What did the Blackbird SR-71 and Buick Wildcats have in common? Below is an interesting story of how the problem of starting the 6,000 lb. 9-stage engines was remedied. Each gargantuan engine required 800 pounds of torque and 3,500 revolutions per minute. to start. Click HERE to read the story of how innovative engineers "got 'er done".
First it is rpm not rpms. The plural s is contained in the revolutions. Second, what are the rpm in possession of? There is no need for the apostrophe or the s.
ReplyDeletethehank ghawd ewe browht this too meye uhtension,uhtherewise I woodent no whut Jeffery whas trieng too say.
DeleteBBBBBBBBBLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Delete🙂
DeleteWhen this country and its people were at the top of their game.
ReplyDeleteQuite the "start cart" - I was under the impression that they had air-powered starters since those are hard to muck up. B-52s use a cartridge that generates a LOT of pressure/volume very quickly and spins 'em right up right quick! Fun to watch in action, you think the front of the engine blew up when they go off! (They are technically referred to as "squib starters")
ReplyDeleteSimilar to the Coffman device; one is featured in Flight of the Phoenix as a good example.
DeleteOne of my favorite planes. Even had the estes rocket of it. Thanks for that Jeffery.
ReplyDeleteIf you’ve never heard the story utube search SR71 speed check, it’s funny shit right thar
"Uh, thanks - we show it as two thoooousand..."
DeleteAbout 25 years ago a friend lent me his copy of Skunk Works by Ben Rich, one of the aerodynamic engineers on the SR-71 and later head of the Skunk Works when the F117 was developed. They did amazing things and all the thinking was "out of the box" as the box didn't exist yet.
ReplyDeleteModern jet engines use air-turbine starters to spin the core, the air is supplied externally from a compressor cart or internally from the APU.
Al_in_Ottawa
We used to make nice things before the Long March and Bolshevik Revolution Redux.
ReplyDeleteIt has been a slow slog but they win at every turn. We are asleep and will be suffocated before our next rally.
DeleteI have that motor in my 52 Jeep Rod... it is definitely a unique torque monster. Horsepower is irrelevant as it makes more torque than HP throughout the entire power band. I would share an image but don't know how via the comments.
ReplyDeleteBuick Wildcat 401 V8 was used for the P&W J58 start cart, fascinating story of engineering - https://www.thesr71blackbird.com/Aircraft/Engines/starting-the-sr-71-blackbirds-j58-engines-ag330-start-cart and
ReplyDeletehttps://www.enginehistory.org/Convention/2015/J58Starting/J58Starting.shtml
Last of the Nailhead series?
DeleteYep, they were still being used in the early 70s at Kadena.
ReplyDeleteApparently, there are no more Buick Wildcat engines available outside what’s already installed in a vehicle. The CIA, USAF, and Lockheed scrounged the entire world supply of Wildcat engines before shifting to the 454.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I believe that there was an air turbine motor driven by two high volume, low-pressure jet engines that could be coupled to the J58 like the Wildcat starter shaft. Probably came after the Wildcat engines were exhausted and the 454 became expensive and complicated to mainrajn
Just build the dam plane, we'll worry about starting it later. America
ReplyDeleteWonder why they went to the 454 vs. the Olds 455. Olds engines were notorious torque monsters. I have a 72 Cutlass with a 455 I built. Bored 0.030 over, mild-"ish" cam, single plane intake, headers and a 750 Holley. Makes 570 Ft lbs. of torque and 475 HP. Those engines were plentiful through the 70's and powered many an agricultural pump and most large motorhomes.
ReplyDeletehey made dandy jet boat powerplants, as well - hooked up to a Berkley I/O had power to spare!
DeleteI’m a retired mechanical engineer, about 20 years ago one of my ME Design magazines had an article about a team trying to break the land speed record using a jet powered car. They were using a big block Chevy engine to power the fuel pump for the jet engine! I never followed up on the story to find out if they broke the record or not.
ReplyDeleteEver see what the turbopumps put out for HP on a rocket engine such as the F1 engine?!?
DeleteUsed to go to a childhood friends dads gold mining claim in bonanza gulch / last chance canyon outside of Mojave, dad had mining claims and cabins there since the depression.
ReplyDeletesmoking doobies in his moms wildcat, burned a hole in the seat while driving out there, sorry for being off topic.....
He caught hell...