Every day the skies host thousands of flights consisting of aircrafts both small and large carrying up to 800 passengers to their desired destinations. As the fleet size increases, the need for regularly scheduled overhaul, repair and OEM maintenance skyrockets.
For several decades, selective brush plating has been an approved process in aircraft maintenance by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and OEM engine and aircraft manufacturer’s manuals. Aviation maintenance personnel find that brush plating reduces costs and downtime, because the process is portable, easy to use, reliable, fast, and environmentally friendly.
Typical aerospace applications include:
Corrosion protection
Prebraze
Dimensional restoration
Improvement of surface properties
Repair of aluminum components
Selective chromium stripping
All aircraft repair procedures must be covered by specifications or approved engineering procedures. The first commercial aviation specification for brush plating was written in 1956. Today selective brush plating is covered by more than 100 aircraft specifications.
So what is the appropriate procedure for obtaining a repair for an aircraft component? First, review the repair manual*. Second, keep open lines of communication with manufacturers and the FAA**. Legal repairs performed on civil aircraft are carried out through instructions from:
Manufacturer’s Maintenance Manual
Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (prepared by the manufacturer)
Approved FAA procedures
Advisory Circular
Engineered Repair
Brush plating and anodizing have been made an integral part of the repair process as it is cited in numerous Repair Procedure, Standard Practice, Process Specification, Repair Manual, Service Bulletin, and Manufacturing Specification publications. FAA Repair Stations holding FAA approval with an authorized rating can perform the repair per the specified requirements.
In some cases, repairs can vary from the overhaul or maintenance manual, such as brush plating rather than tank plating. While the end result is comparative the means of getting there is different. In these instances, it is important to communicate with all parties to ensure the application is written into the applicable specification. A simple phone call to the manufacturer may be all that is required to obtain written approval. Good communication with the manufacturer is essential.
However, new repair procedures might meet some resistance due to cost, safety, testing requirements, proprietary information, or other concerns. If the repair is technically sound, then a procedural change may be obtained by:
Although the FAA is not under obligation to OEMs, the FAA will often consult a manufacturer for a technical opinion, especially for critical components.
In summary, brush plating is an existing FAA and OEM approved process. To start using it on your components, take a look at your repair manual for the appropriate procedure. Do you have a change to the procedure? Contact the manufacturer. Do you have a new procedure? Contact the FAA. Soon the SIFCO Process® will be known as an approved method for use in the aerospace industry.
For information on SIFCO ASC’s quality accreditation, click here. For information on how brush plating is used in the aerospace industry, click here.
*For proper applications.
**Find an approved FAA source to perform the repair.
Do you used hard chromium? Did you know certain brush plating deposits have similar deposit properties of hard chromium and if properly matched with the right type of application, can serve as viable alternatives. Applications specifying hard chromium plating should be evaluated on a case by case basis to determine if hard chromium is absolutely needed for its specific deposit properties or if a more environmentally friendly alternative is an option.
There are certain benefits than can encourage the use of brush plating considering some of the advantages the process offers over hard chromium bath plating.
The volume of hazardous waste generated from brush plating is considerably lower when compared with waste volumes generated from hard chromium plating. This is a significant advantage when you consider today’s high cost of disposal and treatment of hazardous waste. Additional advantages of the brush plating process are: it’s portable; it’s simple to use and adjustments in chemistry are not required; and it’s accurate and capable of plating to size.
But, there is not one individual brush plating deposit offering all the properties of hard chromium. There are, however, certain brush plated deposits that have similar properties and are useful in salvage or repair applications. The following will provide some qualitative and quantitative data on certain brush plating deposits used in salvage/repair type applications.
Adhesion
Using qualitative adhesion tests listed in ASTM B-571, brush plating deposits can be evaluated and compared to other coatings.
Compressive and tensile bend tests demonstrated the excellent adhesion and cohesion of hard (575 DPH) brush sulfamate nickel deposits. These destructive bend tests also show that this deposit exhibits fair ductility. In comparison, the hard chromium under compressive bending failed both adhesively and cohesively.
Blunt chisel tests of hard brush sulfamate nickel and bath plated hard chromium, show the brush sulfamate deposit exhibits better cohesive properties than the hard chrome after sharp impact.
