One second!!

Got this from an email list.
================================================== ====

To those who say "wait a second" and think not much can go on during
that "Time"

"One Second in the Life of a Racer" by Tom Fey

The Unlimiteds go flashing through the racecourse, engines howling, air
shearing, heat waves streaming. Four hundred eighty miles an hour is 8
miles a minute, and the elite racers take about 70 seconds to cover the
9.1 mile Reno course.

If you could take a souped P-51 racer flying the circuit at Reno, slow
time down, and examine just one second, what would you find? In that
one second, the V-12 Rolls-Royce Merlin engine would have gone through
60 revolutions, with each of the 48 valves slamming open and closed 30
times. The twenty four spark plugs have fired 720 times. Each piston
has traveled a total of 60 feet in linear distance at an average speed of
41 miles per hour, with the direction of movement reversing 180 degrees
after every 6 inches. Three hundred and sixty power pulses have been
transmitted to the crankshaft making 360 sonic booms as the exhaust gas
is expelled from the cylinder with a velocity exceeding the speed of
sound. The water pump impeller has spun 90 revolutions, sending 4
gallons of coolant surging through the engine and radiators. The oil
pumps have forced 47 fluid ounces, roughly one-third gallon, of oil
through the engine, oil cooler, and oil tank, scavenging heat and
lubricating the flailing machinery. The supercharger rotor has completed
348 revolutions, it's rim spinning at Mach 1, forcing 4.2 pounds or
55 ft # of ambient air into the combustion chambers under 3 atmospheres
of boost pressure. Around 9 fluid ounces of high octane aviation fuel,
7843 BTU's worth of energy, has been injected into the carburetor along
with
5.3 fluid ounces of methanol/water anti-detonant injection fluid.
Perhaps 1/8 fluid ounce of engine oil has been either combusted or
blown overboard via the crankcase breather tube. Over 1.65 million foot
pounds of work have been done, the equivalent of lifting a station
wagon to the top of the Statue of Liberty.

In that one second, the hard-running Merlin has turned the propeller
through 25 complete revolutions, with each of the blade tips having
arced through a distance of 884 feet at a rotational velocity of 0.8
Mach. Fifteen fluid ounces of spray bar water has been atomized and
spread across the face of the radiator to accelerate the transfer of
waste heat from the cooling system to the atmosphere. In that one
second, the aircraft itself has traveled 704 feet, close to 1/8 mile,
or roughly 1.5% of a single lap. The pilot's heart has taken 1.5 beats,
pumping 5.4 fluid ounces of blood through his body at a peak pressure of
4.7 inches of mercury over ambient pressure. Our pilot happened to
inspire during our measured second, inhaling approximately 30 cubic
inches (0.5 liter) of oxygen from the on-board system, and 2.4 million,
yes million, new red blood cells have been formed in the pilot's bone
marrow.

In just one second, an amazing sequence of events have taken place
beneath those polished cowlings and visored helmets. It's the world's
fastest motor sport.

forcing 4.2 pounds or
55 ft # of ambient air into the combustion chambers under 3
atmospheres

Interesting, but must be a typo here.

...and the engine was designed some 60 years ago...!

The pilot much earlier.. !

Dave


On Fri, 16 Dec 2005 21:34:17 -0600, wrote:

Got this from an email list.
================================================= =====

To those who say "wait a second" and think not much can go on during
that "Time"

"One Second in the Life of a Racer" by Tom Fey

The Unlimiteds go flashing through the racecourse, engines howling, air
shearing, heat waves streaming. Four hundred eighty miles an hour is 8
miles a minute, and the elite racers take about 70 seconds to cover the
9.1 mile Reno course.

If you could take a souped P-51 racer flying the circuit at Reno, slow
time down, and examine just one second, what would you find? In that
one second, the V-12 Rolls-Royce Merlin engine would have gone through
60 revolutions, with each of the 48 valves slamming open and closed 30
times. The twenty four spark plugs have fired 720 times. Each piston
has traveled a total of 60 feet in linear distance at an average speed of
41 miles per hour, with the direction of movement reversing 180 degrees
after every 6 inches. Three hundred and sixty power pulses have been
transmitted to the crankshaft making 360 sonic booms as the exhaust gas
is expelled from the cylinder with a velocity exceeding the speed of
sound. The water pump impeller has spun 90 revolutions, sending 4
gallons of coolant surging through the engine and radiators. The oil
pumps have forced 47 fluid ounces, roughly one-third gallon, of oil
through the engine, oil cooler, and oil tank, scavenging heat and
lubricating the flailing machinery. The supercharger rotor has completed
348 revolutions, it's rim spinning at Mach 1, forcing 4.2 pounds or
55 ft # of ambient air into the combustion chambers under 3 atmospheres
of boost pressure. Around 9 fluid ounces of high octane aviation fuel,
7843 BTU's worth of energy, has been injected into the carburetor along
with
5.3 fluid ounces of methanol/water anti-detonant injection fluid.
Perhaps 1/8 fluid ounce of engine oil has been either combusted or
blown overboard via the crankcase breather tube. Over 1.65 million foot
pounds of work have been done, the equivalent of lifting a station
wagon to the top of the Statue of Liberty.

