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Howmet TX Turbine Experimental - 1968


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Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
GB
The Howmet TX (Turbine eXperimental) was built by Howmet Corporation of New York, a company specializing in metal alloys for space use and jet engine components. Bob McKee, a well-known manufacturer of racing cars and owner of McKee Engineering, commissioned Howmet to build of the car designed by Ray Heppenstall. The chassis of the car, called Mk.9 was composed of a tubular steel structure with standard double wishbone suspensions with coaxial springs and shock absorbers and equipped both front and rear with adjustable stabilizer bars. The braking system consisted of four ventilated discs placed on the wheels. The body of the Howmet TX was a closed type, built entirely of aluminum with doors equipped with a gull-wing opening.

IT
La Howmet TX (Turbine eXperimental) fu costruita dalla Howmet Corporation di New York, società specializzata in leghe metalliche per uso spaziale e componentistica per motori Jet. Bob McKee, noto costruttore di vetture da corsa e proprietario della McKee Engineering, commissionò alla Howmet la realizzazione della vettura che era progettata da Ray Heppenstall. Lo chassis della vettura, denominata Mk.9 era composto da una struttura tubolare in acciaio con sospensioni a quadrilateri deformabili con molle e ammortizzatori coassiali ed equipaggiate sia anteriormente che posteriormente con barre stabilizzatrici regolabili. Il sistema frenante prevedeva quattro dischi ventilati collocati sulle ruote. La carrozzeria della Howmet TX era di tipo chiuso, costruita interamente in alluminio con portiere provviste di apertura ad ala di gabbiano.

Photo gallery: Monza Historic 2019
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
GB
The peculiarity of Howmet TX was in the engine that was a gas turbine type TS325-1, built as a prototype by Continental Aviation & Engineering Corporation in nine specimens initially intended to equip helicopters for the U.S. Air Force. The two-stage turbine reached 57,000 rpm and was connected via a shaft to a differential, fitted with a clutch but without a gearbox. The 120 liters fuel tank was in the centre of the car, placed between the engine and the cockpit and the fuel used was the JP5 (Jet Propellant), formed by a mixture of hydrocarbons based on kerosene. To reduce the delay to the response during acceleration and to obtain a sort of deceleration brake-engine effect, the engine was equipped with a wastegate valve. This valve controlled by the driver via the accelerator pedal, was able to modulate the power delivered, opening in deceleration to let excess power flow through one of the three rear exhaust pipes and closing in acceleration. This system allowed to keeping the turbine rotation speed high. The engine that was capable of delivering 330 horsepower was equated with a displacement of 3 liters and could therefore compete in group 6 of the period.

IT
La particolarità della Howmet TX stava nel motore che era una turbina a gas tipo TS325-1, costruita come prototipo dalla Continental Aviation & Engineering Corporation in nove esemplari inizialmente destinati ad equipaggiare degli elicotteri per la U.S. Air Force. La turbina a doppio stadio, raggiungeva i 57000 giri/min. ed era collegata tramite un albero ad un differenziale riduttore, munito di frizione ma senza cambio di velocità. Il serbatoio del carburante da 120 litri, si trovava al centro della vettura, piazzato tra motore e il pilota e il combustibile utilizzato era il JP5 (Jet Propellant), formato da una miscela di idrocarburi a base di kerosene. Per ridurre il ritardo alla risposta in fase di accelerazione e per ottenere una sorta di effetto freno-motore in decelerazione, il propulsore era equipaggiato con una valvola wastegate che, comandata dal pilota tramite il pedale dell’acceleratore era in grado di modulare la potenza erogata, aprendosi in decelerazione per lasciare defluire attraverso uno dei tre tubi di scarico posteriori la potenza in eccesso e chiudendosi in accelerazione. Questo sistema consentiva di mantenere alto il regime di rotazione della turbina. Il motore che era in grado di erogare una potenza di 330 cavalli, era stato equiparato ad una cilindrata di 3 litri e poteva quindi gareggiare nel gruppo 6 del periodo.

Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
GB
The car's debut took place at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1968 with the American crew consisting of the "flying dentist" Richard Thompson, Ed Lowther and the same Ray Heppenstall who got the seventh fastest time in practices. After only 45 minutes of race, due to a defect in the wastegate valve that remained closed during braking, the car had an accident and was forced to abandon the race. The following race was the Sebring 12 hours where the same crew qualified third in practices but after six hours was forced to abandon the race due to the breakdown of the turbine that had sucked up debris. On April 7, 1968, the Howmet TX was entered with the BOAC 1000 Km at Brands Hatch for the crew composed by Richard Thompson and Hugh Dibly. The crew was sixth in practices but in the race on the seventh lap, still the wastegate locked up in closed position and caused Thompson out of track. The next race was the 6 hours of Watkins Glen to which 2 cars were entered, one for Bob Tullius and Hugh Dibly who finished 12th and one for Richard Thompson and Ray Heppenstall who finished the race in third place. At the Le Mans 24 hours, which ran on September 29th in 1968, two cars were entered with the same crews but they did not go far. Tullius and Dibly’s car immediately encountered problems with the fuel system while Thompson's and Heppenstall's car was destroyed in an accident that happened to Thompson at the Indianapolis corner. In the US national championship SCCA, Howmet, having solved the problems with the wastegate valve, obtained some good placings and two victories, becoming the first and the only winning car with a turbine engine. In total, only two cars were assembled.

IT
Il debutto delle vettura avvenne alla 24 ore di Daytona del 1968 con l’equipaggio americano composto dal “dentista volante” Richard Thompson, Ed Lowther e lo stesso Ray Heppenstall che ottennero il settimo tempo nelle prove. Dopo solo 45 minuti di gara a causa di un difetto alla valvola wastegate che rimase chiusa in frenata, la vettura ebbe un incidente e dovette abbandonare la gara. La gara seguente fu la 12 ore di Sebring dove lo stesso equipaggio si qualificò terzo in prova ma fu costretto ad abbandonare la gara dopo sei ore a causa della rottura della turbina che aveva aspirato dei detriti. Il 7 Aprile 1968 la Howmet TX fu iscritta alla BOAC 1000 Km a Brands Hatch per l’equipaggio composto da Richard Thompson e Hugh Dibly. Fu sesta in prova ma in gara al settimo giro, ancora la wastegate si bloccò provocando l’uscita di pista di Thompson. La gara successiva fu la 6 ore di Watkins Glen alla quale furono iscritte 2 vetture, una per l’equipaggio composto da Bob Tullius e Hugh Dibly che terminarono dodicesimi e l’altra per Richard Thompson e Ray Heppenstall che conclusero la gara al terzo posto. Alla 24 ore di Le Mans, che nel 1968 si corse il 29 Settembre, furono iscritte due vetture con gli stessi equipaggi che tuttavia non andarono lontano. La vettura di Tullius e Dibly incontrò da subito problemi con il sistema di alimentazione mentre la vettura di Thompson e Heppenstall rimase distrutta in un incidente che capitò a Thompson alla curva Indianapolis. Nel campionato nazionale statunitense SCCA, la Howmet, risolti i problemi alla valvola wastegate ottenne alcuni buoni piazzamenti e due vittorie, diventando la prima e l’unica vettura vincente con un motore a turbina. In tutto furono assemblate solo due vetture.

Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968
Monza Historic 2019, Howmet TX Turbine Experimental 1968

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