Author Topic: APS/Ω Gas turbine bike build  (Read 931020 times)

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Offline Mobacken Racing

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #15 on: March 25, 2013, 07:20:55 PM »
This evening I spent in the workshop fitting the front fender to the bike.



Last night I wrote down everything I have to do on the bike before I can take it apart to weld up the frame, the list became quite long and the first thing on it was to fit the front fender and fairings. Without them firmly fitted I cannot finish the air intake, fit any hoses or much else for that matter.



I made some aluminum brackets for the fender and hung it in place, the reason for the sad look is because the fender was made to fit all kinds of fork angles so there is plenty of material to be removed.



This looks better, as you probably know one of the rules in the class APS/Ω is that the front fender cannot hide more than 180° of the circumference of the wheel and that the front of the fender cannot in any spot be lower than the front wheel axle.



Here is the bike with the fender cut, personally I think the bike looks much better without a fender at all but then I won´t even make it out of the pits before the engine is filled with salt... :roll:



The last thing I did tonight was to modify the fairings so they would fit the rear of the fender, they will be properly strenghtened with aluminum brackets later to withstand the force from the air. Everyone who has lifted their head on a motorcycle in 300km/h know what I am talking about... :)

Cheers!
/Anders

Offline charlie101

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #16 on: March 25, 2013, 11:01:07 PM »
Amazing build! Subscribed. Svenskt stål biter! :cheers:
How much do you estimate the engine and gearbox weigh? and what is the front/rear weight balance of the bike?
« Last Edit: March 25, 2013, 11:37:07 PM by charlie101 »

Offline wobblywalrus

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #17 on: March 25, 2013, 11:26:51 PM »
Anders, a good way to come over here is the way Lars from Denmark did it.  He ran at Speedweek, then he fine tuned his bike and he ran again at BUB a few weeks later.  He had two chances to get everything right.   

Offline Mobacken Racing

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #18 on: March 26, 2013, 12:46:47 AM »
Thanks! The gearbox is quite heavy since it is made from cast iron, I haven´t actually weighed the complete engine yet but if I should guess I would say around 80 kg for the gas producer, power turbine section and gearbox. An alloy gearbox housing and thinner hot sections in the gas turbine should easily lower this 15-20 kg but I see no reason.

The same goes for the weight distribution, the CoG seems to be somewhere below the drivers seat but I will measure it properly when the bike is finished. Since everything is a very tight fit I have no way of moving things around to get a better weight distribution unless I add lead weights to the frame.

That is a very good idea to run both Speed Week and BuB, the trip overseas will be very taxing on my workshop savings so I might as well run as much as I can when I am there. When I started the build I sort of promised my feancee that she could come along when the time comes to go to Bonneville and she would probably enjoy some days off the salt. :-)

When the bike is running I will spend a couple of years testing the tracks here in europe to sort the bike out before I take my shot at the record, if I find that there is no way on earth I can break the 349km/h standing class record I will probably build a new bike before I come.

I am discussing a 370hp gas turbine build with a good friend in Australia so if my JU-01 engine (Johansson Unit 01) fails me there is still hope. :-)

Cheers!
/Anders

Offline Jon

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #19 on: March 26, 2013, 05:56:31 AM »
Amazing skill is all I can say, thanks for sharing.

Be watching this.
jon
Underhouse Engineering
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gkabbt

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #20 on: March 26, 2013, 06:59:11 AM »
Anders,

I am going to let a modified quote from Milwaukee Midget sum it up for me:

THIS is what hot-rodding was meant to be.

What YOU'RE doing is taking the ART of hot-rodding and pushing the boundary to a level that few of us will ever have the talent to do.

This is just stunning.

Thanks for letting us come along for the ride.

Chris


Gregg

Offline Mobacken Racing

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #21 on: March 26, 2013, 04:32:48 PM »
Once again, thank you so much for your praise. I am not sure if I deserve it just yet though, when the bike has passed 200mph I probably feel like I have earned the bragging rights but until then I´ll try to keep a low profile.  :-)

A pair of 4" sight glasses ordered for the fuel and oil tanks on Ebay today, and during a running pass before dinner I figured out how to make the front fairing mounts. Baby stepping my way forward.

