CORROSION REMOVAL

Before starting any corrosion removal, you must conduct an inspection and
evaluation of the suspected area. When you inspect an aircraft or a particular
area of an aircraft for corrosion, you should follow the steps listed below.

1. Clean the area thoroughly.

2. If an area is suspected of having corrosion, visually inspect the area by using a

magnifying glass.

3. To preclude metal damage, remove paint chemically from areas suspected of

having underlying hidden corrosion. Use abrasive paint removal techniques only
when corrosive products are observed.

4. After removing the paint, use a magnifying glass to determine the extent of
the damage, especially if there is evidence of corrosion on critical parts. Corrosion
cracks must be detected as early as possible.

5. Refer to the applicable structural repair manual (SRM) or MIM for damage
limits. Metal loss damage is accumulative. When assessing corrosion damage,
consider prior metal loss, including areas on the opposite side of the
part. Propellers and helicopter blades have critical balance requirements. Refer to
the propeller and blade manuals that apply for the evaluation and repair limits of
corrosion, erosion, and abrasive damage.
TREATMENT OF ALUMINUM ALLOYS

The general types of heat treatments applied to aluminum and its alloys are:
homogenizing, to improve their workability; Annealing, to soften heat treated
alloy structures, to relieve stresses, and to stabilize properties; Solution heat
treatments, to improve mechanical properties; Aging, natural or artificial, for
strengthening heat treatment of aluminum alloys

Heat treating for aluminum is precision processes. They must be carried

out in ovens/furnaces properly designed and built to provide the thermal
conditions and temperature uniformity required. To insure the final desired
characteristics, process details must be established and controlled carefully
for each type of product.

Those treatments are often ruled by specifications related to different

industries as:

• AMS 2770, 2771, 2772 (Aerospace)

• AMS 2750 (Aerospace Pyrometer)

• ASTM B917, B918 (General purpose)

• CQI-9 (Automotive)
Protective Coating
A protective coating is a layer of material applied to the surface of another
material with the intent of inhibiting or preventing corrosion. A protective
coating may be metallic or non-metallic. Protective coatings are applied
using a variety of methods, and can be used for many other purposes
besides corrosion prevention.
Commonly used materials in non-metallic protective coatings include
polymers, epoxies and polyurethanes. Materials used for metallic protective
coatings include zinc, aluminum and chromium.

A zinc coating over steel is an example of a reactive protective coating. The

zinc reacts with the atmosphere more readily than the steel, thus
preventing the oxidation of the steel.
A protective coating can be painted on, sprayed on, plated on or even
welded onto a material. Polymer coatings are commonly sprayed on. Zinc
protective coatings are typically applied by the electroplating or hot dipping
method.
A protective coating is not necessarily limited to corrosion prevention. A
protective coating can also be used to increase a material's wear
resistance and aesthetic appeal. A protective coating can provide water
resistance or electrical properties that the material did not have prior to the
protective coating being applied.
CLADDING
Cladding is any material used to cover a structure's exterior. Picture a
protective layer over a surface like a roof or exterior wall. Just as your skin
protects internal bones and organs, cladding protects against the elements
and shields against environmental conditions.
Cladding doesn't have to be waterproof, but it often controls how elements
hit or fall on a surface. Think about how a raincoat allows rain to slide off of
you rather than soaking your clothing. Cladding can also serve a decorative
function, to hide a more structural but perhaps not
attractive substrate (which is stronger material that underlies a surface and
acts as a stabilizer).
Cladding has been used in architecture for a long time. Over the ages,
materials have varied. From ancient times through the 19th century, it was
usually a hard substance like cedar wood or stone, or a material resistant
to corrosion like copper, brass and bronze. Such metals will react with the
elements (copper turns green, for example), but they still protect what's
beneath them.
WASH PRIMER
A wash primer is a synthetic primer that usually contains zinc chromate or
phosphoric acid. It is used as a first coat on metal surfaces and has
anticorrosion properties, making it a prerequisite or pretreatment before
any coating application.
A wash primer makes the painting process more efficient and imparts
optimal corrosion resistance to materials such as steel aluminum and
galvanized parts. It is specially designed to work in conjunction with all
types of coatings to provide maximum protection against corrosion and any
form of damage.
Wash primers are typically applied on galvanized, aluminum parts and can
be used along with primers that are rich in zinc. Wash primers in general
are recommended for a variety of substrates such as:

 Stainless steel
 Aluminum
 Galvanizing
 Primers rich in zinc
 Topcoats

Most wash primers are fast drying and can offer early resistance to rust.
They also involve no crucial film thickness and feature low odor and
unlimited recoat time. It must be noted that wash primers are not applicable
to plastic or wooden surfaces.
EPOXY PRIMERS
Epoxy primer is used to coat steel, aluminum, and composite surfaces
before painting. It has superior anti-corrosive properties that exceed one-
part zinc chromate primers in all levels of performance. Epoxy primers may
be used under enamels, Ran thane polyurethane, and a variety of other
topcoat paints. Epoxy primers may be applied directly over old one-part
primers like zinc chromate or red iron oxide to provide a solvent-proof
barrier coat to protect from fabric cements and dopes.

Epoxy primer comes in two colors: white or dark green; both have identical
properties and ingredients and vary only by color.

Cured epoxy primers are completely solvent resistant and are not wrinkled
or lifted by fabric cements or dopes.

White is the easiest color to use under any color paint and is always a
better choice for aluminum, steel or composites that will be topcoat painted.
Dark green is actually white primer tinted green for those who want to
simulate the color of WWII zinc chromate on war birds.

There are three parts to an epoxy primer kit: EP-420 Primer, EP-430
Catalyst, and E-500 Reducer; all are required and cannot be substituted.

The Gallon Kits consists of 1 Gallon of the EP-420 Primer, 2 Quarts of the
P-430 Catalyst and 1 Gallon of the E-500 Reducer.

The Quart Kits consists of 1 Quart of the EP-420 Primer, 1 Pint of the P-
430 Catalyst and 1 Quart of the E-500 Reducer.

This primer is supplied in a kit of 2½ US quarts (just over 2 liters) or 2½ US

gallons (combined volume). Each kit contains paint, catalyst and thinners.
CHEMICAL NEUTRALIZATION
A neutralization reaction is a chemical reaction between an acid and
a base which produces a more neutral solution (closer to a pH of 7). The
final pH depends on the strength of the acid and base in the reaction. At the
end of a neutralization reaction in water, no excess hydrogen or hydroxide
ions remain.

The classic example of neutralization is the reaction between an acid and a

base to yield a salt and water:

acid + base → salt + water

For example:

HCl + NaOH → NaCl + H2O

The right arrow indicates the reaction completes to form the product. While
the classic example is valid, a more general expression based on Bronsted-
Lowry acid-base theory is:

AH + B → A + BH

For example:

HSO4- + OH- → SO42- + H2O

is also an example of a neutralization reaction.

While strong acids and strong bases completely dissociate, weak acids and
bases only partially dissociate to form an equilibrium mixture. The
neutralization remains incomplete. Thus, the right arrow is replaced by
arrows pointing both toward products and reactants. An example of
neutralization with a weak acid and base would be:

AH + B ⇌ A- + BH+