Slashdot Mirror
Computer Designed Car Sets Speed Record
amcdiarmid writes "Several sources are reporting that the first entirely computer designed car, the JCB Dieselmax, has broken the diesel speed record of 236MPH at a speed of 328MPH. From the article: 'The record attempt came after a string of trial runs on the runways at the airbase. But while testing went well, the team endured a troubled time in the US. The combination of the altitude (4,000ft) and the higher air temperatures affected the performance of the second engine, which was generating insufficient turbo boost pressure and led to days of work for the small team of engineering experts.'"
The connotation is that someone signed onto a machine somewhere and at the command prompt, typed "design_car -fast -diesel", and poof, there's the design.
It's a human-designed car, designed by humans using computers (as they have for decades), and no pencils this time. TFA goes on and on about all the people on the team and the work they did, and that's great. So, what's with the headline and summary?
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
So go. I won't miss you. Promise.
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
No idea why that record held so long for diesel. . .
It's pretty simple really; lack of interest. It takes someone to put in the time and spend the money and it's not one of your sexier targets.
For the production outfits like Volkswagon there's also very little promotional value in streamliners and virtually none for custom engined cars. They've got to hop up what they sell to imply that's what you're buying.
And diesel buyers are economy buyers.
KFG
I RTFA and visited the site but exactly how is this car "designed entirely by computers"? More likely is that the computers optimized each component through simulations based on human input. Can anyone fill us in to how exactly the computers helped design the car?
But weight doesn't matter that much in top speed contests. The top speed is determined almost entirely by the horsepower and aerodynamic drag. It's only a problem if it takes too long to accelerate up to speed. During speed week they have 4 miles to get up to speed. If that is not long enough, I'm sure they can come back later, on their own, and get a longer course set up.
But I'm not sure what disadvantages a diesel engine would have. Maybe because not as much research has gone into high performance diesel engines as standard gas engines. Or maybe because diesel engines tend to be built much larger to handle the higher combustion pressures. And a larger engine would result in a less aerodynamic car. I think the former is the most likely reason.
Oh please. That thing's slow to accelerate (compared to several production cars, let alone production motorbikes) and adding another engine will massively damage its weight. Its top speed is practically pedestrian - my French family saloon can go as fast.
Incidentally, how do you define a 'right hand turn'? Not that turning matters on a straight-line speed record (although keeping the thing in a straight line becomes interesting - Andy Green had the wheel turned to full lock trying to keep in a straight line on the land speed record run).
Ford makes its European Diesel engines in Dagenham, and Honda makes advanced cars successfully in the West Country. Give us some decent (i.e. foreign) management and sales to support our engineering efforts, and we are up there with the best.
Pining for the fjords