PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - F-35 Cancelled, then what ?
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Old 7th May 2013, 21:45
  #2243 (permalink)  
LowObservable
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Far West Wessex
Posts: 2,582
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Yes, all known factors. There are slow-mo videos out there of what happens to the wire as the mainwheels pass over it, distort and flatten it, and as it then tries to return to the straight cross-deck alignment while the springs in the deck raise it back up. This is all supposed to happen between the wheels and the hook reaching the wire.

Short of designing some sort of tricky folding/telescoping hook to move the hook point back, or redesigning the back end of the F-35 to mount the whole thing further back, the attempted cure has been to lower the apex of the hook point (the better to slide it under the wire, pick the wire up and guide it into the throat) while keeping the hook as close to the deck as possible with changed damper settings.

However, you can't stiffen the damper up too much or you force the jet's tail up if the hook hits the deck, and get into a nasty snit with the FCS, not to mention showering sparks off the deck; and a pointy hook that nails the wire dead-on can shred it, which is also bad.

I'm sure they'll get it all sorted out...
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