Shooting Bloodhound SSC – Ballistic Tests on Cockpit Protection Panels

Firing a Bullet at the Bloodhound

The Bloodhound supersonic car (SSC) project aims to break the current world land speed record of 763 mph in 2015, and then to set a new world land speed record of 1000 mph in South Africa in 2016.

At 1000 mph, Bloodhound SSC’s solid aluminum wheels will rotate at 10,200 rpm and generate 50,000 radial g at the rim. The wheels have been forged in a 3600-metric-ton hot press, and a 20,000-metric-ton cold press to ensure that the grain structure radiates out like the spokes of a wheel, but they could still fail if they hit a stone hidden beneath the surface of the desert race track.

Similarly, if a piece of the wheel were to fly off, or a stone lying just under the surface of the desert were to flick up, they could penetrate the incredibly strong carbon composite cockpit. To test the carbon fiber composite panels on the sides of the cockpit, the team fired a projectile at them with 29KJ of energy. This video shows the results of the test.