Unbuilt Rutan/Scaled Composites designs

[Kevin Renner]

Its from a Popular Mechanics cover story August 1987. Twin Wankel power plants. http://www.coverbrowser.com/covers/popular-mechanics/21

 

[hesham]

Hi,


http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1983/1983%20-%201770.html

 

[LowObservable]

Three-stage turbos:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/borgwarner-introduces-first-three-stage-turbocharging-system-for-maximum-power-diesel-engines-177843581.html

and

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19980137599_1998114724.pdf

 

[GeorgeA]

Three-stage turbocharging is used in tractor pulls of all things and has been for years. There is some rather imprssive backyard engineering involved.

 

[Hobbes]

The Borg-Warner system is "three-stage" only in the sense that 3 different turbo configurations come into play at different points of the rev range.
The two smaller ones are placed in parallel, both are plumbed into the intake of the larger. So the air passes through at most 2 turbochargers on its way from the air intake to the cylinder.

Traditionally, "n-stage" has meant placing turbocompressors or superchargers in series. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supercharger#Two-stage_and_two-speed_superchargers, with this definition the Borg-Warner system would be two-stage system.

Page 14 of the NASA PDF linked by LowObservable shows a true 3-stage setup.

3-stage stups have been used in tractorpulling, providing around 17 bar of boost to give ~5000 shp from a 10-litre diesel engine.

Over here in .nl, a 2-stage setup running methanol at 10 bar boost is more common, giving up to 4000 shp in the Super Stock class.

 

[Stargazer]

From any other think tank or design bureau, the following illustration would have landed straight in the "Theoretical and Speculative" section... but coming from Scaled Composites, you never know!

Here is a most uncanny CAD rendering for an aircraft design called The Bat. It appeared in a Powerpoint presentation used in a conference by Scaled's Douglas Hunsaker during the Small Unmanned Systems Business Expo.

Though most probably posterior to Burt Rutan's involvement, it bears the unmistakable wackiness of many of his designs... and then some! I'm puzzled by the triangular wings aft of the canard and wonder how good it is to have that kind of appendices straight in the propeller's thrust line... but hey! I'm no expert, so the guy who designed that (possibly a Mr. "Danahae" from the indication below the picture) probably knew what he was doing!

Original photo here: www.flickr.com/photos/99319128@N07/9396018819/in/photolist-fji43t

 

[Sundog]

Based on the pitch of the blades in that image, they rotate opposite the vortex that would be shed from the wing tip in front. I have to think about it, but perhaps they were trying to use the propellers to increase the efficiency of the design by recovering lost energy from the vortex. However, I can't help but think that would have reduced the propellers overall efficiency.

 

[MrT]

Looking at some of these designs does remind me of some of the more outlandish wartime Miles and similar wartime designs, and also a few of the Lippisch jobs too. Burt's undoubted advantage though is composite materials making these ideas feasible.

 

[Stargazer]

Looking at some of these designs does remind me of some of the more outlandish wartime Miles and similar wartime designs, and also a few of the Lippisch jobs too. Burt's undoubted advantage though is composite materials making these ideas feasible.

I agree. Imagine what Miles could have done with their X. series of blended wing aircraft, or the Hortens with their flying wings (just to mention these two examples) if they'd had composite construction at their disposal!

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Though most probably posterior to Burt Rutan's involvement,

I think "postdating Burt Rutan's involvement" would be a better description. While "afterward" is a valid meaning for posterior, I never heard anyone user posterior to refer to time, it is almost always used to refer to physical position.

 

[Stargazer]

I think "postdating Burt Rutan's involvement" would be a better description. While "afterward" is a valid meaning for posterior, I never heard anyone user posterior to refer to time, it is almost always used to refer to physical position.

pos·te·ri·or [po-steer-ee-er, poh-]
adjective
1. situated behind or at the rear of; hinder (opposed to anterior).
2. coming after in order, as in a series.
3. coming after in time; later; subsequent (sometimes followed by to).

Well, at least that's the theory... but you are certainly right that although correct, it may not be as widely used as I thought.

 

[cluttonfred]

You're both right, it's a correct but uncommon usage of the word.

 

[flateric]

http://burtrutan.com/downloads/ProteusProjectSummary.pdf

 

[Triton]

Rutan Model 78

Source:
http://lotnictwo.net.pl/3-tematy_ogolne/13-lotnictwo_cywilne/67925-futurystyczne_projekty_samolotow_pasazerskich-4.html

 

[hesham]

From L+K 4/1984.

 

[hesham]

From, Don and Julia Downie's "Complete Guide to Rutan Homebuilt Aircraft.

 

[Stargazer]

If you ever wonder about all the unknown model number allocations in the Rutan/Scaled projects list, then you must remember that a simple sketch on a paper napkin could result in number allocation! Here are Scaled Models 267 and 280, two pre-SpaceShipOne studies, from Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne project summary presentation:

 

[ninelima]

Rutan Scorpion?

STARGAZER - A unique database on Burt Rutan and his projects!