| Anybody take physics and/or engineering? -
Posted on 11-04-2006 17:43 |
|
spencer1984
Dark Knight
Awards:
| 
Posts: 1271
Location: Upstate NY
Joined: 30.06.05
|
|
WARNING - Overthought engineering concepts below
I'm working on some ideas for my next major model project, and I have been working through some of the more technical details of the car. Here is my current mental project:
With all of its armor, equipment, etc., the Batmobile is a heavy car and needs a lot of stopping power for emergency situations. I think it was in a LotDK backup story where Batman even commented that "Under full power it would stop on a dime, and without power it wouldn't stop at all" (I might be misquoting a bit, but that was the gist of it). So, how would I use the engine for braking?
Jet aircraft use drag to slow down. The engines create a lot of drag, so as soon as they misdirect the exhaust flow, they act as huge brakes. That's not really an option here, since the engine is entirely enclosed within the body. So I thought, "why not make a more literal reverse-thruster."
Here's how it works:
(Top View) Exhaust gets routed through wide, rectangular ductwork under the car and out the rear afterburner (on the right in these images). Under the main duct, theres a small wind tunnel that normally just lets air flow through.
(Bottom View) A valve opens, blocking the main duct and sending the exhaust backwards toward the front of the car. At first I thought the valve would be enough, but I think in a real-world situation that would cause the car to lift up. Hence, the added duct to direct the air forward. As long as it's far enough forward (don't want jet exhaust blowing directly on the front tires), I think this would create a huge amount of stopping power very easily.
Am i missing anything? Does this sound like it would work? |
  |
| RE: Stopping the Batmobile... -
Posted on 11-04-2006 23:26 |
|
inzo
Blue Collared Worker
Awards:
| 
Posts: 388
Location: joliet, Illinois
Joined: 14.01.06
 |
|
Is this design incorporated into the body of the Batmobile???
Air intake ports and maybe rutters used for fighter jets could be
used with the Batfins...
Mud flaps acting as rutters??? For Air Brakes???
Magnetic brakes ...such as the one used in Japan for the Bullet trains???
Now that would stop on the dime...
Hope these ideas help...::yellowsmile::
Use of Gravity braking system with the earth???
Kind of like having a small reactor that would generate added weight and pull down the Batmobile, causing it to slow down...
::yellowno::
Edited by inzo on 11-04-2006 23:45 |
 |
| RE: Anybody take physics and/or engineering? -
Posted on 11-04-2006 23:32 |
|
Panzer
Blue Collared Worker
Awards:
None
|
Posts: 369
Location: Garland, TX
Joined: 14.01.06
|
|
My Buddys POP is a enginer. I well haller at him and ask him if he knows bro.
John
John Hinton
Panzer's MySpace |
|
|
| RE: Anybody take physics and/or engineering? -
Posted on 12-04-2006 08:30 |
|
|
spencer1984
Dark Knight
Awards:
|
Posts: 1271
Location: Upstate NY
Joined: 30.06.05
|
|
Cool, thanks. The concept is going to be used in this Batmobile:
So the body design and visible features (like control surfaces, ports, vents, etc.) are pretty well set in stone. The above diagram would be an exhaust duct under the car, which we've never really been shown. Like with my '66, I'm trying to stay as true to the design as possible, just make it work in our world. |
|
|
| RE: Anybody take physics and/or engineering? -
Posted on 12-04-2006 09:56 |
|
Darknight
Dark Knight
Awards:
|
Posts: 1010
Location: NW Arkansas
Joined: 26.06.05
|
|
I've got a degree in Mechanical Engineering. The principle behind what you want to do is feasible, but you would get some weird airflow issues with the shape of your final effect.
Place the pivot point outside of the airflow. That bump would probably produce trapped air in the corner.
You could also design it to produce a curved surface that would turn the air around easier. This is in a comic so doesn't have to be 100% real.
There are alloys that have been developed that will change shape when heat or electricity has been applied to them (think the cape in Begins, but with a hard material). That would achieve the curve I drew.
Than again someone who has had more fluids classes than me (man that class was a bear) might see that the air that gets trapped in the corner would create a curve. Something similar happens when a trucks tailgate is raised, that is why a truck gets better gas mileage when the tailgate is raised.
As far as some other stopping aids... try to incorporate drag flaps on the cars body. The body is so designed for speed that airflow interruptions could have a pretty good effect.
I'll mull it over for the next couple of days and let you know if I get some better ideas.
 |
|
|
| RE: Anybody take physics and/or engineering? -
Posted on 12-04-2006 12:14 |
|
|
spencer1984
Dark Knight
Awards:
|
Posts: 1271
Location: Upstate NY
Joined: 30.06.05
|
|
Great, thanks! Yeah, the circle was only there for representation; the actual pivots and lever would be outside of the duct, so in theory the exhaust would only have to flow around a pair of rounded-off bolt heads.
Good point. What if I move the reverse flow duct up so it is even with the exhaust duct, and modify the flap like this:
Would that work better? |
|
|
| RE: Anybody take physics and/or engineering? -
Posted on 20-04-2006 10:00 |
|
|
Panzer
Blue Collared Worker
Awards:
None
|
Posts: 369
Location: Garland, TX
Joined: 14.01.06
|
|
Freaking Awesome Car!
