200mph car made of wood
09-03-2008, 09:35 AM
#1
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
200mph car made of wood
cool idea, not sure I'd trust it at 200mph,
http://www.woodmagazine.com/communit...-made-of-wood/
http://www.woodmagazine.com/communit...-made-of-wood/
A 240-mph Car Made of WOOD
Joe Harmon, a graduate student at NC State, took on a very ambitious graduate project: building a high-performance, mid-engine super car from wood. "Splinter" could top 240 mph when completed later this year, and wood will be used in its construction wherever possible, including the chassis, body, and large percentages of the suspension components and wheels.
WOOD magazine is the only woodworking publication allowed into Joe's shop while he and his crew build "Splinter," and you can read more about Joe and the car later this summer in WOOD magazine.
Until then, you can watch the live Web Cam in Joe's shop, read Joe's daily blog, and flip through the Splinter photo gallery to see what has already been done.
Live web cam
Project blog
Splinter Photo gallery
View slideshow of the team's shop-made vacuum press bag
Video: building the Splinter-an interview with Joe Harmon
Video: shop-made vacuum bag press
Joe Harmon, a graduate student at NC State, took on a very ambitious graduate project: building a high-performance, mid-engine super car from wood. "Splinter" could top 240 mph when completed later this year, and wood will be used in its construction wherever possible, including the chassis, body, and large percentages of the suspension components and wheels.
WOOD magazine is the only woodworking publication allowed into Joe's shop while he and his crew build "Splinter," and you can read more about Joe and the car later this summer in WOOD magazine.
Until then, you can watch the live Web Cam in Joe's shop, read Joe's daily blog, and flip through the Splinter photo gallery to see what has already been done.
Live web cam
Project blog
Splinter Photo gallery
View slideshow of the team's shop-made vacuum press bag
Video: building the Splinter-an interview with Joe Harmon
Video: shop-made vacuum bag press
Engine: 700-hp, highly customized, twin supercharged, quad intercooled Cadillac Northstar V8 with reversed cylinder heads and cusom exhaust
Drivetrain: 6-speed manual Corvette transaxle
Layout: Mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
Chassis: Monocoque (integrated chassis and body design)
Projected Weight: 2,500lbs
Projected Top Speed: Greater than 200mph
Wheelbase: 105"
Length 174.5"
Width: 82"
Height" 42"
Ground Clearance: 3.5"
Parts made of wood: Chassis, superstructure, body, interior panels, wheels, steering wheel, and much of the front and rear suspension-pretty much everything.
Drivetrain: 6-speed manual Corvette transaxle
Layout: Mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
Chassis: Monocoque (integrated chassis and body design)
Projected Weight: 2,500lbs
Projected Top Speed: Greater than 200mph
Wheelbase: 105"
Length 174.5"
Width: 82"
Height" 42"
Ground Clearance: 3.5"
Parts made of wood: Chassis, superstructure, body, interior panels, wheels, steering wheel, and much of the front and rear suspension-pretty much everything.
Last edited by Lancer033; 09-03-2008 at 12:28 PM.
09-03-2008, 10:19 AM
#3
Team Owner
Amazing...but whats up with the headers being the intake system....
Now I see, they are running the motor backwards...
Now I see, they are running the motor backwards...
Last edited by NoOne; 09-03-2008 at 10:27 AM.
09-03-2008, 11:44 AM
#6
Le Mans Master
Nice, using wood core composite construction is pretty straight forward although it looks like they are trying some different methods. He has a nice little video about vacuum bagging with some handy hints in it. If they are intending to use wood centers on the wheels I think they are insane but everything else looks up to the task. They have very nice structure design.
09-03-2008, 01:02 PM
#9
Race Director
09-03-2008, 01:32 PM
#10
Burning Brakes
I don't think I [I]Wood[I] want to drive it over 100 mph.
No rust issues, but termites? Orkin man istead of Ziebart? sorry couldn't resist...
Seriously we've got balsa wood in our Corvettes, a very ambitious project. Good Luck
No rust issues, but termites? Orkin man istead of Ziebart? sorry couldn't resist...