Tensile Bond
Two different brush nickel deposits were deposited onto SAE 4130 steel and tested in accordance with ASTM C 633-79 to quantitatively test their tensile bond strength.
The first nickel tested was a hard (585 DPH) high speed neutral nickel. The test results report that the samples all failed in the cement joint at an average of 11,280 psi. The results indicate that the cohesive strength and adhesion of the hard nickel on 4130 steel is at least 11,280 psi. It should be noted that this deposit is ranked as having only fair adhesion per brush plating standards, yet this deposit exhibits superior adhesion to flame spray coatings and is at least equivalent to thermal plasma spray coatings.
The second nickel tested was soft (250 DPH) brush sulfamate nickel. Again, the samples failed in the cement joint, this time at 10,090 psi. The test report concludes that the adhesion of the nickel to steel, the cohesion of the nickel, and the adhesion of a second layer of nickel deposited to a first, exceed 10,090 psi.
The brush plating process offers nineteen pure metal plating solutions and several alloy plating solutions. The large selection of plating solutions available proved a variety of deposit properties that can meet many application requirements. Deposit quality, cohesion, and adhesion to the base material are equivalent or superior to good bath plating practice.
Hard chromium plating cannot be entirely replaced using brush plating deposits; however, hard chromium usage can be reduced by carefully evaluating the application and determining if it’s absolutely essential.
Hard chromium plating cannot be entirely replaced using brush plating deposits; however, hard chromium usage can be reduced by carefully evaluating the application and determining if it’s absolutely essential.
When completing selective plating repair applications, each component may have multiple areas to mask. In a recent engine block repair in the Automotive industry, 200 components needed .002” of nickel to re-size oversized cylinder bores. While the bores needed minimal plating, each area needed layers of masking material to catch the solution and direct it into the return tray. With each bore taking 10-15 minutes to mask, the labor costs increase drastically.
Since actual plating time is determined by ampere-hour and plating amperage, the plating labor is a constant – so the best way to make operation more efficient is to develop new and effective masking techniques.
In the instance of the engine block repair, the solution came in the form of a portable and reusable masking fixture. Magnetic material, with a hole the same diameter as the bore, was placed on each component prior to plating. The magnetic bond was strong enough to seal the area around the bore, while a small retaining wall constructed on top of the material directed the solution right back into the catch tray, underneath the bore, as planned.
A job that could have taken easily 50 hours to complete, was finished in half the time due to the ingenuity of the technician.
For help from masking and plating to choosing the right tools for your job, call our dedicated Technical Service representatives at 800-765-4131.
Demanding aerospace operating conditions present continual surface finishing challenges for manufacturers. Components need to be able to withstand friction, extreme temperatures and corrosive environments while continuing to operate at optimum levels. For Safran Landing Systems, one particular challenge came in the form of a landing gear bogie beam design.
Landing gear design includes a stop-pad between the bogie beam and the vertical part of the component to prevent wear as it is retracted into the fuselage. However, this impact results in potential wear at the interface, with a further risk of atmospheric corrosion. A design modification was agreed involving the application of a nickel chrome electrolytic protective treatment.
Neil Kenyon, Process Group Manager, initially approached SIFCO ASC to investigate the potential of the SIFCO Process® as a solution for the nickel plating application. Following a full situation analysis, the team at SIFCO ASC recommended an automated plating system using a collaborative robot in order to adhere to Safran’s robust manufacturing standards.
The robot, now fully operational at Safran Landing System’s Gloucester, England facility, provides the company with a precise and highly traceable, repeatable and accurate process, well-suited to the high-tech facility it sits within. The integrated computer logs all of the relevant information including: the parameters plated; the batch numbers for the solution; current densities and solution levels. The fully-automated system also adheres to the company’s health and safety policy as it minimizes human contact with harmful chemicals. It currently processes 30 bogie beams per month and the team is looking to expand its use into other areas of the company.
Consistent plating uniformity has been achieved using this process, standing up to the robustness of the necessary qualification testing.
The SIFCO Process® has since been specified into the manufacturing process of new landing gear to prolong the corrosion protection. It is also being rolled out into Safran Landing System’s Mexico facility where landing gear components are also manufactured.
Component restoration through surface engineering prolongs service life, improves part performance, reduces investment, saves energy, conserves materials and reduces environmental impact. Brush plating is a surface engineering technology that promotes sustainable manufacturing by reducing waste production, materials and energy consumption, and also provides an economic benefit.
