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Detection of Surface Contamination During a Scheduled Inspection and Repair Investigation

The Department of National Defence (DND) in Canada has implemented a revised maintenance program for aircraft weapon systems whose goal is to ensure that essential maintenance is accomplished and to assure the continued airworthiness of aeronautical products during in-service operation. The program especially affects legacy aircraft. A case study is being presented where an adhesion failure was detected during a scheduled inspection.

Product Number: 41209-488-SG
Author: Lyn Kearns, Martin Janssen, Jean-Luc Coté
Publication Date: 2009
Industries: Military , Coatings
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The Department of National Defence (DND) in Canada has implemented a revised maintenance program for aircraft weapon systems whose goal is to ensure that essential maintenance is accomplished and to assure the continued airworthiness of aeronautical products during in-service operation. The program especially affects legacy aircraft. A case study is being presented where an adhesion failure was detected during a scheduled inspection. After carrying out numerous wet adhesion tests which failed, followed by water break tests on the failed areas, surface contamination prior to organic coating application was suspected. Typical laboratory techniques could not detect any contamination. Use of state-of-the-art Time of Flight – Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) with primary ion source, Bi3+, was needed to determine the presence of surface contamination as low as a monolayer. The contamination was positively identified as a cationic surfactant that is commonly used in aircraft cleaners and conversion coating solutions. Further analyses using Scanning Electron Microscopy – Energy Dispersive X-ray Analyses (SEM-EDX), Thermal Gravimetric Analyses (TGA), Differenctial Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Dynamic Mechanical Analyses (DMA) were used to ensure the bulk integrity of the failed coatings.

The Department of National Defence (DND) in Canada has implemented a revised maintenance program for aircraft weapon systems whose goal is to ensure that essential maintenance is accomplished and to assure the continued airworthiness of aeronautical products during in-service operation. The program especially affects legacy aircraft. A case study is being presented where an adhesion failure was detected during a scheduled inspection. After carrying out numerous wet adhesion tests which failed, followed by water break tests on the failed areas, surface contamination prior to organic coating application was suspected. Typical laboratory techniques could not detect any contamination. Use of state-of-the-art Time of Flight – Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) with primary ion source, Bi3+, was needed to determine the presence of surface contamination as low as a monolayer. The contamination was positively identified as a cationic surfactant that is commonly used in aircraft cleaners and conversion coating solutions. Further analyses using Scanning Electron Microscopy – Energy Dispersive X-ray Analyses (SEM-EDX), Thermal Gravimetric Analyses (TGA), Differenctial Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Dynamic Mechanical Analyses (DMA) were used to ensure the bulk integrity of the failed coatings.

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