Manifold Assembly

Customer:

Department of Defense

Background:

Naval aircraft carriers typically have four catapults for launching planes. When a plane is positioned on one of the four catapults to be launched, the jet engines are throttled in preparation for take-off. The jet blast from the engines must be deflected to safeguard personnel and equipment behind the plane. This is accomplished by a shield that is embedded in the deck. This shield or Jet Blast Deflector (JBD) is actuated hydraulically and rises from the deck when needed. The JBD is manufactured from aluminum and must be cooled so it is not destroyed by the hot exhaust gases. To accomplish this, the JBD acts as a heat exchanger. Sea water is pumped through the JBD at high flow rates to carry away the heat. Each JBD has inlet and outlet stainless steel manifolds to channel the sea water.

Manufacturing Challenge:

The Manifold Assembly is large, approximately 13 feet long, and is manufactured from stainless steel. Machining tolerances are very tight, considering the part size, and must be held if it is to fit properly with the mating part. The assembly is welded in accordance with strict government standards and all welds must be 100% tested to assure that the welds do not leak. Everite designed and manufactured a custom test rig to fulfill the testing requirement.