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Design optimisation using computational fluid dynamics applied to a land–based supersonic vehicle, the BLOODHOUND SSC

Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization volume 47, pages 301–316 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

This paper details the computational design optimisation strategy employed to achieve an engineering solution to the problem of excessive supersonic lift at the rear of the BLOODHOUND SSC (SuperSonic Car) during its design. The optimisation problem is described first, followed by details of the computational fluid dynamics procedure employed to study the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle and the design optimisation strategy utilising Design of Experiments. The ‘optimised’ design resulting from this study is presented in the final section and contrasted with the ‘unoptimised’ baseline geometry. The final vehicle geometry presented in this paper is, at the time of writing, being built and is due to be tested in 2013 in an attempt to increase the World Land Speed Record from 763 mph to 1,000 mph.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided for this work by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council in the form of research grant EP/F032617. The work presented was a collaborative effort between Swansea University, BLOODHOUND Ltd and MathWorks with computational support provided by INTEL.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK

    B. Evans, O. Hassan, K. Morgan & J. W. Jones

  2. MathWorks, Cambridge, UK

    T. Morton & L. Sheridan

  3. BLOODHOUND Programme Ltd., Clevedon, UK

    M. Chapman, R. Ayers & I. Niven

Authors
  1. B. Evans
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  2. T. Morton
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  3. L. Sheridan
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  4. O. Hassan
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  5. K. Morgan
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  6. J. W. Jones
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  7. M. Chapman
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  8. R. Ayers
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  9. I. Niven
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to B. Evans.

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The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided for this work by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council in the form of research grant EP/F032617.

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Evans, B., Morton, T., Sheridan, L. et al. Design optimisation using computational fluid dynamics applied to a land–based supersonic vehicle, the BLOODHOUND SSC. Struct Multidisc Optim 47, 301–316 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00158-012-0826-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00158-012-0826-0

Keywords

  • CFD
  • Design of experiments
  • Design optimisation
  • BLOODHOUND SSC