Formula Fame and the ‘Top Dog’
For years, Formula one has been a highly popular sport in many different countries around the world. In terms of racing, ‘formula’ means that a car is single-seated with open wheels: a pure racer. We already know that F1 cars are very different from any cars we would see driving along the road. For example, Most F1 cars will have their tyres filled with nitrogen rather than the average air of most cars to give a pressure that is more consistent. There is also more than a kilometre of cable that the car is attached to, which contains about 100 actuators and sensors which are used to control the car and monitor it.
It is rather clear what makes Formula one racing so popular: the adrenaline provided by the car racing along at incredible speeds, along with the vehicles travelling faster than any we could ever step foot into. However, there is one car that has topped all other F1s: the Bloodhound.
This incredible race car has broken the world land speed record. It is, without doubt, the most complex car that has ever been built. With a mass of 7786 kg and a length of 13.47 metres, this monster of a car can reach 0-1000 mph in only 55 seconds. Its current speed record is 1,227.99 km/h, and it can cross four and a half football pitches in one second flat, travelling faster than a bullet shot from a magnum 357 gun. But this has to leave us wondering: what is the science behind this? What is it that makes the Bloodhound so special?
To make a super-fast car, you need to know about aero-dynamics; this is something the Bloodhound team excel at. To give it the most streamlined shape possible, the car uses a fin on the back of the body. This helps with the lateral stability (Keeping the car upright and in the right direction). Originally the team were going to use a T-Tail fin, but decided instead to use a Cruciform tail, providing a structure with less flutter. The nose of the car is designed like a bullet or an arrow, all the sides meeting in a point at the front. Underneath, the Bloodhound is almost flat all the way to the front. This allows the nose to cut right through the air, letting it pass straight over and around the body of the car.
The Bloodhound is an incredible car which provides a fascinating opportunity for children, young and old, to learn about the technology of cars, and provides great entertainment to Formula one fans. We are eager to see what sort of impacts this model will have on the creation of other Formula One cars in the future.
By Lucy
