Acceleration
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un-Touch'd krew
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 51,774
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From: My own level of hell
Acceleration
Hmmm interesting
Originally posted by Moonlighter
An interesting email floating around the Internet today...
A few words and facts about the guys that run at the apex of motorsport, the Top Fuel dragsters.
One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine has more horsepower than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.
Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1.12 gallons of nitromethane 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 supercharger.
With 3000 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 the stoichiometric 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitromethane, the flame front temperature measures 7050 degrees F.
Nitromethane burns yellow, The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen , dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by searing exhaust gasses.
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 ½ way, the engine is dieseling from compression plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees 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 300 mph in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4 Gs. In order to reach 200 mph well before half-track, the launch acceleration approaches 8 Gs.
Dragsters reach over 300 mph 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 high at 9500 rpm.
The Bottom Line; Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimated $1,000.00 U.S. 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 ( 533 km/h) as measured over the last 66' of the run. ( 09/28/03 Doug Kalitta)
Putting all of this is in perspective:
You are Driving the average $140,000.00 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 past 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 1320 foot long race track.
That folks..... is acceleration.
An interesting email floating around the Internet today...
A few words and facts about the guys that run at the apex of motorsport, the Top Fuel dragsters.
One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine has more horsepower than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.
Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1.12 gallons of nitromethane 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 supercharger.
With 3000 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 the stoichiometric 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitromethane, the flame front temperature measures 7050 degrees F.
Nitromethane burns yellow, The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen , dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by searing exhaust gasses.
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 ½ way, the engine is dieseling from compression plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees 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 300 mph in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4 Gs. In order to reach 200 mph well before half-track, the launch acceleration approaches 8 Gs.
Dragsters reach over 300 mph 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 high at 9500 rpm.
The Bottom Line; Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimated $1,000.00 U.S. 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 ( 533 km/h) as measured over the last 66' of the run. ( 09/28/03 Doug Kalitta)
Putting all of this is in perspective:
You are Driving the average $140,000.00 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 past 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 1320 foot long race track.
That folks..... is acceleration.
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snitches get stitches
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 49,696
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From: Portland, OR
my physics teacher brought in videos of pilots taking up to like 10 Gs for an extended amount of time...this one guy passed out and his head got tossed around like a rag doll :rofl:
Apathy Kills
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 60,714
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From: The Left Lane
What a phenomenal set of mental pictures that created in my head. 
h:
:shocked: Great article. :thumbup:
h::shocked: Great article. :thumbup:
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Im So JDM
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,724
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From: Portland Oregon
Originally posted by RB
my physics teacher brought in videos of pilots taking up to like 10 Gs for an extended amount of time...this one guy passed out and his head got tossed around like a rag doll :rofl:
my physics teacher brought in videos of pilots taking up to like 10 Gs for an extended amount of time...this one guy passed out and his head got tossed around like a rag doll :rofl:
I
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 56,525
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From: Westside til I die
I want to drive one.
:rick:
:rick:
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2015 Ford Mustang GT Fastback - Ingot Silver - 6M - Performance Package - Gibson Catback, JLT CAI, FR 47lb injectors, BAMA E85 tune, Eibach Sportline, BMR wheel hop kit, UPR oil separator, Steeda shifter bushing/bracket
Team B.O.B.® - Ballaz on a Budget