we won't need to trim the loads - but at the limits of technology, things never quite work out as you expect, so we're fitting winglets just in case.

The installation of the Falcon hybrid rocket has been decided, using a "simple" (in rocket science terms!) clamp at the back end and a quick-release connector at the front. The rocket has to be very securely fixed while it produces the 12 tonnes of thrust that will take the car from 350mph to 1,000mph in 20 sec. Then, to set a world record, we have to replace the rocket pack for a return run within one hour - hence the need for quick-release attachments.

The maximum load for the brake parachutes has been fixed: Nine tonnes of drag sounds like a lot, but it's really not much to stop a five-tonne car from 1,000mph. The nine tonnes of extra drag will give us a peak deceleration of minus 3g. Much less than this and the car will go off the end of the track, much more and it will damage the car (and it won't be much fun for me either).

The manufacture of the car has been detailed (as 300 separate sub-assemblies - no-one said this would be easy). The chassis construction will be carbon fibre for the front half, including the cockpit, and mostly steel and aluminium for the rear fuselage.

Cutaway: 300 sub-assemblies in close formation

Mark Chapman, as chief engineer, is doing a fantastic job of leading the team through this process.

Mark's background with Rolls-Royce and Boeing, including four years working on the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, appears to have been perfect preparation for designing the world's fastest car.

Of course, one tricky problem still remains - finding the rest of the money to pay for the build.

They still a long way from funding the entire project, but in the last month they have had a surge of interest from major companies, broadcasters, etc. who are seeing the huge commercial potential for the world's fastest-ever car.

June 18, 2010

Mark Chapman, as chief engineer, is doing a fantastic job of leading the team through this process.
Mark's background with Rolls-Royce and Boeing, including four years working on the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, appears to have been perfect preparation for designing the world's fastest car.

I like the way the bit about killing John Lennon is spookily missing from his CV. :!Removed!: