“The restaurant also has to simulate the testâ€
The last time an American engineer designed an aircraft carrier was in the 1960s, when they first used ink to draw a design and create a full-size wooden model to verify the design. Then the shipyard workers considered how to piece together the complete ship. But the design of the 21st century is another scene. Engineers can walk freely in the aircraft carrier model by wearing special glasses.
Engineers in different cities are constantly improving their designs in their own offices. In an unremarkable building in the shipyard, the walls were painted black and there was a 2.4-meter-high screen in the middle of the room. The "Ford" aircraft carrier construction director Sam Freeland wears a pair of heavy glasses to clearly observe the 3D blueprint of the "Ford". Pumps, pipes, bolts...Each element is clearly visible, engineers have numbered each digital part and also indicate who the supplier is.
Anyone with access to a computer-aided design system can view the cabin from the perspective of the future crew, which will verify that the piping and cabin design are preventing the crew from seeing the pressure gauge, warning signal or companion gesture. If you need to change the design, just “stretch your hand†to grasp the relevant parts, “twist†it into a suitable shape and put it into the proper position. It is confirmed that the new data will be automatically entered into the design system, and the processing plant 4 km away will produce accurate metal parts according to the new parameters.
In fact, everything on the Ford is subject to simulation testing, and even the restaurant is no exception. Engineering manager David Rocky said: "This way we can calculate how long it takes for the crew to return from work to return to work."
Of course, no matter how realistic the virtual aircraft carrier is, the "Ford" will eventually come to reality. The huge space in the processing plant is filled with the roar of the machine, the sparks generated during welding, and the large amount of metal. The data from the computer-aided design system is guiding the plasma jet of the cutting machine to turn the drawings into metal parts.
On the ground outside the factory, there are two 200-ton hull components, and the shipyard needs a total of 162 such components to build the entire hull. There is only one type of machine that can combine these huge components: a 23-story super crane. It has three hooks, each capable of lifting more than 300 tons of objects. But even this "Hercules" with a capacity of 900 tons of cargo is not enough to build the "Ford". Therefore, Northrop Grumman upgraded the crane's lifting capacity to 1,050 tons.
Steam to electricity revolution
After the completion of the "Ford", its appearance is similar to the current aircraft carrier. However, there will be revolutionary changes within its interior, the most notable of which is that it will greatly reduce its dependence on steam.
All activities carried out on the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, including heating cabins, drying clothes, propelling ships, making drinking water, and ejecting fighters, are all done by the steam power generated by nuclear reactors. But on the "Ford", these systems will be electrified. The most notable application is the four electromagnetic catapults on the flight deck. Existing aircraft carriers require many people to transport food, clothing, parts and ammunition. On the "Ford", the electric forklift will be the main force for handling supplies. According to the project manager, the manpower required for the Ford will be reduced by 700 compared to the existing aircraft carrier.
In addition, how to better protect the crew is another focus of the aircraft carrier design. The designers are doing their best to ensure that the aircraft carrier can withstand the blow. In 2005, the US military used the eagle-class aircraft carrier "United States" to conduct anti-bombing tests, and installed hundreds of sensors and cameras on it to analyze the stability of aircraft carriers in various types of attacks. After a 25-day blast test, the "United States" never sleeps on the sea floor, and its test results are included in the design of the "Ford".
There is no doubt that the Ford-class aircraft carrier has become a "big cake" of Northrop Grumman with its high orders. However, some defense experts believe that since the biggest enemy in the United States is terrorists and pirates, why should we build such a monster with a displacement of 100,000 tons? Others question: Are we still using manned fighters by 2060?
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