Seriously we've got balsa wood in our Corvettes, a very ambitious project. Good Luck
09-03-2008, 03:39 PM
#11
Le Mans Master
The Mosquito was a wood composite as well. It used a balsa wood core and a birch laminate to make a sandwich that was very strong and light.
As for termites on that car...I don't think they will be eating the resin just to get to the wood.
As for termites on that car...I don't think they will be eating the resin just to get to the wood.
09-03-2008, 05:25 PM
#14
Le Mans Master
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Wood is no more flammable than fiberglass-epoxy, but the wood wheels would have to go.
You have to love a wood airframe made by piano and furniture companies with 2 R-R Merlins on it! I like this Wiki about the "Mossie":
The Mosquito inspired admiration from all quarters, including the Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe, Hermann Göring. Göring was due to address a parade in Berlin in the morning of 30 January 1943, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the *****' being voted into power. The low level attack of three 105 Squadron Mosquito B Mk. IV on the main Berlin broadcasting station[3] put Reichsmarschall Göring off the air for more than an hour, as he was about to launch into a scheduled speech.
The Reichsmarschall was not amused:
“ In 1940 I could at least fly as far as Glasgow in most of my aircraft, but not now! It makes me furious when I see the Mosquito. I turn green and yellow with envy.
The British, who can afford aluminium better than we can, knock together a beautiful wooden aircraft that every piano factory over there is building, and they give it a speed which they have now increased yet again. What do you make of that?
”
— Hermann Göring, January 1943, [4][5]
You have to love a wood airframe made by piano and furniture companies with 2 R-R Merlins on it! I like this Wiki about the "Mossie":
The Mosquito inspired admiration from all quarters, including the Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe, Hermann Göring. Göring was due to address a parade in Berlin in the morning of 30 January 1943, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the *****' being voted into power. The low level attack of three 105 Squadron Mosquito B Mk. IV on the main Berlin broadcasting station[3] put Reichsmarschall Göring off the air for more than an hour, as he was about to launch into a scheduled speech.
The Reichsmarschall was not amused:
“ In 1940 I could at least fly as far as Glasgow in most of my aircraft, but not now! It makes me furious when I see the Mosquito. I turn green and yellow with envy.
The British, who can afford aluminium better than we can, knock together a beautiful wooden aircraft that every piano factory over there is building, and they give it a speed which they have now increased yet again. What do you make of that?
”
— Hermann Göring, January 1943, [4][5]
09-03-2008, 06:44 PM
#15
Team Owner
Member Since: Mar 2001
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Wood's a great engineering material.
C5's have Balsa wood as their core material.
If the car's been glassed over, then the wood is there just to serve as a core.
I should know, here's what I'm building
http://members.aol.com/swiftwood
C5's have Balsa wood as their core material.
If the car's been glassed over, then the wood is there just to serve as a core.
I should know, here's what I'm building
http://members.aol.com/swiftwood
09-03-2008, 06:52 PM
#16
Le Mans Master
A relative, John (Johnny) Todd Caine of Edmonton earned a bit of a
reputation flying Mosquitos for the 418 Intruder Squadron of the RCAF.
He is in the books as a Mosquito Ace. Unlike some of the others, he
survived to come home with a DFC, several bars and most notably a
lovely british wife. He lived a successful and adventurous life after
being discharged.
It used to be one could Google "F/O J.T. Caine Mosquito" and bring up
snippets of exploits that he and other Mosquito pilots performed in their
day. However, I see that the "www.acesofww2.com" site appears to
have fallen to a domain parking service. It's a shame, there were some
memorable photos on the site
.
reputation flying Mosquitos for the 418 Intruder Squadron of the RCAF.
He is in the books as a Mosquito Ace. Unlike some of the others, he
survived to come home with a DFC, several bars and most notably a
lovely british wife. He lived a successful and adventurous life after
being discharged.
It used to be one could Google "F/O J.T. Caine Mosquito" and bring up
snippets of exploits that he and other Mosquito pilots performed in their
day. However, I see that the "www.acesofww2.com" site appears to
have fallen to a domain parking service. It's a shame, there were some
memorable photos on the site
.
