INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS FOR RAPID AIRFRAME REPAIRS AND MANUFACTURING IMPROVEMENTS

Transcription

1 BACK IN IN THE AIR FASTER!! INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS FOR RAPID AIRFRAME REPAIRS AND MANUFACTURING IMPROVEMENTS 101 Convention Center Drive Ste. 700 Las Vegas, NV Tel: Fax:

2 COMPANY PHILOSOPHY Engine Change 4 to 6 hours R & R a component Few minutes to few hours Repair Airframe Damage (Fuel Leaks)... Unknown, several hours to several days!

3 TYPICAL EXAMPLE: FUEL LEAK Currently, a fuel leak typically takes 36 to 72 hours to be repaired... (sometimes, a lot longer than that)! AEROWING s new technologies can reduce this time to 6 to 12 hours, with very good reliability

4 THE FOUR MOST TIME CONSUMING TASKS Most Time Consuming Tasks when Repairing a Fuel Leak: 1.) Finding the leak source inside the tank 2.) De-sealing (removing) the faulty sealant 3.) Cure time for new sealant 4.) Quality control of the repair (Soak Check) - In the event of a re-leak, the clock starts again from zero!

5 SAME METHODS SINCE 1940 s Most Common Methods Currently Used for Finding Fuel Leaks: Blow Back Method - High pressure air applied from the outside leak point and searching for bubbles inside the tank (admitted by Boeing to be around 60% accurate) Dye Method Using low viscosity penetrating fluid *

6 NEW TECHNOLOGY - HELIUM LEAK DETECTION: WHY HELIUM? HELIUM IS A VERY LIGHT INERT GAS It is the lightest and smallest inert gas molecule. It easily flows through very small leak paths. It permits non destructive and dynamic testing.

7 NEW TECHNOLOGY HELIUM LEAK DETECTION HELIUM IS SAFE Helium is non toxic and non reactive. Helium is non hazardous. Helium is non flammable, nor explosive.

8 NEW TECHNOLOGY AEROWING - Helium Leak Detection - Proven by Boeing and Airbus to be 95 98% accurate in locating leaks within the tank Important Features: Portable, Intrinsically Safe, Accurate, Selectable Sensitivity, Auto Zero Feature Able to be used for finding leaks in other aircraft systems (Pitot Static System, Oxygen System, Environmental Control System, Engine Bleed Air System, etc.)

9 AIRCRAFT LEAK DETECTION NEEDS Engine fire suppression Oxygen lines in cockpit and cabin Pitot-static circuits Engine Bleed System Windshield, windows and doors Fuel tank pipes, venting systems Other components : Bladder Cells, Valves, Slides, etc

10 HELIUM METHOD ADVANTAGES Helium is 1000 times more sensitive than bubble. Helium allows dry testing, better for health and safety. Helium allows dry quality control for rapid repair cycle and less expensive testing.

11 HELIUM METHOD - FUEL LEAK MAPPING INSIDE OUTSIDE Leaking area Very precise external mapping is mandatory for successful internal location of the leak.

12 HELIUM METHOD - HELIUM PRESSURE External Leak Location FUEL LEAK = Location of sealant deterioration The application of Helium pressure on the external leak point will allow the internal leak source detection.

13 HELIUM METHOD - HELIUM FLOW DETECTION Rib INSIDE (Fuel tank) Helium Detector Sniffer Skin OUTSIDE HELIUM Helium, which follows the leak path, can be detected inside.

14 HELITEST WING KIT Listed in T.O. for KC-135 fleet and C-5 depot use (Robins, AFB) Safety Probe for use in hazardous environments Class 1, Div. 1 (30 foot hose) Helitest Wing 3.0 Aircraft Helium Leak Detector Kit

15 HELITEST WING CONCEPT Helitest PHD-4 with local probe = portability (5 lbs.). For use in verifying leak repair BEFORE refueling. *

16 RAPID DESEALING DAYS TO REMOVE SEALANT: Current method - scrape sealant by hand using pieces of plastic or aluminum fashioned as cutting tools Existing sealant can be 2-3 inches thick with multiple layers Difficult areas to work inside (and outside) the tank

