Monday, March 27, 2017

Australia is home to the only surviving 1914 Delage Type-S grand prix car in the world, and thanks to a 3D scanner, it's going to be able to continue driving!


In 2014, when the engine block cracked and water met oil, the Delage ground to a halt

With no replacement parts or original drawings to go by, and with few people having the traditional manufacturing skills, Grant Cowie looked for alternative ways of rebuilding the complicated 16-valve engine.

He decided that using digital technology to clone the original block would be the most accurate, efficient and non-destructive method to get the car back up and running, as the traditional wooden pattern method would be prohibitively expensive and might make several useless blocks before one good one

A local iron foundry cast the engine using the 3D-printed mould, then it was finished with traditional  machinists work.

After the engine was installed, there was an enormous sense of relief when the Delage turned over successfully.  "It is a considerable achievement for all those involved and, might I say, quite an achievement for Australian engineering," he said.


here is that same car in 1914 racing in Lyon France in the 750-kilometre French Grand Prix.

Thanks Bruce!

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-27/saving-the-last-delage-type-s-grand-prix-car/8310958

No comments:

Post a Comment