Jet Blast Deflector - Actuator Emergency Operating System

On Ford class aircraft carrier fight decks, the failure to lower Jet Blast Deflector #3 (JBD#3) causes undue strain on flight recovery operations due to the location of JBD#3, which is in the landing path of aircraft. A failure of JBD#3 to operate creates the greatest need for an emergency operating system to lower the JBD. Failures can occur in either the electrical system or mechanical components of the blast door’s electromechanical actuator (EMA), resulting in delays to critical operations. The current safety protocol for lowering a JBD in the event of a primary failure is crew member intensive, taking in excess of 12 minutes and has the potential to cause damage to humans and equipment alike. The current emergency retraction process uses several crew members, is maintenance intensive and has a large footprint. The proposed improvement to the EMA emergency operating system provides a solution to all identified failure modes, applies to all JBDs on the vessel and potentially to other EMA applications. Orbital Traction, Ltd. proposes to design and integrate into the current JBD mechanism a remotely controlled, clutch release mechanism that allows the linkage of the JBD to decouple from the EMA. When the clutch is released, the JBD can be manually raised and lowered independent of the primary drive mechanism.  The proposed clutch system can be remotely or manually actuated. The system can release and re-engage multiple times without damage or wear on the critical components. The control system to release the proposed clutch is a fraction of the size of the current clutch hydraulic control system used with the existing clutch mechanism.  The clutch has a latching mechanism that when in the latched position allows normal operation of the JBD with the EMA. When the latch is released, the pivot mechanism on the clutch allows full movement of the JBD from open to close regardless of the extended position of the EMA. To provide controlled lowering of the JBD when the clutch is activated, Orbital proposes a novel brake mechanism. The new brake system is self-contained and self-actuating.  Therefore, it does not require a brake hydraulic control system used for the existing brake mechanism. The proposed brake mechanism ensures that the JBD is lowered in a controlled manner. Once the brake system is energized, it is maintained in the energized state during normal operation with no additional load on the EMA. The brake system provides adequate force to push the door mechanism over the center condition allowing the door to close from the fully open position with a controlled descent.  As an emergency operating system, the clutch and brake will lower the JBD in approximately 2 minutes with limited personnel, a significant improvement over the current process.