BLOODHOUND SSC is the world’s first 1000 mph car and it will begin its land speed record campaign in South Africa in the summer of 2015.
Product Sponsors support the project in many ways including; advising on design considerations and material choices for the manufacture of key components of the rocket and jet powered BLOODHOUND Supersonic Car.
Graphite AM has been specifically selected to provide 3D printed, carbon fibre reinforced laser sintered (SLS) parts such as ducts, covers and brackets, which will be utilised as final components on the car. The sintered parts will have a temperature resistance of 170°C and be up to 400 mm in length in one piece.
Graphite AM adds that it is in a good position to support the project as it is the only service bureau in the UK market with a dedicated machine to run carbon fibre reinforced SLS parts.
Graphite AM says that the carbon fibre filled SLS material it provides offers the highest stiffness-to-weight ratio and strength-to-weight ratio of any 3D-printed plastic available on the market. This makes these products ideal for this specialist application. These products have been the materials of choice on Formula One cars for a number of years combining enhanced mechanical properties of low density, high stiffness and sustainable accuracy at elevated temperatures with relatively cost effective pricing, providing an already proven solution for this and many other applications.
The car is supersonic as it is designed to go faster than the speed of sound and with its slender body of approximately 14 m in length, and weighing in at over 7.5 tonnes, the engines produce more than 135,000 horse power. The design is a mix of motorsport and aircraft technology with the front half being a carbon fibre monocoque like a racing car and the back half being a metallic framework and panels like an aircraft.
