Author Topic: Bloodhound Photo Update  (Read 148722 times)

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Offline smarjoram

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Bloodhound Photo Update
« on: April 03, 2013, 07:00:29 AM »
It's been a busy time since the rocket test last October. I'm starting to get into the swing of making regular films (and juggling it with all the other photo work etc). We've brought out a book which explains all the many processes involved in designing a record car. Most importantly though, big chunks of the car are finally arriving - and being assembled in the workshop! It's very exciting to hear people welding, hammering and grinding downstairs - and to look over the balcony and see the lower chassis taking form. This photo was taken during the test fit/rivet hole drilling stage and the completed assembly has now been taken apart again for painting. Any day now it'll be back and the final glueing and riveting can start...

btc-0052 by Stefan Marjoram, on Flickr
It's all done with the utmost precision - here's Viv marking out the positions of the rivets with a jewellers eye-glass...

BTC-8385 by Stefan Marjoram, on Flickr
From this end you can see the hole for the rocket. It's probably worth pointing out that the car can be split into two halves - with the top half housing the EJ200 jet and the lower half the rocket assembly...

btc-8428 by Stefan Marjoram, on Flickr
We've also built and tested the gearbox which connects the Cosworth engine to the pump for the rocket...

btc-8426 by Stefan Marjoram, on Flickr
Here it is on the test rig at X-Trac - sprouting all sorts of sensors and observation tubes. We successfully spun it up to 18,200rpm. First on a level surface, then tilted at 64ยบ to simulate what would happen to the oil under acceleration...

xtrac-9602 by Stefan Marjoram, on Flickr
We used a rough cockpit to set out Andy's seating position and the position of all the switches etc...

btc-8028 by Stefan Marjoram, on Flickr
... and that's now been replaced with the beautiful monocoque itself...

mono-9721 by Stefan Marjoram, on Flickr
In January we travelled up to Castle Engineering in Glasgow to assemble the runway test wheels. Castle will also be making the solid aluminium desert wheels. The tyres for the runway wheels are from a Lightning jet! (original stock - tested fine)...

Castle-7925 by Stefan Marjoram, on Flickr
The show car has been touring the country - hopefully getting youngsters excited about the project. I thought it looked particularly good under Concorde's wing at the Fleet Air Arm museum...

FAA-8964 by Stefan Marjoram, on Flickr
Suddenly it doesn't look so big any more...

FAA-8944 by Stefan Marjoram, on Flickr
I'll leave you with a quick sketch of the Cosworth CA2010. Hope you enjoy the photos - now that things are in full swing there should be lots more to follow. All the best, Stefan...

Cosworth CA2010 by Stefan Marjoram, on Flickr

Offline kiwi belly tank

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Re: Bloodhound Photo Update
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2013, 09:06:14 AM »
Thanks for that Stephan. :cheers:

Click on any pic to go to photostream people.
  Sid.

Offline sabat

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Re: Bloodhound Photo Update
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2013, 09:28:45 AM »
Great stuff, thanks very much  :-D

Offline Peter Jack

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Re: Bloodhound Photo Update
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2013, 10:00:14 AM »
Great coverage Stephan. Thanks for posting. I'll look forward to further updates.  :cheers: :cheers:

Pete

Offline saltwheels262

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Re: Bloodhound Photo Update
« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2013, 06:11:01 PM »
that's quite a piece of work.
I may have missed something --
                  is the cosworth going to power the fuel pump for the rocket ?
bub '07 - 140.293 a/pg   120" crate street mill  
bub '10 - 158.100  sweetooth gear
lta  7/11 -163.389  7/17/11; 3 run avg.-162.450
ohio -    - 185.076 w/#684      
lta 8/14  - 169.xxx. w/sw2           
'16 -- 0 runs ; 0 events

" it's not as easy as it looks. "
                            - franey  8/2007

Offline smarjoram

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Re: Bloodhound Photo Update
« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2013, 07:01:01 PM »
Thanks for the nice comments!

Saltwheels - not a fuel pump as such - it'll pump the High Test Peroxide(HTP) which is the oxidiser for the hybrid rocket. We have 1000L tank of it - which the pump will empty it in 20 seconds. The HTP is forced through a silver mesh catalyst at which point it turns into super-heated steam. The steam then ignites the fuel which is a rubber lining in the rocket tube.

