Design optimisation using computational fluid dynamics applied to a land–based supersonic vehicle, the BLOODHOUND SSC

This paper details the computational design optimisation strategy employed to achieve an engineering solution to the problem of excessive supersonic lift at the rear of the BLOODHOUND SSC (SuperSonic Car) during its design. The optimisation problem is described first, followed by details of the computational fluid dynamics procedure employed to study the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle and the design optimisation strategy utilising Design of Experiments. The ‘optimised’ design resulting from this study is presented in the final section and contrasted with the ‘unoptimised’ baseline geometry. The final vehicle geometry presented in this paper is, at the time of writing, being built and is due to be tested in 2013 in an attempt to increase the World Land Speed Record from 763 mph to 1,000 mph.