Join us at 12pm on Wednesday, June 6 at the NASF SUR/FIN 2018 Expo where Derek Vanek will presentwhy surface engineering technologies should be considered in remanufacturing engineering to restore or improve the performance of worn or failed components.
Derek Vanek is the Technical Manager at SIFCO ASC and the author of various published technical articles. During his 30 years at SIFCO ASC, he has worked in sales, training, project management, and marketing. Derek received his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Old Dominion University, before spending 5 years in the Navy.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, we’ve re-posted last year’s article on bonds.
“Love is the bond of perfection.” – John Winthrop
Fortunately, since we can’t seem to get 2 adjacent surface materials to love one another; a surface bond can be achieved 2 other ways: mechanically and atomically. And the quality of the bond is related to the force required to completely separate the two materials.
For example, thermal spray provides a mechanical bond. In mechanical bonds, the technician is purposefully creating a very rough surface to cause an interlock of the two materials under high pressure.
Whereas with atomic bonding, the ions of the metals (going from solution to substrate) are connecting to form an ionic bond. Atomic bonds are resistant to cyclical temperature fluctuations and sharp, direct impact. The durability of your surface coating is important if that coating is subject to a corrosive environment. If the base material is properly prepared, tests run in accordance with ASTM C633‑13 on the SIFCO Process® show that two commonly used nickel deposits had a bond strength exceeding the strength of cement. Furthermore, selective plating provides a precise deposit thickness, while thermal spray and other mechanical bonding techniques may require machining to the required dimension.
If you are having problems with adhesion, contact your local territory manager to determine if selective plating is right for your application.
And may your love be as strong as an atomic bond. Happy Valentine’s Day.
Derek Vanek, technical manager at SIFCO ASC, looks into how the marine industry can decrease costs and reduce downtime using selective plating methods as an alternative to disassembling components for repair.
Typical component problems and issues can include; fretting or wear on bearings fits and flanges due to continuous vibration, extensive wear on bearing cap faces and saddle areas, corrosion on various components such as compressed air valves and parts exposed to sea water, steam cuts on high pressure turbine castings, worn Babbitt coatings on bearing shells, as well as out of tolerance or mis-machined shafts, housings and bearings.
Traditional plating
You may ask yourself why is an alternative plating method needed if the traditional method of tank plating is safe and still creates proven results?
Every second of downtime counts, as costs can mount up very quickly. The use of this traditional method can hinder the process and increase downtime further due to:
– The need to disassemble components
– The time it takes to transport from shipyard to plating facility
– The re-installation ahead of re-entering service
Tank plating involves the use of large tanks of preparatory and plating solutions and often requires extensive masking. The procedure is not portable, meaning the overall process, by nature, is rigid and not suited to components which need plating particularly fast.
Making protection portable
Selective plating has already been written into shipbuilding specifications. It is a portable method of electroplating localized areas of metal surfaces for OEM components, permanent repairs and salvaging worn or mis-machined parts; providing a fast, efficient and targeted solution to corrosion, wear, galling, solderability and brazing. And only four elements are required; a power pack, plating tools, plating solutions and a trained operator.
Unlike tank plating, selective plating can be performed in situ – the part or component does not need to be removed and transported to an external site. It can be brought into the shipyard, aboard vessels, or anywhere it’s needed to enhance or repair components, by any team member – certified technicians and engineers can take on the role after training, while the portable equipment facilitates machine shops at the point of repair.
The process not only exceeds the fundamental requirements of shipbuilding manufacturing, and repair and maintenance processes, it also provides a full circle of benefits, including quality, durability, cost saving, portability and time saving.
The process uses significantly smaller volumes of plating solution than tank plating, using only the required material. There may be no need for disassembly or transportation, and minimal masking and post-machining; just a quick process that extends maintenance intervals and service life.
What’s more, through the ASTM C633-79 Standard Test Method for Adhesion or Cohesive Strength of Flame Sprayed Coatings, the SIFCO Process® also established that the cohesive strength of the deposit exceeds that of the bonding cement. For example, the minimum tensile strength value established (at the point of cement failure during testing) for Nickel High Speed is 22,803 kPa (11,200psi) on a SAE 4130 steel base material. Additional qualitative tests, as described in AMS-QQ-N-290 were also conducted in which the plated areas were subjected to high stresses and strains. These results also showed excellent adhesion.
