Figure 11-38. - Straightening of lower female edge.

Figure 11-39. - Straightening of upper female edge.

Figure 11-40. - Straightening of male edge.

Heavy-duty mats are used under arresting cables to eliminate excessive dents and other external damage that occurs to regular matting during aircraft arrestment procedures. These mats are only used on the end of the runway where aircraft touch down. Heavy-duty mats are 6 feet in length and 18 inches wide after connectors are attached. They are painted Marine Corps green, color No. 23; the top surface is also coated with a nonskid material of the same color. Locking bars used to secure heavy-duty mats together are approximately 6 feet in length.

EDGE REPAIRS

To straighten male and female integrally extruded edges of AM-2 mats, you use a mat connector repair edge tool, 510827-1. Edges that are slightly damaged during shipping and handling can be straightened with the edge tool to allow the edges to be interlocked during installation.

Figure 11-38 shows the use of the edge tool for the lower female edge of the mat, figure 11-39 shows the use of the edge tool for the upper female edge of the mat, and figure 11-40 shows the use of the edge tool for the male edge of the mat.

The procedure to follow in straightening the edges of AM-2 mats is given below.

1. To straighten the edges of a mat, place it on blocks to raise it off the ground and provide sufficient clearance to use the edge tool.

2. Orient the mat properly; that is, place the top of the mat faceup, as shown in figure 11-40, and place the bottom of the mat faceup, as shown in figures 11-38 and 11-39, as required to allow the edge tool to be used in an upright position.

3. Engage the tool with the mat edge, as shown in figures 11-38, 11-39, or 1140, at the beginning of the bent area,

4. To straighten the edge, apply a lateral form on the tool handle to bend the edge lip toward a straightened position. Be certain that the tool fully engages the mat edge lip by applying a constant force on the tool handle toward the mat.

5. Move the tool into the bent area in small increments and straighten gradually until the entire length of the bent section has been straightened Do not attempt to straighten the bent section in one pass; make several passes with minimum bending per pass until the area has been straightened

CAUTION Care should be taken during bending to prevent cracking.

REMOVAL PROCEDURES

Disassembled pallets should be distributed in the same pattern that was used for installation of the field mats to facilitate repackaging, as the various components are removed With the use of typical keylock sections, disassembly can be done at several