Corrosion detection

 Exotic inspection equipment is often needed for

certain parts of an aircraft. However, corrosion can
often be detected by careful visual inspection of the
airplane structure.
 For example, corrosion of aluminum or magnesium
appears as a white or gray powder along the edges
of skins and around rivet heads.
 Furthermore, since corrosion salts have more
volume than sound aluminum they tend to push
out against the skin.
 Therefore, small blisters appearing under the finish
on painted surfaces or at lap joints are an
indication of corrosion.
 DETECTION METHODS

 To aid in the detection of corrosion you should use

every inspection aid that is available to you.
 For example, the complex structure of modern
aircraft makes the use of magnifying glasses,
mirrors, borescopes, fiber optics, and other
optical inspection tools imperative for a good visual
inspection
 Stress corrosion cracks are sometimes difficult, if not
impossible, to detect by visual inspection alone.
 any fault that is open to the surface may be found
through a dye penetrant inspection
 Another means of corrosion detection is through the
use of ultrasonic equipment. As discussed in the
previous chapter, there are two types of ultrasonic
indications used for corrosion detection: the pulse-
echo and the resonance method.

 In the pulse-echo method, a pulse of ultrasonic

energy is directed into the structure.
 This energy travels through the material to its
opposite side and then bounces back.
 When the return pulse is received, it is displayed on a
CRT screen as a spike, which establishes a time base
representing the material's thickness.
 Any change in a material's thickness, such as that
caused by corrosion, causes the return to occupy a
shorter space and thus indicate the extent of damage
 The second method of inspection using ultrasonic
energy is the resonance method.
 This method operates on the principle that for any
given thickness of material, there is a specific
frequency of ultrasonic energy that resonates, or
produces the greatest amount of return.
 In other words, if metal has been eaten away by
corrosion, its resonant frequency is different from
that of sound metal.
 Like ultrasonic inspection, radiological inspection
such as x-ray is used to determine if there is any
corrosion on the inside of a structure.
 However, x-ray inspection requires extensive
training and experience for proper interpretation of
the results.
 Furthermore, the use of x-ray involves some danger,
because exposure to the radiation energy used in this
process can cause burns, damage to the blood, and
possibly death.
 CORROSION-PRONE AREAS

 Modern airplanes are made of thin, reactive metals

which can tolerate very little loss of strength.
 Therefore, one of the most important functions you
perform as an A&P technician is to check the entire
aircraft for indications of corrosion which could
degrade the strength of the structure.
 Almost all parts of an airplane are subject to this type
of damage, but certain areas are more prone than
others.
 ENGINE EXHAUST AREA

 Reciprocating and turbine engines generate power

by converting chemical energy from a hydrocarbon
fuel into heat energy.
 Because of the inefficiency of the engine, much of
this heat along with energy-rich gases pass out of the
engine through the exhaust.
 The gases contain all of the constituents for a potent
electrolyte, and because of their elevated tempera-
ture, corrosion forms extremely rapidly.
 Exhaust areas must be carefully inspected and all
exhaust residue removed before corrosion has a
chance to start.
 Cracks and seams in the exhaust track are prime
areas for corrosion.
 Fairings on the nacelles, hinges, and inspection door
fasteners all contain crevices which invite the
formation of corrosion.
BATTERY COMPARTMENTS AND VENTS

 Batteries store electrical energy by converting it into

chemical energy and are therefore active chemical
plants, complete with environment-polluting
exhausts.
 Airplanes having lead-acid batteries must have their
boxes protected by a material that resists corrosion
from the sulfuric acid fumes, and airplanes with
nickel-cadmium batteries must have their battery
areas protected with an alkaline-resistant finish.
 These finishes can have a bitumastic (tar) base, a
rubber base, or can be polyurethane finishes.
 During an inspection the areas around a battery
must be carefully checked, especially under the
battery, and all traces of corrosion must be removed
and the area refinished.
 Furthermore, you should verify that the battery has a
sump vent jar containing an absorbent pad moist
with a neutralizing agent.
 Lead-acid batteries require bicarbonate of soda, and
boric acid is used for a nickel-cadmium battery.
These sump vent jars should be checked to see that
the pads are moist and that there is no leakage.
 LAVATORIES AND FOOD SERVICES
AREA

 Organic materials such as food and human waste are

highly corrosive to aluminum surfaces.
 Therefore, areas in proximity to these materials such
as lavatories and food service areas must be
inspected with extreme care.
 Food service areas can be troublesome if there is a
possibility of food debris getting into cracks under or
behind the galley where it cannot be removed.
 While this material in itself may not be corrosive, it
can hold water which can cause the structure to
corrode.
 The lavatory area is an especially important area to
check for corrosion.
 Human wastes are usually acidic, and rapidly
promote corrosion if allowed to remain on the skin of
the airplane or to get into cracks and seams in the
structure.
 Furthermore, some disinfectants used in lavatory
areas can cause further damage to the aircraft.
 Because of this, you should check the disinfectant
carried in the airplane to be sure that it is not of a
type that is harmful to aluminum.
Foodservice area
LAVATORIES
 WHEEL WELLS AND LANDING GEAR