Offline saltwheels262

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Re: Bloodhound Photo Update
« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2013, 07:13:58 PM »
geez. that's really way over my head.
other than you have about 265 gallons of htp.

that thing should fly.
but, keep it on the ground.
bub '07 - 140.293 a/pg   120" crate street mill  
bub '10 - 158.100  sweetooth gear
lta  7/11 -163.389  7/17/11; 3 run avg.-162.450
ohio -    - 185.076 w/#684      
lta 8/14  - 169.xxx. w/sw2           
'16 -- 0 runs ; 0 events

" it's not as easy as it looks. "
                            - franey  8/2007

Offline kiwi belly tank

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Re: Bloodhound Photo Update
« Reply #7 on: April 04, 2013, 10:33:32 PM »
Bloody Nora!! :-o :-o :-o :-o :-o :-o :-o
I finally had enough time to come back & go through the whole picture gallery. I knew it was going to be nice but WOW is obsolete here!
What is the budget on this & who is funding it?
  Sid.

Offline smarjoram

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Re: Bloodhound Photo Update
« Reply #8 on: April 09, 2013, 06:39:40 AM »
Haha, glad you liked the photos Sid! I don't know what the final cost will be - but Richard often mentions how it's lower than what an average F1 team spends in a season. With it being an educational project (and over 5000 schools along for the ride so far) we can't afford to cut corners - we have to do it properly and above all safely so that the future engineers watching can see how you design and build something this complicated - whether it be an F1 car or fighter jet etc. It's all privately funded with a host of sponsors. A lot of the sponsors are using us a way of promoting their own educational/careers messages and also using the project as a team building exercise - with their employees becoming ambassadors and the company hosting STEM open days etc.

Offline IvanP

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Re: Bloodhound Photo Update
« Reply #9 on: April 18, 2013, 10:36:46 AM »
From this end you can see the hole for the rocket. It's probably worth pointing out that the car can be split into two halves - with the top half housing the EJ200 jet and the lower half the rocket assembly...


Thanks for the update and photos Stefan.

At first glance I thought this bloke looks familiar. Is Adrian Newey lending his expertise on the project by any chance? :-D

Hey,  BTW,,.. I enjoyed your article in the 30th Anniversary edition of The Automobile.

« Last Edit: April 18, 2013, 10:40:39 AM by IvanP »

Offline smarjoram

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Re: Bloodhound Photo Update
« Reply #10 on: April 18, 2013, 05:49:22 PM »
Thanks Ivan! Glad you liked the Fiat article - i ought to do an update here - it was after all a LSR car too. It's looking pretty impressive now the bodywork is almost done.

Not noticed Tufty's Newey similarity before (sideburns are too big) He might have worked for him though - most of the people doing the assembly have F1 backgrounds and it's great to hear all the inside gossip. I'll be adding some more photos shortly - it's been a productive few days.

Offline IvanP

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Re: Bloodhound Photo Update
« Reply #11 on: April 22, 2013, 07:57:52 AM »
Thanks Ivan! Glad you liked the Fiat article - i ought to do an update here - it was after all a LSR car too. It's looking pretty impressive now the bodywork is almost done.

Stefan, I am eagerly awaiting the day the beast is finished. I'm just dissapointed that I will never have the chance to see it in person, unless this weeks Powerball numbers come up. Please start a thread as i'm sure the fine folks here wouldn't mind seeing how it was done a century earlier.

For now, i'll blantantly point some traffic towards Davids' house for those who may never have seen the original or the recreation.

http://theoldmotor.com/?=fiat-s76


 - most of the people doing the assembly have F1 backgrounds and it's great to hear all the inside gossip.

Got any juicy stories??  I promise, i'll keep it quiet. :wink:

« Last Edit: April 22, 2013, 08:21:42 AM by IvanP »

Offline smarjoram

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Re: Bloodhound Photo Update
« Reply #12 on: April 22, 2013, 10:30:56 AM »
There was quite a funny conversation about the heaviest parts they'd designed to go on an F1 car - presumably to bring the car up to minimum weight with as low a C of G as possible. They were using some very strange metals like Osmium!

Offline smarjoram

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Re: Bloodhound Photo Update
« Reply #13 on: April 22, 2013, 10:37:35 AM »
Here's a couple of recent photos. The parts for the lower chassis have returned after being painted and coated. They're now being assembled with glue and rivets. The glue will be cured when the entire assembly is put into a large autoclave/oven...

chassis-0487-2 by Stefan Marjoram, on Flickr

The cabling for the lower chassis (2.2km of it) has also arrived!

cables-0485 by Stefan Marjoram, on Flickr

Offline Milwaukee Midget

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Re: Bloodhound Photo Update
« Reply #14 on: April 27, 2013, 12:56:16 AM »
It's my hope that somebody other than Lucas was contracted for the wiring loom . . .  :wink:
"Problems are almost always a sign of progress."  Harold Bettes
Well, I guess we're making a LOT of progress . . .  :roll: