DESIGNING BLOODHOUND SSC—The 1000mph Car*

IMA Mathematics 2011, 24th March 2011

Dr Ben Evans

College of EngineeringSwansea University

*supported by EPSRC Platform Grant EP/D074258;EPSRC Research Grant EP/F032617

OUTLINE

BLOODHOUND SSC Project

World Land Speed Record

Importance of aerodynamic design

Process of computational fluid dynamics (CFD)

Validation of the process and THRUST SSC

CFD applied to the design of BLOODHOUND SSC

Conclusions

THE BLOODHOUND SSC PROJECT

LAND SPEED RECORD

1898 Gaston Ch-Laubat France 39mph1904 Louis Rigolly France 103mph1927 Sir Henry Segrave UK 203mph1935 Sir Malcolm Campbell UK 301mph1964 Donald Campbell UK 403mph1964 Craig Breedlove USA 526mph1965 Craig Breedlove USA 600mph1983 Richard Noble UK 633mph1997 Andy Green UK 763mph (Mach 1.016)

BLOODHOUND SSC

1000 mph

SUBSONIC TO SUPERSONIC

M=0.0 M=1.0M=0.5 M=1.5

SUBSONIC TRANSONIC SUPERSONIC

HYPERSONIC

THRUST SSC

763 mph

THRUST2

633 mphBABS(at Pendine)

171 MPH

BLUEBIRD(at Pendine)

174 MPH

BLOODHOUND SSC: DESIGN CHALLENGES

propulsion

structural performance

control of the dynamic stability

confirmed braking system strategy

aerodynamics

ANALYSING AERODYNAMIC DESIGNS: WIND TUNNEL TESTING

ANALYSING ENGINEERING DESIGNS: COMPUTER SIMULATION

Simulation using computers

(a) mathematical model

(c) computer solution

(d) analysis of the results

Olek Zienkiewicz1921––2009

(b) approximation

aerodynamic modelling→computational fluid dynamics (CFD)

MATHEMATICAL MODEL: AIR FLOW Basic laws of physics: conservation of mass, momentum and energy

APPROXIMATION: 1D

uniform subdivision

non–uniform subdivision

the subdivision: meshcreating the subdivision: mesh generationsub–regions: elementsnodes:

approximation gets better as the element size decreases or as the number of nodes increases

APPROXIMATION: 2D

CFD PROCESS: 2D

define the region

mesh generation

analyse solution

actual wing

mathematical description of the aerofoil section

approximate equations and solve

AUTOMATIC MESH GENERATION: 2D REGION

CFD PROCESS: 3D

actual aircraft mathematical description of the aircraft surface

mesh generation

analyse solutiondefine the region

approximate equationsand solve

COMPUTER PERFORMANCE/COST

1990s: CRAY C90 supercomputerseveral million pounds 103MFlopsnational supercomputer centres

2010: PC cluster £130K 430 cpus 9x106MFlopsuniversity departments

CFD: FLITE3D

THRUST SSC PROJECT

THRUST SSC 1997

Ron Ayres

THRUST SSC: CFD VALIDATION

Mach

0.711.080.961.05

Experimen

t

CFD

μ=0 1 million elements 24 hours CRAY C90

CFD: VARIATION IN LIFT

ground surface

axis of vehicle

ground surface

axis of vehicle

THRUST SSC

World Land Speed Record 763 mph Black Rock Desert, Nevada

October 15th 1997

BLOODHOUND SSC: DESIGN EVOLUTION

project launch October 2008

current design

initial concept 2007

WHEEL DESIGN

Drag Profile for W1 and W2 Wheels

0

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.1

0.12

0.14

0.16

0.18

0.2

Mach Number

Dra

g/q W1 (single keel)

W2 (triple keel)

pressure coefficient on the surface

single keel triple keelsingle keel

Lift Profile for W1 and W2 Wheels

-0.35

-0.3

-0.25

-0.2

-0.15

-0.1

-0.05

0

0.05

0.1

0.50 0.60 0.70 0.80 0.90 1.00 1.10 1.20 1.30 1.40 1.50

Mach number

Lif

t/q W1 (single keel)

W2 (triple keel)

triple keel

ENGINE INTAKE DESIGN

CFD for the twin intake

CFD for the modified single intake design

total pressure at the engine face

FRONT WHEEL PLACEMENT

yaw angle = -2º

Original design Modified design

yaw angle = 5º

REAR SUPERSONIC LIFT

dark blue: low pressure → red: high pressure

Study parameters- delta leading edge sweep angle

- base area

- rear wheel track

- fairing spike length

- fairing spike height

- boat-tail angle

- body-delta angle

- ride height

- delta angle of attack

- delta strut camber

- rear shape

- diffuser

- suspension ‘blister’

- delta leading edge ‘crank’

- delta – body blend

- fairing radius

- fairing cone diameter

- delta AoA

PARAMETRIC OPTIMISATION

PARAMETRIC OPTIMISATION

dark blue: low pressure → red: high pressure

FULL VEHICLE

100 million elements

24 hours 128 AMD Opteron processors

CONFIGURATIONS ANALYSED

• Config evolution

ACCELERATING CAR

red: low pressure → purple: high pressure

CFD: FINAL DESIGN

CAR BUILD: AUTUMN 2010―CHRISTMAS 2011

RECORD ATTEMPT

Hakskeen Pan in the north eastern corner of South Africa

clay surface

10 miles of track & 1 mile overrun

very hard and very flat

good access & ideal weather

clearance of 9 square miles by300 workers in 128 days

RUN PROFILE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Dr Jason Jones, Professor Oubay Hassan, Dr Clare Wood, KM, Dr Ben EvansInset (left) Dr Lakhdar Remaki Inset (right) Professor Nigel Weatherill

Thank you for listening…