Successful launch of aircraft from a Navy carrier relies on a steam-powered catapult. To achieve required catapult performance, a very tight tolerance must be maintained in the thickness of a slot at the top of the launch cylinder. The slot gap widens with repeated launches and must be recalibrated periodically to the prescribed tolerance.

Existing slot gap monitoring equipment requires very large motors to drag 350 feet of umbilical cable along the length of the launch cylinder. Creare engineers have combined advanced software and electronic technologies to create a wireless measuring method, installed directly on the launch cylinder, to monitor the slot gap width. Consequently, the overall monitoring equipment system is much smaller and lighter, 32 pounds, versus a large steel crate that needs to be lifted onto the carrier with a crane. The non-contact gap width measurement ensures accuracy, the entire system is much less prone to mechanical failure, and overall reliability is improved.

The monitoring technician uses a laptop and a wireless local area network to communicate with the monitoring equipment to acquire slot gap width data as frequently as needed. The entire system can be hand carried for quick and easy installation and used on aircraft carriers whatever the location.

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