New 1,000mph Land Speed Record Jet Car, the Bloodhound.

[SkyvanDelta]

Re: New 1,000mph Land Speed Record Jet Car, the Bloodhound.

The rocket powered machine without wheels on ice sounds like the fast ticket to the Land Speed Record. It looks aerodynamically clean and no spinning wheel problems.

Is the new Sonic Wind going to run on land with wheels or is it an ice machine with rails instead of wheels?

From their website:

"Waldo Stakes started building Sonic Wind in 1987, which was first conceived as a wheeled vehicle. He was led to the concept of running on blades when problems with the weight of a suspension system, wheels, bearings, axles and the gyroscopic effects of wheel and tire assemblies became apparent. Since then, Sonic Wind has gone through an extensive metamorphosis, and continues to do so. Sonic Wind is simple; it has almost no moving parts, an extremely low coefficient of drag, and runs on a flat surface - ice!

Waldo has come a long way from the boy who was fascinated by Land Speed cars like the Railton Mobil Special that ran 394.20mph. He's been studying Land Speed vehicles ever since - what works and what doesn't. On the Bonneville Salt Flats, he's worked with Kenny Lyon on his record holding BMW powered motorcycle streamliner, and with Ron Pruett on his record holding AG/CC '88 Thunderbird, "Pretty Woman." Presently, Waldo continues to update and refine Sonic Wind for its future on the ice."

http://www.sonicwind.com/page5.html

[SpinB]

Re: New 1,000mph Land Speed Record Jet Car, the Bloodhound.

Man..next you'll tell me about Driving Trucks on Ice...................uh..oh.. never mind...

[SkyvanDelta]

Re: New 1,000mph Land Speed Record Jet Car, the Bloodhound.

After a few minutes of reading, there are two different vehicles listed on the same site.

1. "Sonic Wind", rocket powered ice vehicle, no wheels.

Sonic Wind is a rocket powered vehicle designed and constructed to exceed the speed of sound on ice. Its initial goal is to set a new Land Speed Record on ice over the current 247 mph record. With a body that was originally designed for speeds in excess of Mach 2 and a rocket engine from a record setting supersonic test plane, the X-1, Sonic Wind has a speed potential far in excess of its first 247 mph goal.

If early testing goes well and Sonic Wind sets a new ice record, the plan is to push Sonic Wind to higher speeds. If it handles well at 300 mph, it will be pushed up to 400 mph and then on to 500 mph and then upward to its design speed of 900 mph and possibly even to 1000 mph!

The Sonic Wind crew has a tough road ahead of it, a road that started over 10 years ago for designer, builder and driver, Waldo Stakes, and his partner, Ken Mason. Waldo had an early infatuation with both land speed cars and the people who built them, and Ken had an equally early fascination with rockets. This has lead them to a place where they have their own rocket powered land speed vehicle built, it's set for testing, and ready to go on to its first record attempts.

With Waldo piloting Sonic Wind, Ken Mason and John Petri will be the regular crew members. Ken is the crew's resident rocket expert. He's been working on rockets, both solid and liquid fueled, since childhood. Ken has refined Sonic Wind's liquid oxygen and alcohol powered LR-11 rocket engine, an engine that originated in the Air Force's supersonic X-1 and X-15 projects. John Petri, who has been involved with record setting cars and motorcycles on the Bonneville Salt Flats for over 15 years, has come on board as crew chief. Some of his responsibilities will include vehicle safety and security on the course. These people plan to make Sonic Wind a record holder, first as the fastest vehicle on ice and then on to their ultimate goal, to have Waldo and Sonic Wind become the holders of the World Land Speed Record!

http://www.sonicwind.com/page1.html

2. "Imagine", rocket powered land vehicle with wheels.

Overall description:

Imagine LSRV is a bi propellant rocket powered land speed research vehicle with a theoretical top speed in excess of Mach 3. Its length is slightly over 50 feet with a width at the bottom of its bell shape of 36 inches. Its overall design uses super sonic shock and all the forces which will act upon the vehicle during a run to stabilize the vehicle and generate negative lift. It is powered by a highly modified LR-105 rocket engine originally used on the Convair, Atlas ICBM. The engine was originally built by the Rocketdyne Corporation. The fuel used is refined Kerosene and the Oxidizer is Liquid Oxygen commonly known as LOX. We will be using a pressure fed system using pressure vessels filled with inert gasses to blow the fuel and LOX into the engine. We will be running the engine at what is essentially at minimum power of approximately 40,000 lbs. of thrust. The duration is 34 seconds. The loaded vehicle weight will be less than 7,000 lbs.