17 RAPID DESEALING SYSTEM Variable Speed Control Composite Material Blade Will Not Harm Structure Will Not Scratch Primer Standard Shop Air 50 Units in Use at Tinker AFB KC-135 PDM

18 RAPID DESEALING SYSTEM Two Year Study to Determine Effectiveness Dramatically Reduces Desealing Time Efficiency Due to Resonance, Created Between Sealant and Structure Replaceable Blades (can re-sharpen) Angle of Blade is Most Important Factor *

19 Rapid Curing Standard Tank Sealants Can Take 24 or More Hours to Cure (depending on ambient temperatures and humidity, the colder it is, the longer it takes to cure) Quick Repair Sealants Deteriorate Much Sooner Than Standard Repair Sealants (not designed to be permanent repair material) Two Configurations Aircraft Repair and Aircraft Manufacturing

20 RAPID CURING DEVICE

21 RAPID CURING DEVICE ABSORPTION SPECTRUM OF PAINT AND SEALANTS WAVELENGTH (in microns) EMISSION SPECTRUM OF THE THERMOREACTOR 28 Vdc WAVELENGTH (in microns)

22 RAPID CURING DEVICE As heat lamp is applied, material forms a skin, trapping solvents and micro bubbles Infra Red Signal from heat lamp Narrow Spectrum of Infra Red DANGER: ignition risk Superficial drying Infra Red Signal from Thermoreactor -Warm air -Electrical infrared source like heat lamp Thermoreactor 28Vdc = poor energy transfer Wide Spectrum Emission = good energy transfer Poor absorption No surface skin Excellent absorption Incomplete polymerization Trapped solvents = bubbling risk SEALANT Complete safety Equal polymerization throughout the material. Evaporated solvents = no micro bubbling risk

23 RAPID CURING DEVICE Hardness hours 2.75 hours with Thermoreactor 72 hours standard cure 30 hours standard cure Sealant PR 1422 B2 NA (fuel leak repair) Time (hours) Reference hardness Tack free time With the Thermoreactor 28 Vdc at 122 F Manufacturer s suggested temperature and humidity conditions ( 73.4 F 50% )

24 RAPID CURING DEVICE Hardness hours 170 hours standard cure Reference hardness Polyurethane paint PU66 ( COURTAULDS ) Time (hours) With the Thermoreactor 28 Vdc at 122 F Usual temperature and hygrometry conditions ( 73.4 F 50% )

25 * Manufacturing Configuration Operated by Factory A.C. Electrical Power

26 Tank Pressurization System TPS Easily configured to most aircraft tank systems

27 TPS: VENT PLUGS A new generation of Vent Plugs ~ No parts removal / Rapid Testing Patented Process

28 TPS: CONTROL PANEL

29 REFERENCES: COMMERCIAL AIRLINES DELTA UNITED AA US AIRWAYS AIR CANADA AEROMEXICO CANADIAN REGIONAL HORIZON LUFTHANSA AIR FRANCE BRITISH AIRWAYS SCANDINAVIAN SABENA TECHNIC TAP CITY LINE SOGERMA AIR AFRIQUE EGYPT AIR EMIRATES JAREMCO GAMCO CHINA AIRLINES CATHAY AIR CHINA THAI AIRWAYS SINGAPORE AIRLINES QANTAS KOREAN

30 REFERENCES : AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS BOEING, SEATTLE (all commercial fleets) BOEING, ST. LOUIS NORTHROP GRUMMAN GULFSTREAM VOUGHT AIRCRAFT BOMBARDIER EMBRAER EADS AIRBUS (all commercial fleets) DASSAULT AVIATION EUROCOPTER

31 REFERENCES: MILITARY MARKET USAF: TINKER HILL ROBINS Helitest Wing Kit Reference T.O. 1C T.O. C-5 depot use U.S. AIR NATIONAL GUARD U. S. MARINE CORPS US NAVY: NAS JACKSONVILLE DEPOT FRENCH AIR FORCE FRENCH NAVY GERMAN AIR FORCE ITALIAN AIR FORCE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE