Applications of SPD to Enhance the Structural Integrity of Corroded Airframes

Abstract In the past decades, particularly since the Aloha Airlines (AA243) in 1989, corrosion has become one of the primary considerations in both military and commercial aircraft. Numerous authors have noted that corrosion can impact heavily on the economics, maintenance and safety of aircraft fleets. A number of different types of corrosion have been detected on aircraft structural aluminium alloys with exfoliation, pitting, intergranular corrosion and stress corrosion cracking being the prominent types of corrosion generally occurring in structural components exposed to corrosive environments. The additive metal technology of Supersonic Particle Deposition offers an effective methodolgy of repairing such damage.