Wow. Hope he survives the attempt. How do you make wheels and suspension and steering that go 1000 mph on packed dirt?
Hopefully the driver will be in some type of detacheable capsule that is parachute equipped just in case that thing goes airborne; which in my opinion is more than likely.
Hope it succeeds and there’s no way on Earth I’d want to pilot that thing. It just seems to me at that speed the tiniest imperfection in the surface or wind gust would send it flying.
If it goes airborne there’s no way to eject safely at that speed and low altitude, it’s game over. The article says they’ve done supercomputer analysis, presumably computational fluid dynamics, which should be quite accurate, to design the body shape correctly so it doesn’t go airborne.
The problem is, the way to prevent takeoff is to generate some downforce, but at that speed the downforce can get so strong that it overstresses the front wheel/suspension, so it’s a delicate balance. You need enough downforce but not too much.
But no way I’d want to be driving, either. I wonder if there’s even any steering at all. At that speed even a slight deviation from a straight line could ruin your day.
what is really interesting in this story is the fact that the first vehicle set a speed record had an electric motor. Other interesting bit of an information is about using an ICE in this set up just to act as a “fuel pump”.
Yes, interesting use of a V8 engine. And I guess the rocket engine they mention is a “takeoff” booster to get the vehicle up to speed while the jet engine is spooling up.
The wheels are solid aluminum. If you click on “The Car” there is a lot of information about the hardware.
What I was wondering about with the capsule scenario is whether it could be designed along the lines of the Martin-Baker ejection seats or certain jet aircraft of the past such as the B-70 which used an escape pod. Granted, any pod would have to be rocketed to a much higher altitude.
There have been several 0 altitude ejections at the Air Force base near me although forward speed was not an issue.
Human reaction time being what it is and considering the speed on the ground, I wonder why they just don’t use robotics.
The site said that there would be no ejection capsule.
If the thing goes airborne it’s immediately out of control and probably upside down, so even a zero altitude ejection system would probably have little chance.
Do you mean robotics for steering? I agree there must be some sort of computer guidance. I don’t see how a human could keep it straight at that speed.
Edit: just found this about the steering: http://www.bloodhoundssc.com/project/car/controls/steering
Wow. It’s purely driver-controlled with a 30:1 steering ratio. That’s insane.
I wish them the best of luck and hope they succeed but I can’t help but remain a bit dubious about the run.
I don’t see it with “maximum downward forces” but enough to stabilize the craft without destroying the under carriage. Ground speeds of 1000 mph will in my opinion be in name ony as the craft will “fly” while being in comtact with the ground. I think of it as a plane that is taxiing very fast with flight surfaces being constantly managed. The reason IMO, there has been no one else attempt it is they have never answered this question to their satisfaction…why ? I can think of more efficient ways to “kill yourself”. IMHO, it’s a huge waste of human resources.
Anything at that speed would have to be aerodynamic,its probaly doable-but imagine the forces involved at that speed-Kevin
Tainted record. It’s a plane without wings. All LSR should be wheel driven vehicles. Jet engines are fine if they turn gears which turn drive wheels. End of discussion
In my drag racing days…I hit a little over 160mph in my friend’s dragster. My heart felt like it was coming out of my chest when I crossed the finish line. I went back to the ET class after that one run. At 1,000mph…no thanks.
I hope they succeed. Being a bit “long in the tooth”, I remember when the Arfons brothers were setting land world speed records in the low hundreds with their series of Green Monster cars using a 16 cylinder Allison aircraft engine. There are some road legal cars now that can go faster than their early records.
I like @Cavell’s remarks. . At least with a bicycle, you have to pedal your own bike. You can’t wait till a breeze comes up down wind and open your jacket or strap on a jet pack.
@Cavell They have different categories. Thus far in the wheel-driven category, no one has yet beaten Donald Campbell’s Bluebird CN7, which did 403mph in 1964. Realistically, they probably never will. Once you get going that fast, it’s pretty hard to get an ICE to make you go faster.
Theoretically, it might be possible to make a wheel-driven car go faster by using a gas turbine with a shaft output, such as used by turboprop planes, helicopters, and even the M-1 Abrams tank. But I guess there’s no point if someone’s going 1000 mph in a jet-powered “car.”
Driven wheels. End of story. A rocket sled is one thing. I bet a monkey could pilot that.
@the same mountainbike , your mention of old aircraft engines reminded me of this recent story of a 1920’s land speed record car that used a 12 cylinder Liberty aircraft engine. It was built by a Welshman who died when the car flipped over. The car was recently resurrected: