RE: Bloodhound SSC - "we're winning!"
Discussion
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I've got to chuck my own ha'penny'worth into this one...Question: Would you say the first successful ascent of Everest was pure folly, the first moon landing an idiotic endeavour, breaking the sound barrier a step too far, or even, building a 1000 bhp production car pointless?
There are definitely people who would say yes, and I would argue that:
a. they shouldn't be anywhere near this website;
b. they should never, ever, ever be involved in personnel development, or the instruction or guidance of children or young adults; and
c. we should be thankful they have not had anything to do with human development (can you imagine if a caveman had said (or grunted) "what, fire, no - we've survived this long chewing raw meat, fire's a bit pointless isn't it")
Yes, bloodhound may be going for a seemingly pointless goal, but they are doing what human beings are so good at, and what makes us unique - they are pushing the boundaries. Why is this good? To all the nay-sayers - think back to when the first cars ever made progress - there were people then who thought that if man went over 100mph he would immediately die.... how much progress would mankind have made if everyone had listened to them? For one thing, Pistonheads wouldn't exist, nor for that matter would (I suspect) the internet, computers, modern electronics, etc, etc.... It's our drive to do the crazy, irrational things which makes us create, which powers our imagination, which gives us daft ideas..... and out of 1000 daft ideas, one of them will be fantastic and will change our lives forever.
And just for those who think that driving a car at 1000mph is not really pushing the envelope, and a lot less technically challenging than designing a modern fighter aircraft.... try flying a F22 at ground level with afterburner on, undercarriage down and see how long you last - ground effect does weird things at that speed, so you could be pulled into the deck, given massive lift, or any manner of other things.... one big thing you have to think about is that huge pressure wave you create around you as you pass the sound barrier, and the effect it has on your vehicle, especially on its interaction with the ground as the vehicle passes over it. Another thing to consider is that at 1000mph how much down force do you want? The momentum at that speed would ensure that even just a bit too much wouldn't simply overwhelm the suspension and mean you scraped the sump, it would turn your supersonic vehicle into a supersonic tunnel-borer....
And yes, I think Bloodhound is fantastic!
PS I'm an engineer in the MOD and I wish to god we could get more people like Richard Noble's engineers working for us - all you who say it's a pointless project, please stay at home.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
(This is all my approximate understanding garnered from Richard Noble's book - I am not an engineer degreed or otherwise)Downforce is necessary for several reasons, 1). the rules state the wheels must be in contact with the ground at all times (within reason, obviously, eg. hitting a bump) - basically it cannot be a v. low flying aircraft.
Also secondly, Richard Noble (understandably) is deeply obsessed with safety - I think the concept of 'hoping for the best' would alarm him. His principal concern with SSC was that it shouldn't take off (Thrust 2 peak speed was something like 7 mph short of a colossal front end lift being generated apparently). The force around the car will create a huge amount of lift, especially the shockwave round the transonic region as the transonic airflow stabalises around the car.
Downforce will help stop the car taking off, stabilise it for steering inputs, and also keep it stable when losing speed.
P.S Love the whole idea of bloodhound. LSR geek since I was a nipper.
Ninjajim76 said:
Question: Would you say the first successful ascent of Everest was pure folly, the first moon landing an idiotic endeavour, breaking the sound barrier a step too far
Not at all, the examples you've mentioned were for the good of the human race in varying degrees. 1000mph on land in a car is stupid though and incomparable to those points. Sure it'll take a lot of clever-clog's to make it happen and good for them. But all it proves is that they themselves and as a team can do it. It isn't even a competition. Thrust SSC is still the fastest car on the planet, the record hasn't been taken by another country; there is no sporting aspect to it (more in reply to a previous poster who suggested that opposition to this project would be coupled to opposition to motorsport).
Ninjajim76 said:
It's our drive to do the crazy, irrational things which makes us create, which powers our imagination, which gives us daft ideas..... and out of 1000 daft ideas, one of them will be fantastic and will change our lives forever.
More good points, but still nothing that justifies Bloodhound.Ninjajim76 said:
PS I'm an engineer in the MOD and I wish to god we could get more people like Richard Noble's engineers working for us - all you who say it's a pointless project, please stay at home.
They can't work for the defense of a country that they're apparently so proud of because they're too busy building a car to do 1000mph. Judging by the reaction of people, the whole exercise is just for the purpose of flag-waving to inspire the blindly patriotic. You know that annoying thing that Americans are prone to? Well the Brit's are even worse at it.
I have no doubts to the talents of the people involved but it's all a bit of a waste to me.
If they were building a new Concorde or a different means of ferrying people around the world in short spaces of time then i wouldn't have any opposition to the idea. Or perhaps something revolutionary and helpful that the MOD hasn't thought of! At least in that way it would be something sellable to other countries and not just for fist-pumping about being British.
Didn't realise there was a thread here. Indeed, I can't fathom why it ISN'T in the Motor Sport thread - where I started mine (now closed) - as it is a competitive motoring event.
Oh well.
Watching the live feed through the Daily Telegraph website and there are no problems with the feed.
Oh well.
Watching the live feed through the Daily Telegraph website and there are no problems with the feed.
Eric Mc said:
Didn't realise there was a thread here. Indeed, I can't fathom why it ISN'T in the Motor Sport thread - where I started mine (now closed) - as it is a competitive motoring event.
Oh well.
Watching the live feed through the Daily Telegraph website and there are no problems with the feed.
I search for other threads but this had the most recent activity. I'm surprised that it was not a front page story. Oh well.
Watching the live feed through the Daily Telegraph website and there are no problems with the feed.
Eric Mc said:
Believe me, it's there 
Great talk by Andy Green at the moment. He's almost hoping it blows up.
No I do understand the need for H&S, but some times it just gets on my nerves because I can see it holding us back. I am a PhD researcher and I have to say I could of been a lot further down the road if I had been allowed to do a lot of suck it a see experiments where you sorta have to rely on your own whits if you don't want to get hurt. the faff with H&S and risk assessments and PAT testing just drags the whole thing out... does my head in.Great talk by Andy Green at the moment. He's almost hoping it blows up.
Back in the day they used to have open engine test cells here. You could stand next to your engine and dyno along with about 3-4 other open test beds around you. Sounds awfully exciting.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff