Cracking 1,000 mph

By Ryan Loveland and Ryan Ellis

(Bloodhound SSC Vehicle)

The team of engineers behind Bloodhound SSC have just created a vehicle they claim will reach speeds of over 1,000 mph. That means it can drive a mile in less than 4 seconds."Measuring 13.5 meters in length and weighing 7.5 tons, the car's dual rocket and jet engines will produce the equivalent of 135,000bhp of thrust" (Condliffe). All that power is made from a rocket engine, a jet engine, and a supercharged Jaguar V8 engine. The current land speed record is 763 mph, set by the Thrust SSC vehicle and the engineers behind it. But reaching 1,000 means breaking the sound barrier. This can cause many new problems for the engineers to face such as keeping the vehicle on the ground, allowing the car to breathe, and keeping the wheels on. 
Read more about the car here, or watch a cool video about it.

Info from: http://gizmodo.com/inside-the-engineering-of-the-worlds-first-1-000mph-car-1732795926

Prompt # 8 : At the Heart of Engineering

By Ryan Ellis

During my time as a dual enrollee with a a local community college, I took pre engineering classes that allowed me to explore my curiosity within my field. As a final project for Computer Aided Design, I was instructed to find some object that was related to Mechanical Engineering and replicate it in Creo (a commercial CAD software package.) I decided to take the piston out of an old push lawnmower my dad had left sitting around in the garage.

Before starting the process of taking the engine apart, I first read up on online about the basic parts of small engines so I had a better understanding of what I was looking at when I actually took it apart. I looked at everything from schematics in Google Images to 3D animations of engines in operation on Youtube.

Nothing quite compares to actually getting your hands on the physical parts, learning how they go together and work with each other. Taking that engine apart with my own hands gave me a new perspective on my field of study. Book work and reading about the concepts of your field are important, but nothing compares to first hand experience. There are misconceptions that engineers are always busy with mathematics and physics (two subjects that have connotations with reading a lot textbooks) Although that is sometimes true, it is not the heart of engineering. For me, the soul of being an engineer is finding out how things work. Working with objects, machines, tools, essentially anything with moving parts.

To me, being a mechanical engineer means understanding. It means knowing the purpose of something in order to further your own knowledge of that thing, what ever it may be.

Non- Contact Mechanical Transmissions

By Dalano Bass

A team of researchers from the Universidad Carlos De III Madrid have created a project called MAGDRIVE in hopes of successfully creating a prototype design for a non-contact transmission. MAGDRIVE is coordinated in the European space area of the 7th Framework Program.  Magnetic fields would be used to ensure no wear and tear, as well as making lubrication optional. No wear and tear eliminates frictions and optimizes performance from the transmission. These mechanical transmissions would be placed in environments in which humans may have trouble with maintenance. With no human maintenance required, this prototype may possibly allow spaceships and satellites to reach depths of space where weight and mass become factors. These transmissions may eventually be placed in automobiles and be a possible alternative to help reducing oil usage.

For more information of this project check out http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100920081326.htm

Prompt #9, Why is Mechanical Engineering so significant?

By Ryan Loveland

Mechanical Engineering is involved in almost everything we do. From the cars people trust their lives in every day, to the food on your plate, mechanical engineers play a key role. Mechanical engineers are involved in designing, testing, and manufacturing (ect.) every aspect of the vehicles on the road today. They are responsible for making the machines that allow us to to run large scale farms. 

From mapping the human genome to the smartphones we use, from artificial hearts to re-usable spacecrafts, mechanical engineers are at the forefront of ground-breaking innovations that advance all aspects of society.

Info from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (Imech)

http://www.imeche.org/about-us/our-vision

Turbos Charging the Future of Effeciency

By Ryan Ellis

(Above) An Ecoboost Engine from the

 Ford Motor Company. The turbo charger is the main

feature of the Ecoboost line of engines.

Since the 1970's turbo chargers have just been a way to make gas guzzling muscle cars go even faster, although technically more efficiently. Limitations in technology caused the practicality of turbos to be exclusive to "suped up" race cars. Only recently have turbos made a come back into the mainstream, however this time they have completely different intentions.

With gas prices that will only get higher and government MPG requirements, auto makers are in need of new ways to make their cars more fuel efficient - and turbo chargers seem to be the answer. Turbos themselves do not necessarily save gas, they make smaller engines perform comparably to larger, less efficient engines. I personally see turbo chargers as the cornerstone of the future for fuel efficient automobiles. Now that turbos have made their comeback, how quick can auto makers integrate them into all of their cars?

Info from : Henry, J. (2012, February 28). Turbocharging to Save Gas, Instead of to Go Fast. Retrieved September 15, 2105, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimhenry/2012/02/28/turbocharging-to-save-gas-instead-of-to-go-fast/