Castle Precision Engineering based in Glasgow, is to produce the wheels for the 1,000mph Bloodhound SSC world land speed record car. The wheels will be the fastest in history and took three years to design by Bloodhound engineers, Innoval Technology and Lockheed Martin UK.
The 90kg, 900mm diameter solid aluminum wheels will spin up to 177 times per second at top speed, withstanding a load of 50,000 radial G at the rim as the 7.5-tonne jet and rocket powered car blasts across its South African desert racetrack in 2013 and 2014.
The remarkable engineering allows the Bloodhound SSC to accelerate from zero-1,000mph and back to zero in just 100 seconds while safely handling the phenomenal forces and loads acting upon it, such as: 47,000lb thrust generated by its jet and rocket engines; 30-tonne suspension loadings; and air pressures on the bodywork of up to 10 tonnes psm.
Marcus Tiefenbrun, managing director of Castle Precision Engineering Ltd said, “Our background and experience of manufacturing critical aero engine components means we have the investment, skills and the expertise to deliver on the highly critical nature of these wheels.”
