<VV> Fwd: Acceleration Defined

[John Beck]

Thanks for sending this Chuck.  I love racing but never cared much about
drag racing until I worked with a Top Fuel team in about 1996.  I was
totally impressed with their sport.  Those cars are remarkable.  Your
post was a good reminder.  --J.B.

Louis Armer wrote:
> 
> >Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2007 15:59:27 -0400
> >To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
> >From: Louis Armer <carmerjr at mindspring.com>
> >Subject: Fwd: Acceleration Defined
> >
> >Since the list is SO WAY OFF TOPIC......................Try this one
> >on for greed, nonsense and absolute meaningless
> >expense and "achievement"??? to any Corvair owner.
> >
> >Chuck Armer
> >////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
> >>Subject: Acceleration Defined
> >>
> >>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 the
> >>stoichiometric (stoichiometry: methodology and technology by which
> >>quantities of reactants and products in chemical reactions are
> >>determined) < BR>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 300 mph in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an
> >>average of o ver 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 Corvett e 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.
> >>
> >>  ... and tha t my friend, is ACCELERATION