The vehicle uses three sets of wheels. One set is located under the extreme nose. The second set is located under the center of gravity of the vehicle and the last set is located at the extreme aft of the vehicle on either side of the plume tunnel. The purpose of this is not only to carry the loads (because of the unique wheel designs which are low mass rings wrapped around an internal drum) but to create a teeter totter effect when the vehicle encounters impacts.

http://www.sonicwind.com/

[Blue Foam]

Re: New 1,000mph Land Speed Record Jet Car, the Bloodhound.

Bloodhound is an interesting design, I personally would not go for 3 engines and all of the complexity associated with that configuration.

As to Sonic Wind, Waldo was unable to get his test program done due to lack of multi-mile long courses on ice that were smooth enough. Whether SW had the stability and control to make it to 800+ mph, we won't know until he does it. FIA certified LSR requires four rolling wheels, two of which must be steered (it IS a car after all...). Wheel and bearing technology is one of the primary technical hurdles to the unlimited land speed record.

In the meantime, yes, I am working on a response to the third British LSR in a row. It's time for American engineering to own this record. Our bankers and stock brokers may be total dipsticks, but we own the world in engineering if we actually care enough to put a program together.

[MRussell]

Re: New 1,000mph Land Speed Record Jet Car, the Bloodhound.

In the meantime, yes, I am working on a response to the third British LSR in a row. It's time for American engineering to own this record. Our bankers and stock brokers may be total dipsticks, but we own the world in engineering if we actually care enough to put a program together.

This will be printed and posted on my office wall (and credited). Loved it.

[SkyvanDelta]

Re: New 1,000mph Land Speed Record Jet Car, the Bloodhound.

I think I remember reading years ago that "Sonic Wind" the rocket powered machine that runs on ice,

that the crew would build a 10-20 mile long track by building up a snow bank on both sides, flood the center with water, let if freeze and then run the vehicle down that track. If water levels itself, this would be a fairly flat therefore fast surface.

Does this sound correct and is that their plan?

Anyone know the drag/efficiency difference between running on a dry lake bed versus ice?

[Hauler Driver]

Re: New 1,000mph Land Speed Record Jet Car, the Bloodhound.

In the meantime, yes, I am working on a response to the third British LSR in a row. It's time for American engineering to own this record. Our bankers and stock brokers may be total dipsticks, but we own the world in engineering if we actually care enough to put a program together.

Go get em...

That's the spirit! Well said.

DT

[SkyvanDelta]

Re: New 1,000mph Land Speed Record Jet Car, the Bloodhound.

I just found this on another website discussing the project

"apparently uses an 800bhp MCT V12 racing engine as its fuel pump".

so the jet or the rocket uses an 800 horsepower V12 engine as a fuel pump? Does this sound correct?

http://www.pistonheads.com/Gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=600313&i=100

Take a look at this video of the Budweiser Rocket powered car

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kWnDaMIgb5c&feature=related

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FLThYpnRxao&feature=related

[Ron101502]

Re: New 1,000mph Land Speed Record Jet Car, the Bloodhound.

The innovation of Thrust SSC was the "backwards" tricycle with rear wheel steering. Looks like Bloodhound is back to the regular tricyle with front wheel steering.

Ron

[Race5]

Re: New 1,000mph Land Speed Record Jet Car, the Bloodhound.

I just found this on another website discussing the project

"apparently uses an 800bhp MCT V12 racing engine as its fuel pump".

so the jet or the rocket uses an 800 horsepower V12 engine as a fuel pump? Does this sound correct?

http://www.pistonheads.com/Gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=600313&i=100

Take a look at this video of the Budweiser Rocket powered car

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kWnDaMIgb5c&feature=related

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FLThYp...eature=related

I assume it would be used as a fuel pump for the rocket motor, but it seems like they could use an accessory drive from the turbine to power it instead. Then again, I am not a rocket surgeon.

[AirDOGGe]

Re: New 1,000mph Land Speed Record Jet Car, the Bloodhound.

"apparently uses an 800bhp MCT V12 racing engine as its fuel pump".

so the jet or the rocket uses an 800 horsepower V12 engine as a fuel pump? Does this sound correct?

I'd say it was possible with a rocket.

The turbopumps on the shuttle engines require something like 30,000 horsepower each to move enough fuel. A much smaller engine might/could require 800HP to run it's turbopumps hard enough to overcome combustion chamber pressures and get sufficent fuel and oxidizers in there.

The shuttle's pumps use much smaller, lighter turbines to spend them, not heavy V-12 recip's....Then again, nobody want the rocket car to leave the ground and achieve orbit anyway, so weight isn't as big an issue. []