.

Rats in the
M
UGH AS ANCILLARY AIRCREW MAY

argue the point, we're not talking

about pilots.
Rodo, rodere, rosi, rosum are parts of the
Latin verb "to gnaw", and it is no mistake
that this has been used to form the stem of
the words "rodent" and "corrosion", for
both of these can surreptitiously eat away at
things.
The ores from which metals are refined are
usually very stable, having lain in the earth
for millions of years. Left in the ground, ores
probably would not change for hundreds of
thousands of years.
But once the ore is purified and refined as
a metal, it exists in a highly reactive, unstable
state.
A metal spends its time, if you like, trying
to return to chemical stability - back to an
ore.
Given a bit of help from chemical or electrochemical action - and an electrolyte can
be as simple as water with some dissolved

Common forms
of corrosion

Corrosion can gnaw away at

your airframe,just like a rat.

impurities - your alloy will happily revert to

oxides, hydroxides, sulphates and so on. This
is what is described as rust, scale, or perhaps
"corrosion products".
In aviation, we continually seek to produce
aircraft alloys with ever higher strength-toweight ratios. The downside is that in many
cases these materials have very poor resistance to corrosion.
The integrity of all metal aircraft structures depends on preventing or slowing
down corrosion.
Prevention is initially achieved by:
Careful selection of materials.
Corrosion control treatments, such as
plating, anodising and painting.
Special assembly techniques.
Careful detail design.

Paint

The long-term prevention of corrosion is

determined by the maintenance program of
the aircraft. Owners and operators should
ensure:
Adequate cleaning of the aircraft.
Early recognition and treatment of corrosion.
Restoration of paint systems.
Cleaning-up spillage of corrosive substances.
Drainage and removal of trapped moisture.
Corrosion, like a rat infestation, can be
kept at bay using preventative measures, and
may be cured completely following early
detection and treatment.
Any unexpected or unusual corrosion
should be reported to CASA (see contact
details on page 47) so patterns can be identified and other owners and operators alerted
to a problem.
Ralph Murphy is a senior airworthiness engineer for
CASA.

QQOCOAO
Primer

Clad

Al alloy Dissimilar Anode Al oxide Moisture Fungus Corroded

metal corrosion
colony area
location

Microorganisms

Symptoms: powder-like white or grey

deposits.
Cause: two dissimilar metals in
contact in the presence of an electrolyte.
Carbon fibres (as used in some
advanced composite materials) in contact with metal can also set up galvanic
corrosion.
II

flaking and loss of metal

IF Symptoms:
through the thickness of the material.
Cause: corrosion proceeds from
exposed grain ends along planes parallel to the grain surfaces. The swelling of
the corrosion products forces metal
away from the body of the material, giving a layered appearance.

L
Symptoms: usually noticed only as
cracking, with fast growth and possible
subsequent failure.
Cause: sustained tensile stress in a corrosive environment.

.. . -

11
DIAGRAMS ADAPTED FROM FAST, AIRBUS TECHNICAL DIGEST,
FRANCE

Symptoms: corrosion beneath paint

occurs as random thread-like filaments.
Can cause paint to bulge as blisters.
Cause: moisture and corrosive agents
that reach the metal through cracks or
damage in the paint, and set up active
corrosion cells. Severe in high humidity, and in marine and industrially polluted environments.

I
Symptoms: localised pits or holes in
the surface of the material can be deep
and serious.
Cause: corrosive agent sets up small
electrolytic cells. The surface should
be clean, and the surface coating kept
in good condition to minimise pitting.

6. Iil(1sIIIs1IIFff

Symptoms: usually only noticed as

cracking, this is typified by an apparent increase in the corrosion rate over
Cause: chemical and electrolytic
action along grain boundaries in the
material. Some alloys are highly susceptible. Breakdown in the surface
coating can allow moisture and corrosive agents to enter.

7. Fretting

Symptoms: combined wear and corrosion between contacting surfaces which

are subject to slight relative movement.
Ferrous metals often show red material oozing from between surfaces; light
alloys display black deposits and/or
streaking.
Cause: abrasion of metal under load
in a humid environment.

Symptoms: severe localised corrosion

at narrow openings or gaps between
between metal components.
Cause: penetration of a corrosive
agent into ajoint, often due to flexing.
Faying surface sealants should be correctly applied.

Symptoms: local surface attack or formation of deposits such as fungi.

Cause: growth of micro-organisms in
moisture traps occurs mostly in aluminium integral wing fuel tanks that
use kerosene-based fuels. The organisms feed on the tank lining, exposing
structure to electrolytic attack.