Jet blast deflector

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
A typical blast fence at an airport
An airman services a jet blast deflector (JBD) before flight operations aboard an aircraft carrier

A jet blast deflector (JBD) or blast fence is a safety device that redirects the high energy exhaust from a jet engine to prevent damage and injury. The structure must be strong enough to withstand heat and high speed air streams as well as dust and debris carried by the turbulent air.[1] Without a deflector, jet blast can be dangerous to people, equipment and other aircraft.[2]


A jet blast deflector is often called simply a "blast deflector", however, this term has other uses. In gunnery, the term "blast deflector" refers to a device which protects the gun crew from the muzzle blast of a gun. In small arms, a "blast deflector" is another name for a muzzle brake which directs muzzle blast to the sides and upward to prevent the muzzle from climbing during automatic fire.[3]


High energy jet engine exhaust can cause injury and damage. Jet blast has been known to uproot trees, shatter windows, overturn automobiles and trucks, flatten poorly made structures and injure people.[2] Other aircraft in the jet blast, especially lightweight ones, have been blown around and damaged by jet exhaust.[2] Hurricane-force air streams moving at speeds up to 100 knots (190 km/h; 120 mph) have been measured behind the largest jet-powered aircraft at distances of over 200 feet (60 m).[2] A Boeing 777's two General Electric GE90 engines combine to create a thrust of approximately 200,000 pounds-force (900,000 N)[1]—this level of force is high enough to kill people.[2] To prevent these problems, jet blast deflectors redirect the air stream in a non-dangerous direction, frequently upward.



Jet blast deflectors began to appear at airports in the 1950s.[4][5] Airports in the 1960s used jet blast deflectors with a height of 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 m), but airports in the 1990s needed ones that were twice as high,[6] and even up to 35 feet (11 m) high for jet airliners such as the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and MD-11 with engines mounted in the tail above the fuselage.[1] Airports often place their blast fences at the beginnings of runways, especially when roadways or structures are adjacent. Airports that are in dense urban areas often have blast fences between taxiways and airport borders. Jet blast deflectors usually direct exhaust gases upward.[7] However, a low-pressure zone can form behind the blast fence, causing ambient air and debris to be drawn upward with the jet exhaust, and hot, toxic gases to circulate behind the blast fence.[8] Jet blast deflectors have been designed to counteract this problem by using multiple panels and various angles, and by using slotted panel surfaces.[8]

Ground run-up enclosure[edit]

After a jet engine has been overhauled or has undergone the replacement of parts, it is normal to run the engine up to full thrust to test it.[8] Rural airports rarely provide more than a distant portion of the airfield within which to test engines at full thrust, but urban airports surrounded by residential areas often specify that engine tests be conducted within a ground run-up enclosure, so that the engine noise can be reduced for residents.

Aircraft carriers[edit]



Jet blast deflectors aboard aircraft carriers are placed in very close proximity to the 2,300 °F (1,300 °C)[10] temperatures of modern jet fighter exhaust.[7] The non-skid decking surface of the deflector suffers heat damage and requires frequent maintenance or replacement. Additionally, the hot deflector surface cannot be used as normal decking until it has cooled enough to allow aircraft tires to roll over it.[7] To mitigate the heat problem, active cooling systems were installed in the 1970s, tapping the fire mains (fire suppression water systems) to use seawater circulating through water lines within the deflector panel.[10] However, the water cooling system adds more complexity and failure points, and requires additional maintenance. The most recent method tried by the United States Navy for solving the heat problem was introduced in 2008 with USS George H.W. Bush which uses heavy-duty metal panels covered in heat-dissipating ceramic tiles similar to those used on the Space Shuttle.[11] The tiled panels can be changed quickly and easily—the ship carries a large replacement supply.[11] Without active water lines, the passively-tiled deflector is expected to require much less maintenance.[11]

Most deflectors direct the jet blast upward, but the hot gases can instead be directed downward and channeled below the deck to vent harmlessly out of the side of the aircraft carrier. This solution offers two benefits: The top surface of the deflector does not overheat and is immediately available to serve as decking after a launch, and the air above the deflector is not made hazardous to aircraft flying through the hot gases.[7]

See also[edit]


  1. ^ a b c Stanley, Lynn B. Split exhaust jet blast deflector fence. U.S. Patent 5,429,324, issued July 4, 1995.
  2. ^ a b c d e Morrison, Rowena. ASRS Directline, Issue Number 6, August 1993. "Ground Jet Blast Hazard." Retrieved on November 13, 2009.
  3. ^ Carlucci, Donald E. and Sidney S. Jacobson. Ballistics: Theory and Design of Guns and Ammunition, pp. 158–159. CRC Press, 2007. ISBN 1-4200-6618-8
  4. ^ Brown, Edward L. Blast fence for jet engines. U.S. Patent 2,726,830, issued December 13, 1955.
  5. ^ Hayden, Harold J. Jet engine exhaust deflector. U.S. Patent 2,826,382, issued March 11, 1958.
  6. ^ Stanley, Lynn B. Jet blast deflector fence. U.S. Patent 5,127,609, issued July 7, 1992.
  7. ^ a b c d Campion, Gordon Pearson. Blast deflector. U.S. Patent 6,802,477 issued October 12, 2004.
  8. ^ a b c d Stanley, Lynn B. Blast deflecting fence. U.S. Patent 4,471,924, issued September 18, 1984.
  9. ^ Federation of American Scientists. "CV-9 Essex Class: Overview." USS Oriskany (CV-34) began a major refit in October 1947 and was returned to service in August 1951 with a number of modernizations including jet blast deflectors.
  10. ^ a b Fischer, Eugene C. and Dale A. Sowell, John Wehrle, Peter O. Cervenka. Cooled jet blast deflectors for aircraft carrier flight decks. U.S. Patent 6,575,113, issued June 10, 2003.
  11. ^ a b c "CVN-77 - George H.W. Bush." July 10, 2006. Retrieved on November 14, 2009.