For more information on using the SIFCO Process on-board your ship, call 800-765-4131 or email us as info@sifcoasc.com
SIFCO Applied Surface Concepts (ASC), the world’s leading supplier of selective plating technology, will be presenting its automated plating systems at the SUR/FIN® Manufacturing & Technology Trade Show & Conference. The team will be exhibiting its automated system’s ability to improve production efficiency, increase process control and reduce costs in surface finishing operations.
With automation dominating industry agendas, the event provides SIFCO ASC the ideal platform to profile its innovative automation process. Derek Kilgore, SIFCO Mechanical Design and Project Engineer, has been selected to present at the Innovations Improving Technology Session on Wednesday, June 21.
The presentation will review the evolution of selective plating (electroplating localized areas on components without the use of an immersion tank) into an automated process. From, computer program control of voltage and time to a robotic arm used to move the electrode – SPC charts of the deposit properties measured on production parts using automation show that both stages resulted in substantially improved process capability. Through videos and case studies, Kilgore will demonstrate how attendees can achieve consistent quality, reduce production costs and optimize their operation through automated selective plating.
SIFCO Process® Automation can be tailored to operate within many production processes, and delivers accurate and controlled deposits with minimal operator involvement. By automating the process, SIFCO ASC has introduced an ideal alternative for manufacturers looking to enhance the surfaces of higher volume and complex geometry production components. The process also reduces costs by improving production efficiency, flexibility, coating quality and repeatability.
Lee Shelton, Managing Director at SIFCO ASC, said: ‘Automated solutions are playing an increasingly important role in enhancing the competitiveness of manufacturing and we are committed to contributing toward this momentum with our automated plating system.’
For further information about SIFCO ASC, please visit stand 840 or visit www.sifcoasc.com.
SIFCO Applied Surface Concepts has received an American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Product Design Assessment (PDA) for its SIFCO Process® of selective plating. This designation indicates that a technical evaluation of the SIFCO Process® has proven to be in accordance with the ABS Rules and specified, acceptable standards. An ABS PDA reduces the turnaround time for on-board surface finishing repairs and enhancements by verifying that the SIFCO Process® has already been evaluated and is suitable for use upon ABS-classified vessels.
The ABS has been setting standards for safety and excellence in the marine and offshore industries since 1862. With a team of 200 offices in 70 countries, the ABS along – with its partners – ensure that the marine and offshore energy industries can operate safely, securely, and responsibly.
Mark Meyer, North American Sales Manager states, “SIFCO is very pleased to have received our Product Design Assessment from the ABS. With our PDA, we can now take our experience and knowledge from the naval and military applications to the commercial fleet.”
SIFCO ASC is the creator of the SIFCO Process® – a unique and portable selective plating method used to enhance, repair and refurbish localized areas on components.
Selective plating plays a vital role in the Marine industry due to the significant time and cost savings it can offer in extending maintenance intervals and service life. While the process can be used in the shop to repair worn bearing journals and housings on small generators, pumps and fans; it can also be taken aboard the ship for in-place repairs of large, hard to move, components such as propeller shafts, bearing seats, and turbine casings.
The diversity of the process, deposits and applications have saved engineers thousands of dollars over the years by avoiding the expense of costly downtime, turnaround time and capital investment in new equipment.
In the spirit of the holidays, like most companies, SIFCO ASC holds an annual luncheon to celebrate to our employees and our yearly accomplishments. But this year we decided to do something different. We not only wanted to celebrate the season, but we also wanted to give back to those in need.
SIFCO ASC partnered with Odyssey Teams, and participated in the Helping Hands Project. The Helping Hands Project is not only about inspiring employees but it’s also about giving back to those in need. During the event, our team built 10 prosthetic hands needed by hundreds of thousands of amputees around the world.
One leftover landmine is accidentally set off by adults and children every 20 minutes – and a prosthetic limb can cost upwards of $5,000. Many people are then resigned to the fact that they will no longer have use of their hand. But with the help of Odyssey Teams, over 25,000 prosthetic hands have been donated to those in need, worldwide.
During the holidays, especially, this event was a great reminder to reflect on everything we have and how good it feels to be able to give back.
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