My buddys Dad never got back with me:no:
John Hinton
Panzer's MySpace |
|
|
| RE: Anybody take physics and/or engineering? -
Posted on 20-04-2006 22:03 |
|
FlaBat
Dark Knight
Awards:
|
Posts: 1526
Location: Miami
Joined: 24.06.05
|
|
You?re thinking too much like an airplane. An airplane uses flaps and reverses thrust cones (that cover the exhaust and direct air back) to slow it down due because of the huge amount of weight a plane has.
A car (or Batmobile) only needs an upgrade to a conventional brake system. Bigger Rotors, Pads, Pistons and maybe Air Brakes like a big rig to slow it down. There would be little use to redirect the jet exhaust. Here?s a thought in addition to standard Brake Rotors behind the Wheels there are additional Rotors behind them for more breaking power.
Then again a Jet Engine is horrible for a car. A Jet likes to run up to speed and stay there. Not on the gas, off the gas like a conventional engine can. Jets. Like Turbos have to be run up to speed and kept up at speed to be effective. Turbo Lag is the time it takes the exhaust gas to spool up the Turbo to speed, which is why a belt driven Supercharger is better and gets up to speed faster.
If you still want to design the jet exhaust to slow the Batmobile here?s a thought. Sorry for no drawing, but see if you can image what I mean.
In the exhaust flow near the Jet Exhaust Cone is a two piece Vane. The forward edge is straight and the trailing edge is curved to seal the Exhaust Tube. It is mounted verticality and when ?open? the flow passes by on both sides. When closed the two sides of the vane opens (like a butterfly) and seal the Exhaust Tube. Then on both sides of the Exhaust Tube walls doors slide open around the tube and the exhaust is then directed into those holes. On the outside of the exhaust tube are these pipes that bend back around toward the front of the Batmobile and direct the jet air out of the front to slow it down.
 |
|
|
| RE: Anybody take physics and/or engineering? -
Posted on 20-04-2006 22:49 |
|
|
FlaBat
Dark Knight
Awards:
|
Posts: 1526
Location: Miami
Joined: 24.06.05
|
|
Here?s some inspiration for you, a Jet-Car, the Chrysler Turbine. It is a Turbine Engine in a passenger car. While never mass produced some were made and field-tested. I saw this at The Petersen Museum in LA a few years back.
|
|
|
| RE: And the winner is... -
Posted on 20-04-2006 23:29 |
|
|
inzo
Blue Collared Worker
Awards:
|
Posts: 388
Location: joliet, Illinois
Joined: 14.01.06
|
|
FlaBat...::yellowsmile::::food::::food::
If all else fails...
You can always design the Batmobile based on the Fred Flintstone braking system...::yellowroll::
|
|
|
| RE: Anybody take physics and/or engineering? -
Posted on 21-04-2006 12:56 |
|
|
spencer1984
Dark Knight
Awards:
|
Posts: 1271
Location: Upstate NY
Joined: 30.06.05
|
|
Thanks, FlaBat!
FlaBat wrote:
You?re thinking too much like an airplane. An airplane uses flaps and reverses thrust cones (that cover the exhaust and direct air back) to slow it down due because of the huge amount of weight a plane has.
A car (or Batmobile) only needs an upgrade to a conventional brake system. Bigger Rotors, Pads, Pistons and maybe Air Brakes like a big rig to slow it down. There would be little use to redirect the jet exhaust. Here?s a thought in addition to standard Brake Rotors behind the Wheels there are additional Rotors behind them for more breaking power.
True, I am looking at this as a low-flying aircraft more than a car, though for two reasons. First, because the Batmobile is a big, heavy car, and only has four pads (the tires) to slow it down. Untrailered rigs have 10 tires, and still need a block and a half to stop from 50+ MPH. This wouldn't be the primary braking system (way to much work for casual driving), but for emergencies only (disc brakes will still be used for the most part). And second, I was toying with the idea to see if I could make it "comic accurate." Not critical, I know, but I thought it would be fun.
Then again a Jet Engine is horrible for a car. A Jet likes to run up to speed and stay there. Not on the gas, off the gas like a conventional engine can. Jets. Like Turbos have to be run up to speed and kept up at speed to be effective. Turbo Lag is the time it takes the exhaust gas to spool up the Turbo to speed, which is why a belt driven Supercharger is better and gets up to speed faster.
Absolutely. That's why I plan on doing the same thing here that I did on my '66 Batmobile: the turbine is going to be a power generator, and a traction motor will be used for driving the car. The turbine is good because it allows for an afterburner for quick acceleration (plus it's got the "cool" factor).
If you still want to design the jet exhaust to slow the Batmobile here?s a thought. Sorry for no drawing, but see if you can image what I mean.
In the exhaust flow near the Jet Exhaust Cone is a two piece Vane. The forward edge is straight and the trailing edge is curved to seal the Exhaust Tube. It is mounted verticality and when ?open? the flow passes by on both sides. When closed the two sides of the vane opens (like a butterfly) and seal the Exhaust Tube. Then on both sides of the Exhaust Tube walls doors slide open around the tube and the exhaust is then directed into those holes. On the outside of the exhaust tube are these pipes that bend back around toward the front of the Batmobile and direct the jet air out of the front to slow it down.
I think I know what you mean, it sounds similar to what I have above.
Here?s some inspiration for you, a Jet-Car, the Chrysler Turbine. It is a Turbine Engine in a passenger car. While never mass produced some were made and field-tested. I saw this at The Petersen Museum in LA a few years back.
The Chrysler Turbine car is a legend. From anyone that drove it, they said that the smooth ride was unbeatable and the power felt nearly limitless...the only drawback was that you couldn't accelerate quickly. |
|
|
Home