 Probably no one area of an airplane is subjected to as

much hard service as the wheel well area.
 On takeoff and landing, debris from the runway
surface is thrown up into this area.
 This can be especially troublesome in the winter
when chemicals are used on runways for ice control.
 Furthermore, abrasion can remove protective
lubricants and coatings, and water and mud can
freeze and cause damage.
 When inspecting for corrosion in and around wheel
wells it is important to remember that corrosion can
take place in any one of several components
including the electrical components, such as antiskid
sensors, squat switches, and limit switches.
 Bolt heads and nuts on magnesium wheels are
susceptible to galvanic corrosion, and concentration
cell corrosion can form under the marking tape or
ferrules on aluminum tubing.
 Special care must be taken to search out any area
where water can be entrapped.
*Wheel well and landing gear
corrosion points.
 During inspection of this area, pay particular attention to
the following trouble spots:

1. Magnesium wheels, especially around bolt-

heads, lugs, and wheel-wet areas, particularly
for the presence of entrapped water or its
effects.
2. Exposed rigid tubing, especially at B-nuts and
ferrules, under clamps and tubing identification
tapes.
3. Exposed position indicator switches and other
electrical equipment.
4. Crevices between stiffeners, ribs, and lower
skin surfaces, which are typical water and
debris traps.
 EXTERNAL SKIN AREAS

 One of the first places corrosion appears on the sur-

face of an aircraft is along seams and lap joints.
 It is here that concentration cell corrosion
frequently appears and, in clad skins, it is here that
the sheared edges of Alclad material are exposed
without the protection of the pure aluminum.
 There is also a danger of water or cleaning solvents
becoming entrapped in the lap joints and providing
an effective electrolyte.
 Corrosion may start in a spot welded seam if the spot
welding process has left an enlarged grain structure
in the metal.
 The area is then susceptible to corrosion when
moisture seeps between the skins.
 To check for bulging along spot welds hold a
straightedge along the row of spots, and if there is
corrosion in the seam, the surface bulges between
the spots and shows up as a wavy skin.
 Corrosion in a seam can progress to such a degree
that the spots actually pull apart.
Quiz no: 1
1. Corrosion may start in a spot welded seam if the spot
welding process has left an enlarged grain structure in
the metal?

2. WHAT KIND OF CORROSION APPEAR IN

ALUMINUM AND MAGNESIUM?

3. What kind of detection when Stress corrosion cracks

are sometimes difficult, if not impossible, to detect by
visual inspection alone?

4. Probably no one area of an airplane is subjected to as

much hard service as the?

5. batteries require bicarbonate of soda, and boric acid is

used for a nickel-cadmium battery?
6. This area, is an especially important area to check for
corrosion?

7. These finishes can have a bitumastic (tar) base, a rubber

base, or can be?

8. Reciprocating and turbine engines generate power by

converting chemical energy from a _______ into heat energy?

9. This energy travels through the material to its opposite side

and then bounces back?

10. Any change in a material's thickness, such as that caused by

corrosion, causes the return to occupy a shorter space and thus
indicate the extent of damage?
 answer

1. EXTERNAL SKIN
2. WHITE OR GRAY POWDER
3. Dye penetrant inspection
4. wheel well area.
5. Lead acid
6. Lavatory area
7. polyurethane finishes
8. hydrocarbon fuel
9. Pulse echo
10. Pulse echo
 FUEL TANKS

 There is probably no single place in an aircraft that is

less accessible for inspection and repair than the
inside of an integral fuel tank.
 Unfortunately, fuel tanks are highly susceptible to
corrosion formation, especially in jet aircraft.
 As discussed in the previous section, organic growth
is the primary cause of corrosion in fuel tanks that
hold turbine fuel.
 If ignored, this organic growth can grow into the
water-holding scum which attaches to the aluminum
alloy skin.
 In addition to organic growth, sealants used to con-
vert the structure of a wing into a fuel tank are
impervious to fuel, but only resistant to water.
 Therefore, it is possible for water to seep through the
sealer and cause oxygen concentration cell cor-
rosion. Corrosion under the sealant is extremely
difficult to detect and must usually be found with x-
ray or ultrasonic inspection from the outside of the
wing.
 PIANO HINGE

