On 1st October, the BLOODHOUND Build Team achieved a significant milestone in the build of the world’s most powerful racing car when they fitted its EJ200 jet engine for the first time.
Normally found powering a Eurofighter Typhoon, the EJ200 jet engine weighs one tonne (1000kg) and produces 20,000 lbs (90kN) or 9 tonnes of Thrust.
A team of five technicians spent eight hours to ensure the jet engine is a perfect fit with the upper and lower chassis and the carbon composite air intake, validating thirty years of world leading design.
In the jet fighter, the EJ200 is designed to be hung from a single mounting point (‘trunion’) so BLOODHOUND replicates this. The upper chassis is made of strong but light aluminium to which titanium stringers and titanium skin will be fixed using both glue and 1,400 aircraft spec rivets. The lower chassis below the jet is made of aluminium and steel and houses the NAMMO hybrid rocket. The two power plants together produce the equivalent of 135,000 thrust horse power or 180 F1 cars.
Today the Build Team trial fitted the upper chassis ribs over the jet engine to check the fit and clearance for the numerous fuel, electrical and hydraulic systems before the upper chassis is assembled, bonded and riveted.
Chief engineer Mark Chapman said, “This is a fantastic moment in the Project, it’s great to see the jet engine fitted, it validates the many years of hard work by our team of motor sport and aerospace engineers”.
The workshop is a hive of activity as the 3,000 + individual components are delivered from manufacturers all over the world and assembled in the BLOODHOUND Technical Centre, Avonmouth, Bristol.
In simple terms jet and rocket powered car comprises of a carbon-fibre monocoque front section joined to a steel, Aluminium and Titanium rear chassis. 70% of the components have been either completed or are with manufacturers, the final 30% will be ordered by the end of the year.
The Project is on-course for the finished car to roll-out for low speed testing (up to 200mph, 321km/h) at Newquay’s Aerohub in Summer 2015. BLOODHOUND will then fly to South Africa’s Hakskeen Pan for the start of the Land Speed Record campaign, that Autumn.
BLOODHOUND SSC may be the most powerful land vehicle in the world, with c. 47,000lbs of thrust, equivalent to the combined output of 180 F1 cars, but going fast is not its primary role. Rather, it is designed to inspire a generation by showcasing science and engineering in the most exciting and accessible way possible. With aerospace being such an important aspect of the UK economy, and future skills a key concern, government and the UK’s high-value manufacturing sector endorse BLOODHOUND’s mission.
The BLOODHOUND Project is grateful for the support of a raft of world-class companies who share our ambition to inspire a generation to follow science and engineering by building, and racing, the most extraordinary car in the world.