09-03-2008, 07:20 PM
#17
Le Mans Master
From a talk given by W/C Russell Bannock DSO, DFC and Bar (RCAF
Ret'd) at the Annual CAHS Banquet held 30 May 1981 at the Skyline Hotel
near the Toronto International Airport.
The Intruders
RCAF.com
and is built with the benefit of all the technological advances that
have come about over sixty four years of development since the
Mosquito flew ought to be a simple matter by comparison.
.
Ret'd) at the Annual CAHS Banquet held 30 May 1981 at the Skyline Hotel
near the Toronto International Airport.
The Intruders
RCAF.com
"Let me tell you a little bit about the Mosquito. This was the Mk. VI.
It was capable of carrying a good bomb load: four 500 pound bombs,
and it was armed with four 20 mm Hispano cannons mounted
underneath the aircraft. It had, as well, four .303 machine guns in the
nose, and all of this really provided devastating fire power. It flew more
like a fighter than a bomber and, furthermore, it was at the time the
fastest aircraft in the world. At sea level, it could do about 375 miles
per hour full out, the odd one could do about 385. At altitude, say
20,000 feet, the Mosquito was capable of flying over 400 miles per
hour. Now that doesn't sound very fast today, but in those days it was
the fastest aircraft around."
200 MPH in a 2 passenger car that only has to carry its own weight It was capable of carrying a good bomb load: four 500 pound bombs,
and it was armed with four 20 mm Hispano cannons mounted
underneath the aircraft. It had, as well, four .303 machine guns in the
nose, and all of this really provided devastating fire power. It flew more
like a fighter than a bomber and, furthermore, it was at the time the
fastest aircraft in the world. At sea level, it could do about 375 miles
per hour full out, the odd one could do about 385. At altitude, say
20,000 feet, the Mosquito was capable of flying over 400 miles per
hour. Now that doesn't sound very fast today, but in those days it was
the fastest aircraft around."
and is built with the benefit of all the technological advances that
have come about over sixty four years of development since the
Mosquito flew ought to be a simple matter by comparison.
.
09-03-2008, 07:28 PM
#18
Le Mans Master
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Are there any flight worthy Mossie's flying today? It must sound really awesome! The other thing, it must have had a very low radar cross section for the day. Considering how so many local municipalities use the Police as tax collectors, the low RCS of this car might be beneficial.
Last edited by ghoffman; 09-03-2008 at 07:37 PM.
09-03-2008, 08:17 PM
#19
Le Mans Master
Are there any flight-worthy Mossie's flying today? It must sound
really awesome! The other thing, it must have had a very low radar
cross section for the day. Considering how so many local municipalities
use the Police as tax collectors, the low RCS of this car might be
beneficial.
really awesome! The other thing, it must have had a very low radar
cross section for the day. Considering how so many local municipalities
use the Police as tax collectors, the low RCS of this car might be
beneficial.
There is a unit on static display in the local aviation museum (located
at one of the stops made by Wiley Post on the first solo flight around
the world in 1933.)
De Havilland Mosquito B.35 (representing FB.VI) (1943)
My first guess for locating a flight-worthy example was to check the
Winnipeg Air Museum, but no luck. Thought that the "Battle of Britain
Memorial Flight" might bring out some examples, but it does not appear
so.
In searching, I came across a reference that speaks about many
Mosquitos being gathered up from the UK and europe to be refurbished
and sent to Israel in the '50's. Reportedly, the wood construction
did not fare well in the heat. Scroll down here
There is a claim that a model with a pressurized cabin was good to a
37,000 ft ceiling.
.
09-03-2008, 08:28 PM
#20
Le Mans Master
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I doubt it was the wood that did not fare well, but the adhesives of the day. What did they use back then, white glue? I think that with modern (as you point out, 60+ years of development should do something!) Polymer advancement the wood should be still viable. The modulus/mass ratio is still very favorable and the inherent damping is really good even today. The B2 and the Mossie have alot in common, really.
Last edited by ghoffman; 09-03-2008 at 08:32 PM.