J-35 fighter jet, as another outstanding achievement of China's aviation industry, has amazed many military fans with its performance. Despite being a medium-sized aircraft equipped with two medium-thrust engines, its weapons bay is large enough to carry six PL-15 or PL-16 missiles, and it can also carry more than 8 tons of fuel internally. Its weapon-carrying capacity exceeds that of the F-35, and its operational range is much longer than that of the F-22. All of this is achieved through the application of design concepts, processing and manufacturing technologies, and precise positioning.

From the very beginning of its design, the J-35 has fully absorbed the experience and lessons learned from the American F-22 and F-35. The design of its weapons bay was initially considered for the need to accommodate heavy air-to-surface munitions, avoiding the problems of the F-22 "weapons bay too small to carry large missiles" and the F-35 "limited space for later improvements." The机身 length is about 17.3 meters, which is 1.6 meters longer than the F-35C's 15.7 meters, providing more space for larger internal weapons bays and fuel tanks. After replacing the WS-19 engine, its maximum takeoff weight can reach 35 tons, supporting a larger internal fuel capacity.

What makes the J-35 really remarkable is its processing technology, with multiple innovative technologies reaching world-leading levels.

The J-35 has innovatively adopted 3D printing to manufacture thin-walled structures, avoiding stress cracking caused by cutting processes and the increase in weight and number of parts due to anchoring processes. According to data, this technology can reduce parts by 50%, reduce weight by 38%, and reduce wing root height by 1/4.

Large-scale integrated design and manufacturing technology: Through this technology, the J-35 achieved a 30% reduction in weight in the fusion area, a 50% reduction in the number of parts, a 50% reduction in fatigue weak points, a 30% improvement in dynamic equivalent stiffness, hundreds of kilograms of increased storage, and a 50% reduction in cost.

The second is the use of topology optimization technology: according to the distribution of load requirements, materials are concentrated in the most effective places, so that material arrangements are both light and efficient. Using this technology, weight can be reduced by more than 60%, load transfer becomes more uniform and reasonable, service life increases by more than 60%, and the efficiency of material usage can be improved by more than 60%.

The third is the integrated design and manufacturing method of aluminum alloy reinforced frames and wing beams: using pre-stretched thick plates of aluminum alloy, by releasing residual stresses symmetrically and optimizing the machining path, effectively controlling the warping deformation of large aspect ratio frame beam components during machining. Compared with traditional titanium alloy frame beam composite structures, the number of parts can be reduced by half, and the weight reduction exceeds 38%.

The last is the application of metamaterials: the J-35 extensively uses metamaterials, achieving an integrated stealth and structural bearing capability, which reduces the weight of stealth structures by 50% and lowers the full-life cycle usage cost by 40%.

Additionally, the lightweight internal boarding ladder design: the J-35's boarding ladder beam uses aluminum-magnesium anti-alloy, and the handrail skin uses carbon fiber honeycomb panels, ensuring strength and rigidity while achieving weight reduction. The entire ladder component weighs less than seven kilograms, and compared to the removed external ladder, reinforcement frame, and ground support bracket, the total weight has not increased.

In general, the weight saved can be used to carry more fuel or weapons.

Regarding the special needs of carrier-based aircraft, the J-35's hinged horizontal stabilizer component adopts new processes and materials, achieving a 20% reduction in component weight and a two-thirds reduction in the shaft diameter, greatly optimizing the aircraft layout.

Notably, the J-35 has also made significant improvements in detailed craftsmanship. The use of new composite skin combined with nanoscale surface treatment technology controls the joint error of the skin within 0.1 millimeters, significantly improving the smoothness of the aircraft's surface, making an important contribution to the stealth performance and drag reduction.

We often say that the J-35 has a latecomer advantage, and the most important aspect is the manufacturing process. These innovative processes not only enable the J-35 to achieve a significant improvement in payload and range capabilities, but also mark a historic leap for China's aviation industry from "following" to "leading" in the field of advanced manufacturing, laying a solid technical foundation for the development of future aviation equipment.

The Chinese Navy needs the J-35 to equip existing and future aircraft carriers with carrier-based aircraft, and the Air Force needs to use this aircraft in conjunction with the J-20, just like a "high-low combination," to quickly replace the old J-7, J-8, and early versions of the J-10 and J-11 series aircraft. Conservatively estimated, the total demand for the J-35 by the Chinese Navy and Air Force over the next 10 to 15 years could exceed 600 aircraft. If the J-35 can operate in coordination with the J-20 and the 055-class destroyers, it can effectively address the threat posed by fifth-generation fighters of neighboring countries.

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7561398759456784932/

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