FEATURE
FEATURE TITLE
DATA ACQUISITION
Racing towards a land speed record For its research towards the development of the BLOODHOUND
Supersonic Car, The AMRC Advanced Structural Testing Centre (ASTC) in Sheffield selected data acquisition instrumentation from HBM
T
he BLOODHOUND Project was launched in 2008 with the aim of
beating the current world record of 763mph set by Thrust SSC in the Arizona desert in 1997. It aims to push the record above 1,000mph – more than 1.3 times the speed of sound. The Supersonic Car is powered by a Eurojet EJ200 engine, a cluster of Nammo hybrid rockets and a Jaguar V8 motor that pumps oxidiser to the rocket. Its body, chassis and control systems rely on a range of advanced design and manufacturing techniques, such as those provided by The AMRC Advanced Structural Testing Centre (ASTC). The Centre is accredited by the
“For its research
measurement, while testing rear pull-rod suspension components and front suspension roller bearings.
towards the development of the car, the ASTC selected HBM’s MGCplus data
acquisition system for tasks such as load and displacement measurement”
REQUIREMENTS BLOODHOUND SSC’s suspension has been designed to cope with 30 tonne loads when the car is running at top speeds. By incorporating an independent double- wishbone suspension with pull-rods, this
means that, like an F1 car, the wheels are supported
by two horizontal V-shaped brackets. The weight of the car is then supported by a diagonal ‘pull-rod’
United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) and, holding ‘in house methods’ accreditation, can develop new test procedures to prove components under real-world conditions. For its research towards the development of the car, the ASTC selected HBM’s MGCplus data acquisition system for tasks such as load and displacement
Fully compatible with MOOG control systems, the MGCplus resulted in easier set up for test programmes and provided easy to use calibrated data acquisition
which is attached to the spring and damper unit. Each rear wheel and suspension assembly will be subject to several tonnes of drag load, which will physically shift the wheel back a couple of millimetres relative to the car. While the suspension was designed to take this rearward shift due to the large loads through the pull-rod, it became apparent during the test and design stage that traditional spherical ‘rose joint’ bearings would lock under the load. As a result of this, the decision to use needle roller bearings was taken. This means that the roller bearings will not allow the pull-rod to move backwards and forwards under the drag loads, so the pull-rod is designed to flex very slightly.
ASTC needed to accurately measure, log and analyse data relating to the deflection of the suspension under load. By strategically placing sensors at
24 NOVEMBER 2016 | INSTRUMENTATION
different points on the car to measure parameters – such as movement of parts, temperature, and how much the suspension moved as the car was driving – signals were then compared by the MGCplus data acquisition system with its stored calibrations, and a value for the property was calculated and recorded.
AN ADAPTABLE SYSTEM According to HBM, the MGCplus is an adaptable system which has gained acceptance as a measurement standard; and features a wide spectrum of supported transducers and standard PC interfaces required by users. It is also fully configurable and can be reprogrammed easily, providing traceable data at all stages. This meant it was ideal for this particular phase of testing in Project BLOODHOUND. Thanks to HBM’s extensive experience
in vehicle testing and demanding fields, it was able to provide a flexible solution which enabled ASTC to achieve the results it needed to help ensure the BLOODHOUND Project stayed on track. Phil Spiers, head of advanced structural testing for AMRC, commented: “The MGCplus from HBM is a high end industry standard piece of equipment, which is what our customers demand in an ISO 17025 UKAS accredited test facility. Fully compatible with MOOG control systems, the MGCplus resulted in easier set up for test programmes and provided easy to use calibrated data acquisition.”
HBM T: 020 8515 6000
www.hbm.com/en
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77
