as it is unlikely to provide an advantage to any other team – in stark contrast to,say, Formula 1.
As the ultimate, unlimited racing car, BLOODHOUND SSC will also be the catalyst for a raft of cutting-edge research in fields such as aerodynamics, computational fluid dynamics, materials technology, composite manufacturing and sustainable high-tech engineering.
The numbers generated by initial studies, conducted in secret over the past 18 months, give some idea of the challenges ahead.
The 12.8m long, 6,422kg (fuelled), jet and rocket-powered vehicle will be more advanced than most spacecraft and faster than a bullet fired from a handgun. Its 900mm diameter wheels will spin at over 10,000rpm, generating 50,000 radial g at the rim. The car will accelerate from 0 – 1,050mph in 40 seconds and at V-max (maximum velocity), the pressure of air bearing down on its carbon fibre and titaniumbodywork will exceed twelve tonnes per square metre. |
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Filton, Bristol, the aim is to make BLOODHOUND SSC accessible to all ages from 5 – 19 and beyond.
The BLOODHOUND Project is a private venture. Government is part funding the three year education programme but not the build and running costs of the car. These costs will be covered by sponsorships. Founder sponsors include Swansea University, STP, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Serco and the University of The West of England.
The BLOODHOUND Project is an iconic adventure that will push technology to its limit. In trying to set what research suggests may be the ultimate land speed record, a team of British engineers, designers, mathematicians and technologists hope to tell a new story of science that will fascinate and inspire all those who hear it.
Minister of State for Science and Innovation, Lord Drayson, said: |