In that one second, the hard-running Merlin has turned the propeller
through 25 complete revolutions, with each of the blade tips having
arced through a distance of 884 feet at a rotational velocity of 0.8
Mach. Fifteen fluid ounces of spray bar water has been atomized and
spread across the face of the radiator to accelerate the transfer of
waste heat from the cooling system to the atmosphere. In that one
second, the aircraft itself has traveled 704 feet, close to 1/8 mile,
or roughly 1.5% of a single lap. The pilot's heart has taken 1.5 beats,
pumping 5.4 fluid ounces of blood through his body at a peak pressure of
4.7 inches of mercury over ambient pressure. Our pilot happened to
inspire during our measured second, inhaling approximately 30 cubic
inches (0.5 liter) of oxygen from the on-board system, and 2.4 million,
yes million, new red blood cells have been formed in the pilot's bone
marrow.

In just one second, an amazing sequence of events have taken place
beneath those polished cowlings and visored helmets. It's the world's
fastest motor sport.

How did you come up with 1.65 million lb/ft. in one second?

Mike
MU-2


wrote in message ...
Got this from an email list.
================================================== ====

To those who say "wait a second" and think not much can go on during that
"Time"

"One Second in the Life of a Racer" by Tom Fey

The Unlimiteds go flashing through the racecourse, engines howling, air
shearing, heat waves streaming. Four hundred eighty miles an hour is 8
miles a minute, and the elite racers take about 70 seconds to cover the
9.1 mile Reno course.

If you could take a souped P-51 racer flying the circuit at Reno, slow
time down, and examine just one second, what would you find? In that one
second, the V-12 Rolls-Royce Merlin engine would have gone through 60
revolutions, with each of the 48 valves slamming open and closed 30
times. The twenty four spark plugs have fired 720 times. Each piston has
traveled a total of 60 feet in linear distance at an average speed of
41 miles per hour, with the direction of movement reversing 180 degrees
after every 6 inches. Three hundred and sixty power pulses have been
transmitted to the crankshaft making 360 sonic booms as the exhaust gas
is expelled from the cylinder with a velocity exceeding the speed of
sound. The water pump impeller has spun 90 revolutions, sending 4 gallons
of coolant surging through the engine and radiators. The oil pumps have
forced 47 fluid ounces, roughly one-third gallon, of oil through the
engine, oil cooler, and oil tank, scavenging heat and lubricating the
flailing machinery. The supercharger rotor has completed
348 revolutions, it's rim spinning at Mach 1, forcing 4.2 pounds or
55 ft # of ambient air into the combustion chambers under 3 atmospheres
of boost pressure. Around 9 fluid ounces of high octane aviation fuel,
7843 BTU's worth of energy, has been injected into the carburetor along
with
5.3 fluid ounces of methanol/water anti-detonant injection fluid. Perhaps
1/8 fluid ounce of engine oil has been either combusted or blown
overboard via the crankcase breather tube. Over 1.65 million foot pounds
of work have been done, the equivalent of lifting a station wagon to the
top of the Statue of Liberty.

In that one second, the hard-running Merlin has turned the propeller
through 25 complete revolutions, with each of the blade tips having arced
through a distance of 884 feet at a rotational velocity of 0.8 Mach.
Fifteen fluid ounces of spray bar water has been atomized and spread
across the face of the radiator to accelerate the transfer of waste heat
from the cooling system to the atmosphere. In that one second, the
aircraft itself has traveled 704 feet, close to 1/8 mile, or roughly 1.5%
of a single lap. The pilot's heart has taken 1.5 beats, pumping 5.4 fluid
ounces of blood through his body at a peak pressure of
4.7 inches of mercury over ambient pressure. Our pilot happened to
inspire during our measured second, inhaling approximately 30 cubic
inches (0.5 liter) of oxygen from the on-board system, and 2.4 million,
yes million, new red blood cells have been formed in the pilot's bone
marrow.

In just one second, an amazing sequence of events have taken place
beneath those polished cowlings and visored helmets. It's the world's
fastest motor sport.