Corrosion and its impact on Airplanes

    Corrosion control is very important in the aviation industry. Something so small can make an important structural member deteriorate and fall apart. Most corrosion happens when there is an electrochemical reaction to the environment. Usually when a metal is in a moist climate, or is in contact with a corrosive gas such as sulfur, it will speed up the oxidizing process. The most common places where there is both sulfur and humidity is near oceans. Depending on flying hours and location, you will be required to perform fresh water rinses to the aircraft. In this Pratt and Whitney article, they discuss how to inspect and keep the salt off the engines. "During 100-hour inspections, we wash the outside of the engine down. This keeps everything clean and easier to inspect. It also washes away any salt that has accumulated on the engine and the surrounding area under the cowls. Each aircraft also gets rinsed down at the end of the day with lots of fresh water, and we do a desalination wash once a week" (Shawn Braiden 2019). If an area is not routinely inspected or cleaned properly the metal can break down which can result in an aircraft mishap. So next time you are either working or flying on an airplane take that extra second to ensure that you do not have corrosion starting to accumulate. 




Braiden, S. (2019, April 24). 4 maintenance best practices for preventing salt air corrosion . In Pratt & Whitney. Retrieved from https://www.pwc.ca/en/airtime-blog/articles/technical-tips/4-maintenance-best-practices-for-preventing-salt-air-corrosion

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