AIRCRAFT CORROSION

MODULE
 CORROSION
• Corrosion is caused by the moisture in the
air.
• All metals are affected to some extent by
the atmosphere. Some metals resist attack
better than others but the resistance of most
metals may vary with such factors as
physical environment, applied or internal
stress, heat treatment state or working
temperature.
 CORROSION
• The salt present in sea water will attack
many metals directly.
• Airplanes in the vicinity of the sea may be
affected by airborne particles or spray
droplets.
 CORROSION
• Electrical Equipment :
• Faults in insulation which lead to current
leakage can cause the equipment to corrode
or can cause electrochemical attack in the
surrounding structure.
• Sparking in confined spaces will produce
nitric acid in the presence of moisture and
this acid can cause corrosion of surrounding
material
 CORROSION
• Corrosion reduces the strength and ductility
of metals to an alarming extent if not
restrained.
• In the relative thin sections used in aircraft
construction even a small amount of
corrosion is unsafe.
 TYPES OF CORROSION
• Direct action corrosion
• Inter-granular corrosion
• Galvanic corrosion
• Microbiological corrosion
• Stress corrosion
 DIRECT ACTION
CORROSION
• Direct action corrosion is the eating away or
pitting of the surface. Practically all metals
are subject to this type of corrosion when
the oxidize in the presence of air.
• This type of corrosion is visible and can be
prevented or retarded by protecting the
surface with a plating or paint.
 Corrosion of Ferrous Metals
• Rust (ferrous oxide) formation due to
atmospheric oxidation of steel surface.
• Some metal oxides protect the underlying
base metal, but rust actually promotes
corrosion by attracting moisture from air
and acting as a catalyst in causing additional
corrosion to take place.
• All rust must be removed from steel surface
for complete control of corrosion
 Corrosion of Ferrous Metals
• Where ever mechanical damage or paint
failure exposes highly stressed steel
surfaces to the atmosphere, even the
smallest amount of rusting is potentially
dangerous in these areas and must be
removed and controlled.
 Corrosion of Ferrous Metals
• Corrosion products must be removed by
careful processing using mild abrasive
papers or fine buffing compounds on cloth
buffing wheels.
• Ensure no overheating during buffing.
• Immediately re-apply protective paint
finishes.
 Inter-granular Corrosion
• Inter-granular or inter-crystalline corrosion
is not visible on the surface and is very
dangerous. The attack penetrates into the
core of the material along the grain or
crystal boundaries.
• The rate of attack is not limited by the lack
of oxygen but is accelerated if applied or
residual stress is present.
 Inter-granular Corrosion
• Repeated tensile or fluctuating stresses
encourage separation of the boundaries, so
accelerating the spread of inter-granular
corrosion and giving rise to corrosion
fatigue. As a result higher stress
concentrations occur in the remaining sound
material, cracks spread and complete failure
follows.
 Inter-granular Corrosion
• Inter-granular or inter-crystalline corrosion
occurs due to improper treatment of the
metal and can be prevented by proper
technique.
• Protective coatings have little or no
influence on this type of corrosion.
• It is found in some aluminum alloys and
some corrosion resisting steels.
 GALVANIC CORROSION
• Every metal has an inherent electric
potential. When it is set side by side with a
metal of different potential and an
electrolyte is present, such as moisture, an
electric action is set up.
• The metal with the higher potential is
‘anodic’ and is destroyed by electrolytic
corrosion
 GALVANIC CORROSION
• To avoid electrolytic corrosion, joints
between dissimilar metals should be
avoided.
• Aluminum alloy should be kept away from
steel, stainless steel, and copper alloys
because of the great difference in potential.
 Table of metal potentials
• Anodic • Cathodic
• Aluminum • Platinum
• Zinc • Gold
• Cadmium • Silver
• Chromium • Chromium Nickel Iron
• Iron • Chromium Iron
• Tin • Inconel
• Lead • Copper
 Microbiological Corrosion
• Occurs in integral fuel tanks using aviation
kerosene. A300 and B737 have several
operators reporting microbiological growth
in the fuel tanks.
 Stress Corrosion
• Metals under stress generally corrode more
rapidly than unstressed metals.
• This type of corrosion usually manifest
itself as fine cracks.
• It occurs in alloys that are susceptible to
cracking while exposed to a corrosive
environment while under a tensile stress.
 Corrosion of Aluminum
• Corrosion on aluminum surface is evident,
even in its early stages as general etching,
pitting, or roughness of aluminum surface.
• Subsequently the products of corrosion are
white and generally more voluminous than
the original base metal.
• General surface corrosion of aluminum
penetrates relatively slow, but is speeded up
in the presence of dissolved salts.
 Corrosion of Aluminum
• NOTE : Aluminum alloys form a smooth
surface oxidation 0.001 to 0.0025 inch thick
coating which provides a hard shell barrier
to the introduction of corrosive elements.
• This is not considered detrimental as this
prevents corrosion.
 Corrosion of Aluminum
• Forms of corrosion on aluminum alloys :
• The penetrating pit-type corrosion through
the walls of aluminum tubing.
• Stress corrosion cracking of materials under
sustained stress
• Inter-granular corrosion which is
characterized of certain improperly heat
treated aluminum alloys.
 Corrosion Control
• Frequent cleaning is essential for the
prevention of corrosion.
• Metal skinned structure should be washed
thoroughly using manufacture
recommended solutions, materials and
equipment.
 Corrosion Control
• Where battery or other acids have been
spilled, the surrounding area should be
rinsed with substantial quantity of clean
water to dilute and remove the acid.
• Regular cleaning and neutralization of acid
deposits will minimize corrosion.
• Inspect and ensure that the battery vent
openings are clean and clear.
 Corrosion Control
• Remember, wrong methods of cleaning can
do more harm than good. Always refer to
the manufacturers/ Vendors manuals.
• Steel wool should not be used on aluminum
alloy surfaces as particles may be lodged in
crevices and thereby provide starting point
for electro-chemical corrosion.
 Corrosion Control
• ‘Alclad’ sheet should not be polished with
mechanical buffing wheels, except under a
carefully controlled (recommended)
technique as this can remove the coating of
pure aluminum and the unprotected alloy
core will be subject to corrosion.
• Carryout pressure cleaning as per the
recommendation of the a/c manufacturers.
 Corrosion Control
• Accumulation of oil and grease at landing
gear, engine nacelle etc. may not in
themselves be corrosive, but they tend to
retain dirt and metal particles.
• Always use cleaning agents recommended
by a/c manufacturer.
• Interior cleaning should be done with a
vacuum cleaner.