WORLD LAND-SPEED RECORD
Progress Report No5
by Roy S. Peters

May 1995 (Editted 19 March 2005)
THRUST SSC

IMPROVEMENTS SINCE INITIAL DESIGN

Cockpit Canopy

Despite the excellent design, one of the first improvements was when Mach1 Club membership became available for effecting a decrease in drag factor in this region. Computer Modelling was financed here for improvements, these being made in the Autumn of last year.

Material for body-panels

When the first engine-tests were started, it was noted that the temperature off- centre (sideways) from the exhausts was substantial even as far as the body-work. Thus the aluminium anticipated will have to be replaced by the high-temperature resistant metal titanium. Plans were thus modified. This is a very expensive & heavy metal and would have to be acquired for a large area. Titanium is also a more awkward metal to work with! That design change took place last year.

Tail Section

More recently, it was found that the vertical extent of the exhaust plume, although narrow at 800mph, was somewhat wider at lower speeds. This would have the effect of, not only making the tail hot, but of lifting the back of the car undesirably. This is being corrected by moving the tail section forward half a metre to clear the affected region. So Ron Ayers has a design modification before the tail is built on.

This will not affect the roll-out time appreciably, which will still be in June this year. The whole team is very thrilled with the computer simulations on their Cray-C90 which performs 16 billion computations per second. The Cray has given them a confident knowledge of what the airflow beneath the car is at all speeds. They are the first people in the world to research this and find the answers. Naturally, the team will keep the results to themselves for the moment.

This broadening of the plume at low speeds would have had a very bad effect on stability for testing and runs at the lower speeds. The new design changes will regain the desired stability.

As Ron said on their Tomorrow's World appearance on April21st 1995, a mere half a degree lift of the nose, from whatever cause, will cause it to lift uncontrollably and do a back-flip - imposing 40g forces on the structure and tearing it apart. This would be the end of Andy Green if it occurred.

On that same broadcast, Richard had said that if the nose gets too far UP one goes flying - but if it goes to far DOWN one goes 'mining'!!. My early memories of Thrust2's runs are that Richard went 'ploughing' (until returning the following year with 50% wider wheels - increasing from 4" to 6").

Fire Safety

Vehicle

Although Andrew is well protected from physical crashes by a steel container about him, the fire problem that could result from ignition of fuel vapours that could engulf the car in a second has to be addressed. The design of Thrust SSC involves detectors that `see' any potential fire (by looking at the Infrared wavelengths) within 2 milliseconds ( i.e 0.002 seconds). These detectors are linked to actuators which trigger the extinguishers within 0.1 seconds. This technology comes from the aircraft industry and is also already in tanks.

Clothing

Andrew's driving-suit is made from fibres of special polymers which have been pre-heated (cooked) and pre-burned so that there is nothing left to catch fire!! The fabric is resistant to 1000 Degrees Centigrade - and Howard Stableford, of Tomorrow's World, gave an interview whilst wearing one with a blow-torch playing on it for a considerable time.

ACTIVITIES AFTER ROLL-OUT

A. UK Testing

I have not yet heard exact locations for these trials and tests. I would assume that some will be done in `private' as well as in the presence of Mach1 Club ('Gold Card' category) members. Long lengths of track are required. Some `testing' use of the `exhibition' runs under the section B, below, is clearly possible.

B. Air Shows & Demos

It has been known, to members of the Club and to the public via announcements, that some runs at (un-named as yet) Air Shows in the UK will take place. My briefings from the club are too infrequent to help here - but as soon as I hear anything I will put out a short, quick notice to the effect. I may well be in phone contact with my readers if the notice is too short! I would also hope for displays at selected drag-strips, - but their widths may be too prohibitive. (By a few investigations, I calculate that the car is about 12 feet wide). Santa Pod Raceway, and more locally, Avon Park Raceway would be useful!!

C. In the USA

The longest practical tracks in the UK restrict the safe testing only up to about 280-315 mph so it would be too much to hope for two-way runs over the measured mile just to break his own UK record. Mind you, if Sammy Miller has cracked Richard's UK record by that time - well - , he might be tempted to regain it. The car would best be used, however, for doing the bulk of the testing for the serious stuff in the USA (Black Rock Desert - see my Report no2 ).

The early tests, there, will use the two Spey 202s - and a transition made to the Spey 205s at the appropriate time, - but whilst testing is still subsonic.

Richard and the team expect to be on the desert for 40 days.

SIMULATIONS OF "BLACK-ROCK" ACTIVITIES

To bring realism into the time-scale which is affected by the weather, my textual simulator uses random along-track wind-speeds, cross-track wind data and rainfall and wetness parameters. It is set to fit the typical Nevada and Utah weather-effects reported by the Thrust2 team in 1980-83.

Along-track winds affect the speed that one travels and the effectiveness of the braking-chutes - and when they are deployed!! Across-track winds govern the maximum safe speed that is possible for safety. The higher the winds, - the lower the maximum- speed recommendation.

The rain (past & present) governs the usability of the track. As Richard found out (in 1980-83), delays could be quite short, - BUT some could last many days. If near the `end' of the season, this would mean a delay from October or November until the following September. (See my Report No 2 - under `Location of Attempts')

The simulation of the attempts must, not only, perform the physics of the control of the vehicle, but also provide these statistical weather-decisions for testing and actual record-attempts. We are thus producing a meaningful Project-Problem scenario.

In my Report No4 , I reported the Simulation progress to a simulated 14thOctober'95 (just subsonic). The only run to be made before the weather caused continual cancellations (from 18th October until 2nd November 1995) was the supersonic test (one-way only) on the 17th October '95 (even that was thrice-postponed). On that occasion, full power was applied for 2.2 miles (when it reached 820.527 mph) and then it was throttled-back to 10000lbs thrust until 2.5 miles when all thrust was removed. The 30sq ft chute was deployed at 4.454miles when travelling at 490.7mph and then the disc- brakes were applied at 5.45miles when at 146mph. The vehicle came to a stop at 5.652 miles so, although no `measured mile' was traversed, we verified the stopping distance from 820 mph with a 7 mph headwind.

This simulator can run in a simulation mode or an actual mode. Simulation mode is without the weather data but the ACTUAL has it.

Thus on `actual' simulations, I expect to restart at a simulated 1 September 1996 on a real day in May 95.

FUTURE NEWS

1. The next `Tomorrow's World' broadcast dealing with Thrust SSC will be in June at the 'finish' of the `build-stage' and covering `roll-out'.

2. For anyone with access to Internet, the team's updated Internet Address is:

ThrustSSC

If anyone finds information that I have not covered in my reports, I'd be very pleased to hear of what you've found for inclusion in future numbers of these reports.

3. If you wish to join the Mach1 Club, its postal address is:

Mach1 Club
PO Box 77
Hampton
TW12 2XN

(I haven't got a phone number - unfortunately they may not have one!!)

4. My own newsletters/reports/briefings will continue as long as the Thrust SSC Project is active.

Roy S. Peters

Malvern



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