Bloodhound latest news

[sabat]

Best of luck to them, I'm glad the project will continue. REALLY glad to see that Andy Green is still driving.

[Phil UK]

Embargoed 13.00 GMT 21.03.2019.  Hmmmmm

[Stan Back]

It's great news that they're concentrating on the livery.  I think they're on the right track with red and white.  There're so many shades of red; this may take a committee to narrow the contenders.  Full speed ahead!

[Mark Elvin]

How do these things get leaked?

Interesting to read.

[floydjer]

Oh no...NOT re-sale red....

[TrickyDicky]

There is a pared back web site at http://www.bloodhoundlsr.com/ and the old web site has (almost) disappeared.  Seems a shame to lose all that information about the first 10 years.

The car is mostly white at the moment (very little red at all), but for a small fee it appears you get to choose the final colour scheme.   

[TrickyDicky]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47650453.

[racefanwfo]

I guess that changing the color of the car is a real step forward in breaking the record.

[7707]

Sorry but words are cheap. The proof is when it runs. Simple as that.

True, but he put his money where his mouth is. Good luck to him.

Hhmmm....the jury is out on that one.

[wobblywalrus]

www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-47735093  A recent article about the project progress.

[sabat]

www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-47735093  A recent article about the project progress.

Written by Andy Green

[wobblywalrus]

A recent article. Enough money is obtained to reach 500 to 600 mph. www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-48925427

[wobblywalrus]

An article about the aluminum wheels. www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-48925425

[MAYOMAN]

I have been following the progress of the absolute world land speed record for the past 50 years. I am dumbfounded by the insistence of Thrust 2, Thrust SSC, Bloodhound, and Aussie Invader 5R to eschew pneumatic tires and instead run their vehicles on solid metal wheels.
Since the coefficient of friction of the metal wheels on dry salt lakes, or other hard surfaces, is insufficient to provide steering control they must find semi-soft surfaces to run on. Since these metal wheels obtain steering control by, in effect, machining grooves in the race course surface, they literally destroy the course as they run and cannot return on the exact same path. Also, finding the optimal surface composition for the record course seems to be adding unnecessary complication to the search for the land speed record venues.
When we ran The Blue Flame in 1970 on pneumatic tires, the steering control was excellent as the coefficient of friction approached that of rubber on asphalt or concrete. The Goodyear tires and our wheels were tested at Goodyear at speeds up to 850 mi/h without failure. The only failure in testing occurred when the wheel mounting mandrel broke loose at speed and the tire and wheel spun around in the concrete test cell. The wheel, while not being used afterward, only had some gouges on the rim from impacting the cell walls and still looked nice as a display piece.
Three of the four pneumatic tires and wheels were replaced for minor reasons on the salt flats. When one of the two front tires leaked air (probably the O-ring seal between the wheel center and the outer flange), we replaced both at the same time. One of the rear tires was replaced after a towed braking incident (locked up tire and skidded) wore through most of the thin rubber tread. The fourth tire was used for all 24 timed runs.
Since we could design and build 850 mi/h pneumatic tires 50 years ago, it should be a simple task to design and build 1,000 mi/h tires (and wheels) with the materials and design improvements since that period of time. When I think of all the time wasted by the LSR teams trying to use metal wheels for providing the steering function I am amazed. Just my opinion.

[wobblywalrus]

My experience is with the Oregon state highway department pavement research program.  Higher tire internal air pressures do create greater tire contact patch pressures.  It is not often a linear relationship but it is close.  The "tire pressure" in metal wheels is related to the moduli of elasticity which is magnitudes higher than the contact pressure with pneumatic tires.  Solid tires do tear up the racing surface.