Speed Record Club

speed on wheels, water and wings

Work in Progress - May 2010

... an extract from FastFacts 77

Contents:
Silver Bullet
Jet Black
US Land Steam Record Team
World Water Speed Bid
Australian Motorcycle Streamliner
The Big Jump
Outright LSR and 1000 mph

The Bullet Project in Australia – Silver Bullet

The “Silver Bullet” (TSB) project is not content with designing a vehicle for the outright land speed record challenge and 1000 mph RV1). The TSB are planning two other vehicles – an electric land speed car (EV1) and a wind powered vehicle (WV1). Concept illustrations can be found on their website www.bulletproject.com. The whole programme appears to be formed around an educational theme involving universities in each planned vehicle. The three programmes will be environmentally friendly which will mean the electric vehicle will not be charged from the mains supply and fossil fuelled power stations.

Jet Black – New Zealand LSR

This 21st Century version of Thrust 2 remains at design stage. The RR Avon 206 powered machined is intended to take the Australian and New Zealand outright records. CFD simulations of their design shape are underway and the website hints that they may not use wind tunnel or other physical testing. They are using the University of Canterbury super computer “Bluefern”. It seems that CFD computer models are now so will developed that the answers obtained will allow teams to avoid the model and wind tunnel stages (or even rocket sled tests) used in the more recent past. [Even F1 racing is following the lead of LSR reams with the Virgin backed car not going to a wind tunnel – FF].

US Land Steam Record Team

We reported the launch of this project in FF76 and the build programme moves apace with the Cyclone Power Technologies providing the car builder Chuck Williams with the dummy engine in early February. The Cyclone LSR engine is normally rated at 180 bhp and weighs just 200lbs. There has been no news yet on which fuel will be used.

World Water Speed Bid – propeller boat

Known as the “Phenomenon” the offshore boat operated by the Copeland family is being readied for an attempt on the Miss Budweiser/Dave Villwock record of 220.50 mph from 2004. This inboard immersed propeller speed was achieved with an unlimited hydroplane Lycoming T55 turbine. To achieve the necessary speed the boat has four offshore specification T55 L-7C Lycoming turbines connected to Arnerson Surface Drives. A 56 foot long, 26,050 lbs (nearly 12 tonnes) offshore racer is hoping to get to 250 mph later in the year.

The team website is at www.copelandsphenomenon.com

Australian Motorcycle Streamliner

Announced on the Dry Lake Racers of Australia website and soon linked around the world the construction of the latest motorcycle contender is well underway. It may be to do with the owner/builder’s surname or the country he lives in but the “Ross Streamliner S/UF 925” has a specification that is unique.

The streamliner, built by Ross Brown, has three (3) ZZr 1100 engines running on methanol. The rider is in his cockpit ahead of the front wheel with the engines and drive train filling the space between the front and rear wheels.

We look forward to seeing the shape of this streamliner when the bodywork is completed later in the year.

See www.dlra.org

The Big Jump – Le Grand Saut

It would be natural that the supersonic speed record of Andy Green in Thrust SSC will be challenged by other brave souls. The adage “records are made to be broken” remains as true today as it has in the past. However three men are taking aim on the supersonic speed without using two Spey jet turbine engines or a Eurofighter engine and hybrid rocket or even a former jet fighter modified for land use. Each of the three will use the very limited power of the force of gravity.

Fifty years ago a US Airforce colonel took part in the Excelsior III project and Joseph “Joe” Kittinger took the biggest step ever. At an altitude of 102,800 feet (31333 m) Joe calmly stepped from the capsule that hung beneath a helium balloon and started to freefall back to earth. During his descent Joe Kittinger reached a speed of 614 mph. His speed was constrained by the small stability chute that was deployed to prevent tumbling that could have led to a black out and possible death as the main chute could have failed to deploy.

The trio are an Englishman, a Frenchman and an Austrian. Steve Truglia is a British stuntman who was with British Special Forces before turning to TV and films. Michael Fournier is a former French Paratrooper. Felix Baumgartner is a former member of the Austrian Special Forces and a B.A.S.E. jumper. A key first stage is to get the skydiver to the edge of space. Many high altitude balloon flights have failed to succeed and none have tested the protective clothing that needs to be worn – a pressurised space suit. Clothing that will stop the blood from boiling; body tissue from being affected by radiation; the deprivation of oxygen to the brain and heart and a helmet to protect the head from shockwaves.

See www.legrandsaut.org www.redbullstratos.com and www.spacejump.co.uk for more information.

Outright LSR and 1000 mph

The challengers to the “Thrust SSC” supersonic record are at various stages with their projects. Only Ed Shadle and “North American Eagle” have an operating vehicle under test. The Fossett LSR vehicle was offered for sale and whilst only run by Craig Breedlove in a slightly different form to 675 mph there is no news of a purchaser. This sadly looks to be a project vehicle destined for a museum.

Waldo Stakes with his “Imagine” Land Speed Record Vehicle is assembling parts and his monthly update confirms he is gaining engineering assistance. He is beginning to create his rocket powered vehicle using his knowledge gained with “Sonic Wind”.

Rosco McGlashan is assembling his rocket powered AI5R car and progress is being made with the construction process which is based around a strong cylindrical core as seen in FF76. Certain areas of the vehicle will only become fixed once a CFD modelling programme is completed.

These last two and the “North American Eagle” show the “hot rodders” style of getting on and building the vehicle without worrying too much about external funding.

BLOODHOUND SSC have run many CFD computer iterations of the arrangement of the rear end of the car and have now got a design that does not produce a dramatic change from downforce to lift. The team will move forward with the detailed design and build phase as quickly as they can.

The Jim Demmitt project has not gone beyond a web site address, so with no news perhaps “Project 1000 mph” is not destined to be the main American challenge.

As we report elsewhere in Work in Progress the “Bullet” Project in Australia is now resourcing three different projects.

The non supersonic (1000 kph) contender “Jet Black” in New Zealand is proposed as being a project which will promote the country’s engineering and manufacturing. The Thrust2/Aussie Invader 3 layout is proven, but without a final confirmed shape the team have yet to construct a mock up frame and bodyshell. These are needed to allow components to be fitted before the spaceframe is constructed around the R-R Avon jet engine. The team are using Computer Aided Design, which often removes the prototype or mock up stages to allow a speedier build after an analysis of strength using finite element analysis (FEA, but will rely upon the physical full scale mock up.