Posted on 03/17/2012 8:30:25 PM PDT by U-238
When you're building one of the world's most advanced jet fighters, there's no room for error.
Engineering technology used by BAE Systems, a partner in the F-35 joint strike fighter program and the manufacturer of Typhoons, even takes the moon's gravitational pull into account.
The moon causes the ground to shift by one to two millimeters every time it pulls the oceans' tides in and out. And this tiny movement can throw off the precise alignment of an aircraft's frame as pieces are put together.
"That might not sound a lot, but given the tolerances we are working to on Typhoon, two millimeters is two millimetres too much,” said Martin Topping, head of the aircraft's maintenance at BAE.
Tolerances in mechanical engineering means the space between two materials, such as between a bolt and a nut.
BAE explained that the tolerances used to build the Typhoon, most notably used by the British RAF, are so fine now that even the movements of the tide can throw the jet fighter's tolerances out.
Its frame is 15 metres long, so there's plenty of room for tiny misalignments here and there. Taking the moon's pull into account as the frame is pieced together helps the finished aircraft's computer control system function more accurately in flight. And it saves 16 gallons of fuel per average flight.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Thank you for the link. Interesting article
:)
If only we had a candidate with such a ‘far fetched’ engineering vision...
Hmm, how does this fetish with tight tolerances affect field and depot level maintenance? Can you realistically expect to maintain scientific lab level tolerances with 20 year old maintenance techs in an open hanger 500 miles from nowhere?
I would assume that BAE would hire the best techs.
If BAE did not hire the best, BAE would be out of business and planes would be dropping from the sky.
>> “No, the moon causes the ground to shift for the exact same reason it causes the oceans to shift.” <<
.
And it makes everything attached to said ground move right along with it.
It’s easier than going on a diet.
Good Lord!
You are correct the ingorance of the aircraft people knows no bounds. The damn thing cost 60,000 +++ dollars an hour to fly and they talk about 16 gallons of fuel. Dang!
Oh.....this is why the towel bar I put up in the bathroom keeps falling off.
So the old axiom ‘Don’t plant a fence post on a Full Moon’(or whatever it was) actually had a scientific basis! :^)
Back in the 60s, a friends Father worked as an engineer and gave us a tour of the equimpment for making huge shafts and other items. A lathe had an operators car by the tool bit and was a few hundred feet long. The said they had to level it with lasers, because the curvature of the earth made minute, but problematic differences if they leveled it normally. When it was true, a level in the center showed level - put it at either end and it showed the end slightly high.
A level showing the ends high? I guess it would if the shaft was geometrically straight and then you used a level at the end. The level would show the end tilting ever-so-slightly down in the direction of the center of the shaft length.
I have performed the following gedanken experiment:
Imagine that you were to build a very large, smooth, pefectly flat platform that was absolutely level in its center. Let’s say that the platform was 1000 feet in diameter. Put a ball bearing on the platform at its edge.
Q: What, if anything, would the ball bearing do?
A: It would roll toward the center, just as if the (perfectly flag) platform were slightly dished toward the center.
(True, I don’t get out much.)
I can picture the ball bearing rolling toward the center of gravity due to the center being gravitationaly “lower”. Used to do a lot of thinking/playing like that but the need to earn a living has tarnished the glow - keep up the active mindset.
Thanks for sharing that. That’s neat. You reminded me of something. In the 1960’s there was a USAF tunneling project near Dulce, NM. I remember one of the engineers who was an acquaintance of my Dad saying basically the same thing about the lazers.
How does the moon pull the land but not the computer guided machine?
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