TRACK 1: C-13-1 STEAM CATAPULT (300 FT STROKE)
READY / ACCUMULATOR CHARGED
TRACK 2: EMALS LINEAR INDUCTION MOTOR (300 FT STROKE)
READY / FLYWHEELS SYNCHRONIZED
Acceleration & G-Force Oscilloscope (300 ft Stroke)
Orange = Steam Spike | Cyan = EMALS Plateau
Launch Telemetry & Airframe Health
| Metric | Steam C-13 | EMALS |
|---|---|---|
| End Speed | -- kts | -- kts |
| Peak G-Force | -- G | -- G |
| Stroke Duration | -- s | -- s |
| Airframe Fatigue | -- | -- |
| Reset Latency | 45s (Reboil) | 25s (Flywheel) |
| Launch Verdict | STANDBY | STANDBY |
Steam C-13-1 Carrier Impact
- Piping & Tonnage: ~1,200 tons of high-pressure piping and steam accumulator vessels below deck.
- Water Consumption: ~1,200 lbs of distilled reactor steam vented per launch (~600,000 lbs fresh water/day).
- Airframe Strain: Unmetered steam valve blast creates violent initial jerk, degrading airframe fatigue life.
- Lightweight Limitation: Cannot throttle down low enough for lightweight UAVs without stalling pistons.
EMALS Carrier Architecture
- Energy Storage: 4 Disk Alternators (flywheels) storing 122 MJ, charging via carrier electric grid.
- Closed-Loop Control: Millisecond digital hall-effect feedback maintains flat, programmable acceleration.
- UAV to Heavy Jet Versatility: Linear motor throttles smoothly from 15,000-lb drones to 75,000-lb heavy strike jets.
- Reliability Challenge: High power conditioning complexity; failure modes affect full bank until isolation.
Engineering Physics Summary: Select an airframe and press "FIRE CATAPULTS" to observe how the unmetered steam accumulator pressure spike creates high instantaneous peak G-forces compared to EMALS closed-loop electromagnetic linear induction plateau.
System: carrier-catapult-dynamics-76
Airframe: F/A-18E Super Hornet
Steam Peak G: 4.8 G
EMALS Peak G: 3.2 G
Status: SIMULATION_READY