Cheers!
/Anders

Offline TwinSpin

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #22 on: March 26, 2013, 06:59:02 PM »
I'm not very interested in turbine bikes, I'm an old school piston guy. HOWEVER, because of your design, machining art and craftsmanship, I am VERY interested in your build. You have my attention and encouragement and I will follow this build.

Enjoy making your dreams in 3D. I believe part of the fun of any speed record is the build itself. Best wishes.

Bill

Offline tauruck

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #23 on: March 27, 2013, 12:11:14 AM »
Hey Anders, this is a great build, the engineering and everything else looks excellent. Well done and I hope you achieve your goal. Mike.

Offline grumm441

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #24 on: March 27, 2013, 06:05:12 AM »
Really nice work Anders
G
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Offline Seldom Seen Slim

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #25 on: March 27, 2013, 01:09:03 PM »
Anders, I'm not sure if it's been mentioned - or if you already know it.  Weight is usually your friend in land speed racing.  Yes, you need to be concerned about balance front to rear, and yes, if you're running a STANDING measured distance the lighter weight is good.  But for flying kilo/mile speeds, weight gives you more traction without an aero penalty.  It appears you'll have plenty of power - but if you can't get that power down to the salt you'll end up with a bunch of tire spin at high speed.  It's doable -- but kind of scary the first time or two when you spin up the rear wheel at 180 mph :-o :-o
Jon E. Wennerberg
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Offline Mobacken Racing

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #26 on: March 27, 2013, 01:49:34 PM »
Thanks guys! :-)

Spinning a tyre at high speeds should be a bit exciting indeed, the good thing about saving weight at this point in the build process is that it is easier to add lead weights later to balance the front/rear of the bike.

What about the chrome moly frame, do I need to have a certified chassi builder to visually check the welds before I paint the frame or is it ok if I take some random pics of the welds and send to the landspeed tech inspector? 

Offline DND

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #27 on: March 27, 2013, 04:45:29 PM »
Hi Anders

The good thing you could do is contact a Certified Welder in your town, pay for a hour of his time and have him bring his welding helmet.

Have some tubing ready to weld so you don't waste his time as he is on the clock, he can watch you weld the tubes together and see how your welds look.

If your welds are too hot or too cold he can see what you need to change, maybe a lesson or two could put you right in the ball park.

When building my race car in the 60's i went to night school wending class and it was one of the best things i ever did, nothing like knowing that your welding is correct on your own racer!!! ' Priceless '

Don

Offline Mobacken Racing

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #28 on: March 27, 2013, 07:37:46 PM »
That would be the best way, "unfortunately" I have already welded most of the frame so I can´t do it that way. I have a friend who builds top fuel chassis (LG Eriksson, ME Racing) who probably could take a look at my work and hopefully give me thumbs up. Would that suffice?

I mean, is there any rule that says that the welds need to be closely inspected or is it enough that they look ok and haven´t shown any cracks during a couple or seasons of racing?

Tonight I started making the brackets for the fairings, I had to get something done today so I won´t have to be in the workshop all easter. :-)



I strengthened the fairing nose with riveted aluminum and made chromemoly brackets which were then welded to the steering head. I need several more brackets to hold everything in place but at least the fairings stays in place without zip ties now.



The thing that took the longest was to find the right position for the fairings before I made the brackets, compared to the earlier pictures the fairings sit lower and further forward which makes the front fender look a bit less gigantic. :-)



The next step will be to cut down the sides of the fairings a little and strenghten them properly before making brackets for them.



I managed to get three hours in the workshop before my feancee called and told me that our youngest daugher has got stomach flue, this will probably be one interesting easter... :|

Cheers!
/Anders

Offline Stainless1

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Re: APS Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #29 on: March 27, 2013, 08:06:12 PM »
Nobody is going to inspect your welding at tech inspection unless the welds look obviously bad.  It is for your own safety that folks suggest having someone look at it if you are not a regular welder.  It makes a difference when you are welding CM to know what you are doing. 
Are you confident that the frame won't come apart at 200 MPH?
Have you put in ample braces and gussets to hold the weight of the bike and rider?
It is your butt on the seat.
Stainless
Red Hat 228.039, 2001, 65ci, Bockscar Lakester #1000 with a little N2O