Swagelok is one of the international sponsors of the Bloodhound SSC project. Bill Peet, managing director of Swagelok SA, introduced this engineering adventure and its importance in attracting young people to engineering. In South Africa, we are currently experiencing a shortage of scientists, engineers and mathematicians. We are in urgent need of motivated young people that will enjoy and study science and technology.
Bloodhound SSC is a supersonic land vehicle currently under development. Its goal is to match or exceed a speed of 1000 miles per hour (1609 km/h), achieving a new world land speed record. The car, powered by a jet as well as a rocket engine, is designed to reach 1050 miles per hour (1690 km/h). It is being built with the intention of breaking the land speed record by 33%, the largest ever margin.
The presentation team (from left) Peter Woodman, Dave Rowley, Bill Peet, Lindiwe Magana with branch chairman Mike Banda (centre).
The vehicle is approximately 13,5 metres long and weighs 7,5 tons. The design is a mix of car and aircraft technology, with the front section being a carbon fibre monocoque (like a racing car) and the back portion being a metallic framework and panels (like an aircraft). The two front wheels sit within the body and two rear wheels are mounted externally within wheel fairings.
Over 110 man years of effort have been invested in the design, build and manufacture of Bloodhound. Runway testing of up to 200 miles per hour (320 km/h) is scheduled to take place in 2017. Bloodhound will then be tested on the Hakskeen Pan in the Northern Cape, where a track 12 miles (19 km) long, 2 miles
(3,2 km) wide has been cleared.
The three objectives of the project are:
• To set a new world land speed record of 1000 mph.
• Inspire the next generation about science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
• Share an iconic research and development programme with a global audience.
Date to diarise
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