[Vision2020] "Acceleration" Defined

[Tom Hansen]

"Acceleration" as defined by Keith Black (http://www.keithblack.com
<http://www.keithblack.com/> )

 

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One top fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower

than the first 4 rows of stock cars at the Daytona 500.

 

Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1-1/2 gallons of nitro

methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same

rate with 25% less energy being produced.

 

A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to drive the

dragster's supercharger. With 3,000 CFM of air being rammed in by the

supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a

near-solid form before ignition.

 

Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle.

At 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture of nitro methane, the flame front

temperature measures 7,050 deg F.

 

Nitro methane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the

stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric

water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.

 

Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of

an arc welder in each cylinder. Spark plug electrodes are totally

consumed during a pass. After halfway, the engine is dieseling from

compression, plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1,400 deg F. The engine

can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow.

 

If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up

In the affected cylinders and then explodes with sufficient force to blow

cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.

 

In order to exceed 3 00 mph in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an

average of over 4G's. In order to reach 200 mph (well before

half-track), the launch acceleration approaches 8G's.

 

Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have completed

reading this sentence. Top fuel engines turn approximately 540

revolutions from light to light! Including the burnout, the engine must

only survive 900 revolutions under load.

 

The redline is actually quite high at 9,500 rpm.

Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and

for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimate $1,000.00 per

second.

 

The current top fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.441 seconds for

the quarter mile (10/05/03, Tony Schumacher). The top speed record is

333.00 mph (533 km/h) as measured over the last 66' of the run

(09/28/03 Doug Kalitta).

 

Putting all of this into perspective, picture this scenario:

You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter "twin-turbo" powered

Corvette Z06. Over a mile up the road, a top fuel dragster is staged

and ready to launch down a quarter mile strip as you pass. You have the

advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard up through the

gears and blast across the starting line and pass the dragster at an

honest 200 mph. The "tree" goes green for both of you at that moment.

 

The dragster launches and starts after you. You keep your foot down

hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums

and within 3 seconds, the dragster catches and passes you. He beats you

to the finish line, a quarter mile away from where you just passed him.

 

Think about it, from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 200

mph and not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he

passed you within a mere 1,320 foot long race course.

 

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And that, my friend, is ACCELERATION!

 

Take care, Moscow.

 

Tom Hansen

Moscow, Idaho

 

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving
safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in
sideways, chocolate in one hand, a drink in the other, body thoroughly used
up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO. What a ride!'"

 

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