 Piano hinges on control surfaces and access doors

are ideal locations for dissimilar metal corrosion to
develop.
 The reason for this is because the hinge body is
usually made of aluminum alloy, while the pin is
made of hard carbon steel.
 Furthermore, since it is almost impossible to keep
hinge crevices clean, dirt and dust accumulate and
hold moisture between the pin and the hinge body.
Dissimilar metal corrosion then develops
 If corrosion within a piano hinge goes undetected the
pin may rust or freeze in the hinge, or break off and
become impossible to remove.
 To help prevent this, piano hinges should be kept as
clean and dry as possible and should be lubricated
with a spray which displaces water and leaves an
extremely thin film of lubricant.
 CONTROL SURFACE ACCESS

 Any place on an airplane that is difficult to inspect is

an area where corrosion has an opportunity to grow.
 For example, some airplanes have areas in the wing
or empennage where the movable surfaces recess
back into the fixed structure.
 Hinges are buried back in these cavities and are
difficult to lubricate. Furthermore, special attention
must be paid when inspecting these areas to remove
every trace of corrosion and provide drains for any
water that might collect.
 A thin film of a water-displacing lubricant can be
used to protect the skin lap joints in these areas.
 BILGE AREA

 The bottom of the fuselage below the floor is an area

where water and all forms of liquid and solid debris
can accumulate and cause corrosion.
 These areas are ideal for the formation of corrosion
because of the almost constant exposure to an
electrolyte.
 Furthermore, because of their inaccessibility,
corrosion often goes undetected until it has caused
major damage.
 Airplanes having areas prone to accumulate water
are typically provided with drain holes. However,
dirt and other debris also collect here, and drain
holes often become clogged.
 Therefore, on every inspection, you should carefully
inspect any area where water might accumulate and
make sure all drain holes are clear.
 Air-powered vacuum cleaners can be used to remove
dirt or water collected in these areas, and a water-
displacing liquid spray that forms a thin film on the
surface of the metal can be used to prevent further
contact with moisture.
 CONTROL CABLES

 The cables used in an aircraft control system are made of

either carbon steel or corrosion-resistant steel.
 If carbon steel cable is left unprotected and water is allowed to
get between the cable strands, the cable will corrode.
 The corrosion that forms on the inside of the cable is difficult
to detect.
 If corrosion is suspected, release the tension from the cable
and open the strands by twisting them against the lay,
allowing you to see between the strands. Cable showing any
indication of corrosion should be replaced. To prevent this
type of corrosion you should spray the cable with a water-
displacing type of lubricant.
 For cables in a seaplane or those exposed to agricultural
chemicals, coat them with a waxy grease such as Par-Al-
Ketone.
 WELDED AREAS

 Aluminum torch welding requires the use of a flux

to exclude oxygen from the weld.
 This flux may contain lithium chloride, potassium
chloride, potassium bisulphide, or potassium
fluoride.
 All of these compounds are extremely corrosive to
aluminum and, therefore, all traces of flux must be
removed after welding is completed.
 Welding flux is soluble in water and can be removed
with hot water and a nonmetallic bristle brush.
 ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT

 The use of copper, lead, tin, and other metals in

electronic wiring and printed circuit boards makes
them a target for corrosion.
 Therefore, circuit boards are typically protected by
sealing the wiring and circuit boards with a
transparent film which excludes all oxygen and
moisture from the surface.
 Detection and repair of corrosion in these areas is a
highly specialized field and is not usually the job of
an A&P technician.
QUIZ NO: 2
 ¼ YELLOW PAD
 NO ERASURE
 KEEP ALL YOUR THINGS ,
 ONLY BALLPEN AND YELLOW PAPER ARE ONLY
IN THE TABLE
 Answers only(complete/detailed)

 1-10 QUESTION (IDENTIFICATION)

 QUESTION:
1. Along the leading edge of intake ducts it is use to
protect intake duct areas?

2. This is the primary cause of corrosion in fuel tanks that

hold turbine fuel?

3. It is possible for water to seep through the sealer and

cause? What type of corrosion?

4. Piano hinge body is usually made of aluminum alloy,

while the pin is made of?

5. A thin film of this lubricant, can be used to protect the

skin lap joints in these control surface area? What kind
of lubricant?
6.) For cables in a seaplane or those exposed to
agricultural chemicals, coat them with a? what kind of
grease?

7.) Bilge areas are prone to accumulate water are typically

provided with?

8.) (true or false) Electronic equipment or avionics

compartment area are highly specialized field and it is
usually the job of an A&P technician?

9 & 10.) When Corrosion under the sealant is extremely

difficult to detect and must usually be found with _____
or ______ inspection from the outside of the wing.
 Answer:

1. Abrasion strips
2. Organic growth
3. Oxygen concentration cell corrosion
4. Hard carbon steel
5. Water displacement lubricant
6. Waxy grease
7. Drain holes
8. False
9. X-ray or,
10. Ultrasonic inspection