 | World Land Speed Record |
Aussie Invader 5R |
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| the chassis | the engines | the rollcage | the CFD | |
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Although the work in building Aussie Invader 5R has really just begun, there has been a decade of planning and designing before the build could start. The science and technology behind such a project is staggering and only now is some of that coming into the reach of people like us, a dedicated and committed small team, driven with a passion to achieve the seemingly impossible.
Rosco McGlashan OAM leads the team, and is also the driver of Aussie Invader 5R. Rosco has 45 years in the Land Speed Record environment, chasing records and becoming the Fastest Aussie on the planet, having driven Aussie Invader III to a one way pass of 643 mph (1026 km/h)!
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click on image to view larger version
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click on any of the images to view a larger version
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The computer aided drawing to the left, shows Australia's best kept secret. They illustrate the simplicity of the concept. What makes AI5R a serious contender for the World Land Speed Record, is its method of propulsion. There are no internal moving parts in AI5R (click on any image to view a larger version).
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The car is using a sequentially fired quad rocket motor configured with each rocket motor; producing 15,500 pounds of thrust. This provides a total thrust of 62,000 pounds (approx. 200,000 hp). The type of fuel we intend to use is JP5 Bio-fuel and the oxidiser would be high test peroxide (H202/HTP).
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Starting from the front the first tank holds the H202 (oxidiser). Behind these tanks is a bank of 3 x N2/nitrogen cylinders. These will pressurise the oxidiser and force it into the rocket motors. Behind the steel bulkhead, is the cockpit and behind that a large tank containing the JP5 Biofuel. From there we have the second bank of N2 cylinders, used to pressurise the Biofuel into the rocket motors.
When the H202 and the Biofuel are exposed to each other in the atmosphere, they explode and this series of small but extremely powerful explosions will catapult Aussie Invader 5R from 0 to 1000 mph (1609 km/h) in an estimated 19 seconds.
Trajectory simulations carried out by engine development scientists at Rocket Lab in New Zealand, suggest that our cars dry weight should be 14,000 lbs (6,363 kgs).
This weight will maximise the thrust potential required to accelerate AI5R to 95% velocity in those 19 seconds. At this point AI5R should enter the measured mile. Upon breaking the first timing beam in the measured mile, engine # 4 (vertical bottom) shuts down and drag equals thrust.
Our wheel rating at maximum velocity is our major concern; we do not want to exceed their safety rating and must limit their maximum speed to 10,000 rpm.
The car should exit the mile in under four seconds and then the fun begins. We cannot shutdown the other three motors simultaneously as the car will experience a negative G of such high proportions, that the driver would black out and it would send the wheels into a frenzy searching for traction. For safety reasons we must sequentially shutdown the motors to maintain driver control and traction.
Sequentially shutting down the engines adds extra distance to bring this "missile" to a standstill. It then has to be turned around, towed back to the staging point for the mandatory return run. We then need to refuel, re-oxidise, recharge our N2 banks, re-chute and do a total check over before doing it all again, within one hour. The combined average speed in both directions hopefully establishes a new World Land Speed Record... simple really!
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| A decade of design has seen different body styles and propulsion systems tested. The images below are some of the designs and studies we undertook to get things right. We now believe we have the best design to attempt the World Land Speed Record and move on to 1000mph. |
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the chassis | the engines | the rollcage | the CFD |
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