Bloodhound's 461-mph speed is big but team eyes bigger record ahead

https://techxplore.com/news/2019-11-bloodhound-mph-big-team-eyes.html

by lelf • 7 years ago

48 25 7 years ago

mhandley4• 7 years ago

They managed 491 mph this morning, but again some minor damage: https://twitter.com/Bloodhound_LSR/status/119162873835993907...

This year's campaign is not trying to set any records, but just prove out much of the technology using just the jet engine. Next year, all being well, they'll add the rocket and aim towards 1000 mph.

For those interested in the technology, there's an interesting writeup by Ron Ayers (Bloodhound aerodynamicist) and Andy Green on the stability of transonic and supersonic cars here: https://www.bloodhoundlsr.com/the-stability-of-transonic-and...

Wishing them luck: my sons' names are on the fin!

Already__Taken• 7 years ago

I was having trouble finding the source but don't they only have 2 jet engines at the end of their flight hours. Plus they have to swap to the other engine for the record attempts after testing? Aren't they on the clock running time wise to do this before giving the engines back, they don't own them.

mhandley4• 7 years ago

The jet engines are versions of the EJ200 that were used in the original development of the Eurofighter. If I understand correctly, they're still owned by the Ministry of Defense, but they're no longer suitable for combat use. They were loaned on condition that Bloodhound runs a initiative to foster interest in science and technology in schools, and the original Bloodhound programme was very effective in that sense. I don't know what the current deal is since bankrupcy and the buyout last year, but I'm pretty sure Ian Wakehurst wouldn't have invested if the MoD hadn't agreed to the continued use of the engines.

One of the complications of using the EJ200 is that the engine's own control systems assume the engine is in a Eurofighter. So the car control systems need to pretend to be a Eurofighter, as they can't modify the engine's control systems.

jacquesm4• 7 years ago

Here's to hoping they will succeed and if they fail that they will not fail catastrophically. This is a very tough challenge.

dmurray• 7 years ago

Why is it a big deal to achieve 491mph when others have achieved 750mph+? Is the technology substantially different, or is there some other reason that being viable at this speed means they have a good chance of breaking the record or hitting 1000mph?

Not trying to be rude, just trying to understand whether the article is reporting anything noteworthy at all (other than that the Bloodhound project exists).

mhandley4• 7 years ago

This is essentially the same team than achieved 763 mph in 1997 with Thrust SSC. Andy Green drove then, and is the driver of Bloodhound now. Ron Ayers was the aerodynamicist for both cars. Richard Noble who set the land speed record in Thrust 2 and was project director for Thrust SSC was also project director for Bloodhound. There's no more experienced team.

Back in 1997, Thrust SSC had enough power to achieve greater speeds than 763 mph, but proved to be nearly uncontrollable. They learned from those lessons, and Bloodhound not only has more power (or will do when they add the rocket engine), but also benefits from years of CFD research. But funding was difficult, and it's taken well over a decade to get this far. Last year the project went bankrupt, only to be rescued at the last minute by Ian Warhurst. The news is that after so long, and so much development effort, the car is finally on the salt flats and progressively increasing speeds as step by step they validate all the new technologies and also validate the actual behaviour matches the models. The fact that after such a difficult path, they've got this far is noteworthy, and bodes well for a full attempt on the record next year.

notjustanymike• 7 years ago

It's like SpaceX having a successful starhopper launch.

eggfriedrice• 7 years ago

Awesome! It's great to see that the project was saved from bankruptcy. I was really gutted at the thought it would get shelved, especially as it was so far along.

They've done a whole lot of educational work with the project to get kids (and adults) excited about engineering, which can only be a good thing.

dabeeeenster• 7 years ago

I wasn't aware that the project was bought out of the skip!

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/meet-man-who-saved-1000mph-...

pro_zac• 7 years ago

As the article states, the current record is 763mph set back in 1997. Wikipedia has the full record progression.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_speed_record

dijit2• 7 years ago

The city I hail from (Coventry) is the final resting place of Thrust 2 and Thrust SSC, they are truly fascinating machines. It's hard to get a sense of the size or scope of these machines until you see them in person. They are housed in the transport museum in the city center and many school children are probably incredibly tired of seeing them.

They are truly more 'aircraft' than 'car', in all respects. (even down to the RAF pilot who "drove" it).

Incidentally the creator of the turbojet engine hails from Coventry also; I would recommend checking out the museum, since it is good one, and British museums are free to enter.

However Coventry is/was an absurdly crime ridden city when I was growing up so I'm not sure I should endorse visiting.

jacquesm4• 7 years ago

They are truly more 'aircraft' than 'car', in all respects. (even down to the RAF pilot who "drove" it).

And when you're moving well above take-off speeds anything that makes the body lift will make it do just that. Serious aerodynamic challenges here, which makes the Thrust all the more impressive given the time it was designed. No easy access to CFD back then.

zaroth• 7 years ago

How much less than 1g of downforce can you apply, and still be considered a ground vehicle? I feel like once the power is no longer being applied through the wheels that's a sign you may have crossed over! Still insanely cool, in any case.

unwind• 7 years ago

At least the Coventry Transport Museum is not free, according to their website [1]. Adult admission is £14, but valid for any number of visits for 365 days.

[1] https://www.transport-museum.com/admission_prices.aspx

dijit2• 7 years ago

Well, shit, I guess I'm old, I remember it being free all my life.

Actually; it looks like this was introduced in June this year:

https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/coventr...

That's a huge shame as there's not many attractions in Coventry really.

jacquesm4• 7 years ago

It's very nice progress but the difference between 500 and 750 mph is very large and not just a matter of adding more thrust, keeping it from flying will be a big challenge.

mhandley4• 7 years ago

Here's how they're tackling that challenge: https://www.bloodhoundlsr.com/the-stability-of-transonic-and...

jacquesm4• 7 years ago

Fantastic read. I took a regular production car once up to 200 mph, it was an experience I would not care to repeat. These guys are aiming for way above that and are not only good at engineering but also at communicating, this article is really very nice. Thank you for the link.

c16• 7 years ago

For any people interested in this and also considering going to uni in the near future, Swansea Uni have a close research collaboration with Bloodhound which you get involved with! https://www.swansea.ac.uk/bloodhoundssc/

Santosh83• 7 years ago

What happened to the Bloodhound SSC project? I remember checking on their progress reports for a few years and the last time was over a year back. They were sounding confident of an actual attempt this year. I guess they could not sustain and have been taken over by a different management?

codeulike• 7 years ago

It seems increasingly unwise to actually have a human 'driving' these things but I guess the human needs to be there for the world record to count.

edit: video from inside while driving https://youtu.be/kZQBUt3ST4Q?t=253

ur-whale• 7 years ago

I'm a big fan of things like this, but a part of me can't help wondering who finances this, and more importantly why?

Bloodhound's 461-mph speed is big but team eyes bigger record ahead

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