Brits Claim Steam Record; Thrashed to the Last Minute

[RCR]

Re: Brits Claim Steam Record; Thrashed to the Last Minute

I have a question about this steam record , How can a turbine engine record compete against a piston engine for a record?
Not knowing the rules for land speed racing , it's like comparing apples and oranges (yes they're a fruit but they are different) is this how it is done for the fastest speed record overall?

I guess (answering my own question) they where for the fastest steam powered record, but if that's all they got with this attempt I think someone should try to break the new record, possibly with a piston type engine.

Rob

[kevracer]

Re: Brits Claim Steam Record; Thrashed to the Last Minute

sorry, but letting the British machine using a turbine run against the the Stanley Rocket's record is invalid; apples and oranges. In my view the record still belongs here in the U-S-A!

[studemax]

Re: Brits Claim Steam Record; Thrashed to the Last Minute

Sorry Rob & Kevracer -

You don't set the rules - the FIA and SCTA do.
Further to the story, they slapped a new driver in the car today, and went 10MPH faster - thus re-setting their own record.

[horsewidower]

Re: Brits Claim Steam Record; Thrashed to the Last Minute

OK, now I'm confused. I've got my SCTA rules sitting in front of me. For the special construction steam class they show a record of 145.607 set by Steamin Deamin in 1985. ??

[squirrel]

Re: Brits Claim Steam Record; Thrashed to the Last Minute

FIA, not SCTA

[RCR]

Re: Brits Claim Steam Record; Thrashed to the Last Minute

Sorry Rob & Kevracer -

You don't set the rules - the FIA and SCTA do.
Further to the story, they slapped a new driver in the car today, and went 10MPH faster - thus resetting their own record.

Studemax,

I was just asking how it was done, didn't imply that I set the rules. But what I gathered here is that they where going to break a record that was set by a piston driven steam engine , it doesn't show me a whole lot when a turbine engine only beats it by 30 to 60 mph.( And I know ,I don't know what I 'm talking about , but just the notion of a modern day turbine compared to a early 1900's 2 cylinder steam engine seems like it should be a whole lot faster).

What I was asking in the first place, is what drives the FIA speed record . do they have classes or is it for all out speed contest . I mean do rocket power vehicles compete with jet turbines and internal combustion engines ? and if it's for total speed ,I was watching just yesterday on the history channel the fastest land speed vehicle was powered by a rocket around mach 8 so which record is the official record ?

Seems very confusing, and I still say it's hard to boast about breaking this record when you talking about two different power plants , not to say what they did is not cool , but to the la-men ,If you were to look at this you'd think it was the same type of vehicle and I think it almost cheapens what they did, and the engineering that went in this project to go the speeds that it did.

Just my opinion
Rob
Rob

[studemax]

Re: Brits Claim Steam Record; Thrashed to the Last Minute

I really was speaking more to Kevracer about the steam record belonging to the USA, but since you asked...

There are multiples & myriad classes in the FIA & SCTA record books - but for special construction nearly anything goes.
You can run turbines, pistons, hamster farts.... whatever provides the motive power of steam (in this case).

And as to why they didn't go very much faster than Stanley, well - it just ain't easy to set a record, even a slow one.

The outright Land Speed Record of 763MPH (just over Mach 1) for now is held by Andy Green, who did it in a jet powered car.
The Mach 8 rocket wasn't setting records, per se - and yes, it's all very confusing.

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: Brits Claim Steam Record; Thrashed to the Last Minute

I'm asking this question because I am ignorant, but wouldn't a hydrogen peroxide rocket qualify as a "steam powered" vehicle as that's what actually propels it?

Not trying to be a douche, simply asking because I'm trying to understand what qualifies where.

Brian

[studemax]

Re: Brits Claim Steam Record; Thrashed to the Last Minute

I'm asking this question because I am ignorant, but wouldn't a hydrogen peroxide rocket qualify as a "steam powered" vehicle as that's what actually propels it?

Not trying to be a douche, simply asking because I'm trying to understand what qualifies where.

While the exhaust is steam, what propels the racer is thrust.
Therefore you have a thrust-powered vehicle, not driving through the wheels.
The Brits used steam to power their turbine, which was connected to the driving wheels.

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: Brits Claim Steam Record; Thrashed to the Last Minute

ok cool....totally makes sense.

Brian

[RCR]

Re: Brits Claim Steam Record; Thrashed to the Last Minute

I'm asking this question because I am ignorant, but wouldn't a hydrogen peroxide rocket qualify as a "steam powered" vehicle as that's what actually propels it?

Not trying to be a douche, simply asking because I'm trying to understand what qualifies where.

While the exhaust is steam, what propels the racer is thrust.
Therefore you have a thrust-powered vehicle, not driving through the wheels.
The Brits used steam to power their turbine, which was connected to the driving wheels.

Wasn't the Brit( Andy Greene) all out speed record done by a jet engine trust?
Rob

[studemax]

Re: Brits Claim Steam Record; Thrashed to the Last Minute

Wasn't the Brit( Andy Green) all out speed record done by a jet engine thrust?

Yes.

[Barry Donovan]

Re: Brits Claim Steam Record; Thrashed to the Last Minute

the vid was cool, the sound of it, not much different than a gas turbine.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/8209288.stm

it said 147 in video.

[studemax]

Re: Brits Claim Steam Record; Thrashed to the Last Minute

it said 147 in video.

Yes, they went faster during testing.
But that's not setting a record....
(the average of two runs made within one hour on the same course).