Scientists at NPL have worked alongside the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) and Fluid Gravity Engineering (FGE) to advise a land speed record team on two of the most high-risk aspects of the world record attempt - wheel and rocket designs.

*Image courtesy of Curventa

Andy Green, the current land speed world record holder and first man to drive a supersonic vehicle on land, and Richard Noble, Head of the Design Team (and former world record holder), aim to develop the first land speed vehicle that breaks the 1,000mph barrier. The current project, entitled 'BLOODHOUND', will have its design underpinned through world-class research from some of the UK's top laboratories. To reach 1,000 mph the wheels must be able to rotate at 10,500 rpm without being damaged by the surface or any stones that they run over. They also need to be as light as possible to minimise steering and suspension forces, and they must be capable of absorbing all of the weight, down force loads and stresses and distribute this pressure without causing damage to the vehicle or the surface.

CEMMNT partner, NPL, has spent the last year examining every aspect of the wheel design for this project. NPL materials experts researched the choice of materials and composites that could be used in the design, providing reports on titanium and aluminium alloys, and metal composites. This will help to advise the team on what materials are most compatible with the wheel size, brake and suspension requirements. NPL also worked with AWE and FGE in considering the effect that shockwaves would have on the wheel design, advising on the best way to manufacture the wheels.

The vehicle will have the first ever mixed powerplant of a hybrid rocket motor and a jet engine. It uses cutting edge jet technology to provide the initial thrust and the novel rocket impulse to achieve the 1,000 mph target.

NPL and FGE developed a modelling tool to understand the hybrid combustion process and simulate the internal motor ballistics. The data generated has the potential to help optimise the injector design, oxidiser streams into the fuel grain, radiation transfer, regression rates and rocket motor exhaust. NPL also provided advice on the type of materials to be used in the rocket design, how high temperatures would affect them, what the best material would be for rocket nozzles and how all of these should be produced.

*Image courtesy of Curventa

The current land-speed world record stands at 766 mph, set by Andy Green in October 1997. When answering the question as to the feasibility of reaching 1,000 mph with the BLOODHOUND SSC, Ron Ayres, Chief of Aerodynamics for the project commented, "We have found nothing that tells us that 1,000 mph is impossible. However, all the factors suggest that our target of 1,000 mph is somewhere near to the limit of what is feasible with current technology, so the target is a very challenging one. I suggest that BLOODHOUND SSC is exploring the region between the Sound Barrier and the Technology Barrier".