Direct Drive Electromechanical Actuators for Jet Blast Deflectors

A direct-drive electric linear actuator for raising and lowering the jet blast deflector (JBD) is proposed that achieves the specific force necessary to be a form-fit-function replacement for the existing JBD hydraulic actuators. Moreover, we propose a design that is suited to modularity, allowing the actuator to be readily scaled to meet the requirements for other Navy shipboard applications. Successful replacement of all of these hydraulic actuators with electric actuators would allow the elimination of the entire catapult hydraulic system. A building block actuator and the associated power and control electronics will be designed during Phase I. In addition to the theoretical design work aimed at meeting fundamental performance requirements, attention will be paid to manufacturability, cost, reliability, maintainability, and operational features such as braking and cleanliness. During Phase II, construction and test of a single building block will be followed by prototypes with increasing capability until full-scale performance is achieved. The prototypes will demonstrate performance (force, stroke and speed) as well as maintainability and reliability of the actuator system. The Phase II design will be reworked during Phase III to produce a full-scale system JBD actuator to be installed and tested under realistic environmental and operational scenarios aboard a carrier.