Rings help rocket car go skiing
A
TFC Europe product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
May 15, 2007
TFC recently became involved in a project to send a Mini-Cooper down the Lillehammer ski slope in Norway.
TFC recently came to the aid of a British rocket project when the company was approached by Colin Rowe from Rowe's Retainers.
Rowe is also one half of The Rocket men team, who has been working with the BBC Top Gear team in some wacky and high profile projects.
As part of Top Gear's Winter Olympic Special, The Rocket men were charged with the task of sending a Mini-Cooper down the Lillehammer ski slope in Norway.
The slope, previously home to world famous Olympians, is more accustomed to competitors who are lighter on their feet.
When the team of rocket designers set about making the propulsion units to send the car on its way, they encountered a problem and needed some Smalley spiral retaining rings to stop the motor unit from detaching from the rocket housing.
The spiral retaining rings used in the Mini were an upscale of the ones used in model rocketry.
The motor retainers from Rowe's Retainers need to be light and strong, using TFC spiral retaining rings allow the operator to insert and remove the motor in the field with only a screwdriver.
Colin Rowe explained the vital role the Smalley spiral retaining ring played on the project.
"Speed, mass and deceleration are three pivotal components that have to be controlled in any rocket-powered launch".
"If the motor became disengaged because of a faulty spiral retaining ring, suddenly with one part of the equation missing we would have a potential disaster".
"Three Contrail Hybrid motors (using nitrous oxide and rubber) were used to propel nearly 3000 pounds of metal through the air, so we needed to be sure that the components we used were 100% safe".
"TFC provided part of a complex jigsaw that didn't let us down".
As the rockets blasted the car down the slope the whole of Lillehammer millions of BBC viewers watched in awe.
The car skied like a pro, proving at last that the British are capable of producing a successful ski jumper.
The Rocket Men recently launched a Reliant Robin using the same type of motors for top gear, using similar techniques to retain the motors.
"Smalley spiral retaining rings make life so much easier for us".
"They are a product that I can see us using more and more".
Not what you're looking for? Search the site.
Contact TFC Europe
Tel +44 1435 866011
Other TFC Europe stories
-
Retaining rings go down to smaller sizes
A new range of spiral retaining rings from Smalley offers a choice of extra-small sizes. -
TFC supplies sealing rings for diesel engines
TFC Europe recently came to aid of a diesel engine manufacturer after it was required to supply engines with reduced emissions in line with the new Euro IV off-road emissions standards. -
TFC catalogue offers fasteners, connectors, seals
Fastlines, a catalogue detailing the thousands of products offered by TFC has just been published, featuring fasteners, connectors, seals, springs, retaining rings and lubricants. -
TFC Europe releases the Combo Thread Detective
The Combo Thread Detective is a precise thread identifier for nuts and bolts. -
Fast Tube includes major TFC fasteners
TFC Europe has launched Fast Tube, a plastic tube filled with some of TFC's most commonly used moulded and spring steel fasteners.
Browse by category
- Consultancy and Services (906)
- Machine Building (4,552)
-
Engineering Design Software (6,219)
- Engineering Design Software (13)
- 2D CAD software (201)
- 3D CAD software (1,162)
- FEA and structural analysis software (373)
- Fluid, thermal, noise, vibration software (334)
- Simulation, modelling, validation software (922)
- Rendering, visualisation, styling software (200)
- Materials design and moulding design software (152)
- Process, instrumentation, automation software (260)
- Electrical design software (165)
- Publishing and documentation software (230)
- Maths, charting, statistics, QA software (318)
- Data, document management software (312)
- CAM, CNC, production management software (571)
- File conversion software, data capture (355)
- PLM and collaboration software (651)
-
Drives, Motors and Controls (3,389)
- Drives, Motors and Controls (1)
- Precision Motors and Gears (416)
- Industrial Drives/Controls (1,282)
- Linear Drives and Motors (115)
- Industrial Motors (500)
- Stepper and Servo Drives, Motors, Controls (1,073)
- Small Mechanical Components, Joining, Tools (1,983)
-
Control and Instrumentation (5,054)
- Control and Instrumentation (2)
- Plantwide control (1,332)
- Plant- and Machine-Wide Communications (1,180)
- Smaller-Sized PLCs (388)
- CNC and Motion Controllers (186)
- Mid-range and Large PLCs (202)
- Power Supplies, Uninterruptible Power (566)
- HMIs/Operator Interfaces (295)
- Logic Controllers, Timers and Relays (96)
- Cabling, Conduit, Signal Conditioning (807)
-
Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (5,512)
- Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (1)
- Data acquisition Software and Communications (497)
- Data Acquisition Hardware and PC I/O Boards (477)
- Electrical and Electronic Testing, PAT Equipment (633)
- Form/co-ordinate, optical, vision instruments (728)
- Gauges, Indicators and Instruments (442)
- Data loggers (421)
- Materials testing equipment (419)
- Telecomms/network test equipment, software etc (155)
- Testing and Calibration Services and Information (508)
- Testing, analysing and monitoring equipment (1,231)
-
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Design (4,192)
- Batteries, chargers and circuit protection (556)
- Connectors, Terminals, Busbars, Slip Rings (690)
- Enclosures and Equipment Cooling Fans (710)
- Knobs, Handles and Enclosure Hardware (425)
- PCs and Embedded Systems (806)
- Electrical and Electronic Subassemblies (370)
- Electrical and Electronic Components (635)
-
Materials and Processing (2,982)
- Materials and Processing (5)
- Materials and components (2,231)
- Rapid Prototyping (458)
- Materials processing and testing (288)
-
Engineering Industry News, Resources (6,112)
- Engineering Industry News, Resources (4)
- Engineering Business News, Views (388)
- Engineering Exhibitions, Events (564)
- Engineering Conferences (426)
- Engineering Seminars (401)
- Engineering Industry Developments, Awards (634)
- Engineering Guides, Newsletters (352)
- Engineering Recruitment, Employment (219)
- Engineering Training Courses (438)
- Engineering Education, Resources, Standards (843)
- Engineering Industry Reports, Surveys (597)
- Electronic Resources for Engineers (278)
- Health and Safety Legislation (402)
- Health and Safety Strategy, Risk Assessment (113)
- Health and Safety Consultancy, Software (175)
- Health and Safety Events, Training, News (278)
-
Powertrain Design (3,636)
- Powertrain Design (2)
- Bearings (954)
- Chains and belts (328)
- Gears, brakes, couplings and engines (1,450)
- Hydraulic Components (471)
- Lubricants (430)
-
Capital Equipment (3,408)
- Capital Equipment (1)
- Manufacturing Machinery and Plant Equipment (467)
- Production line blowers and fans (64)
- Compressors and Air Treatment (517)
- Electronics Manufacturing, Tools, Instruments (192)
- Electrical hardware (131)
- Machinery and Production Equipment (1,101)
- Robotics, Handling and Storage (935)
-
Sensors (7,131)
- Sensors (8)
- Accelerometers and Vibration Sensors (430)
- Loadcells, Force Sensors, Torque Sensors (707)
- Pressure sensors (625)
- Flowmeters and Flow Sensors (621)
- Level Sensors and Leak Detectors (529)
- Linear Position Sensors (407)
- Rotary Position, Tilt and Angular Sensors (551)
- Proximity Sensors (707)
- Gas, Chemical, Radiation, Magnetic Sensors (286)
- Humidity and Environmental Sensors (154)
- Temperature sensors (613)
- Vision and Colour Sensors (1,390)
- Barcode Sensors (103)
- Valves, Pumps, Process Hardware (3,650)
