Bucket and Spade required!
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38
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From: Forward Fuel Tank
Bucket and Spade required!
I am seeking help / assistance for the cleaning procedures adopted (prior to deep maintenance), on aircraft with serious sand ingestion.
Are there any current "In-service" procedures for this problem? Are there any special types of cleaning equipment used by our national carriers / other fleets?
I have several other questions but would appreciate a PM to continue, many thanks.
ML
Are there any current "In-service" procedures for this problem? Are there any special types of cleaning equipment used by our national carriers / other fleets?
I have several other questions but would appreciate a PM to continue, many thanks.
ML
Last edited by motionlotion; 9th May 2003 at 22:06.
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 323
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From: Manchester
This sounds intreaging!!!, what have you got and were is it?!!. The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is the maintenance proceedures following flight through vocanic ash. This is definately covered in all Boeing manuals and I should imagine its in Airbus and MCD manuals too. This obviously won't help you if it isn't one of those though. Keep us informed
Rgds Dr I.
Rgds Dr I.
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
From: Forward Fuel Tank
No, not really intriguing just a damn nuisance.
Several airframes that require stripping prior to entry into a deep maint programme. Problem is that they all require cleaning with some form of "wet & dry" vacum to get rid of several kgs of sand - don't ask.
I was / am wondering if there is a formal procedure for getting rid of this amount of sand which more importantly is now wet! and has the abrasion characteristics of 400 hundred grade sandpaper! - it's in everywhere. Jetwash / Steamclean doesn't do much apart from spreading the stuff around the airframe and into more inaccessible places. It requires lifting wet and disposed off and or filtered - but with what?
Really need some help with this one, thanks.
ML
Several airframes that require stripping prior to entry into a deep maint programme. Problem is that they all require cleaning with some form of "wet & dry" vacum to get rid of several kgs of sand - don't ask.
I was / am wondering if there is a formal procedure for getting rid of this amount of sand which more importantly is now wet! and has the abrasion characteristics of 400 hundred grade sandpaper! - it's in everywhere. Jetwash / Steamclean doesn't do much apart from spreading the stuff around the airframe and into more inaccessible places. It requires lifting wet and disposed off and or filtered - but with what?
Really need some help with this one, thanks.
ML
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 170
Likes: 0
From: canada
I've cleaned many a crevis (no pun intended) of sand, and it is easiest when dry. I've clean red sand from bellies of Hercs, and it is no fun when covered in 5606. If it is wet with water, let it dry if you can, and you normaly can clean it with a vacume and a bristle brush. If it is covered in oil and or hydraulic fluid, use an approved cleaning solvent like white spirits, to losen up the oil, and then wipe clean. Here in the middle east, most of the sand that gets into places is more like dust, and it just needs to be vacumed up and brushed out. The main problem with sand here is erosion on rotor blades and compressors.
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
From: Forward Fuel Tank
Many thanks chaps, (presumption is only an effrontery!).
Well there are cunning plans and then there are cunning plans. Life would have been so much simpler if this stuff was dry - (the DARA Bedford wind tunnel seemed a likely place to do some reverse engineering!) - however, by the time the airframes had been subjected to our English summer (road move), the rules had changed and it wasn't so much getting back to the drawing board as re-inventing the bl**dy thing.
So as we couldn't find the fat lady, it meant some heavy duty stripping until we did find the low water mark. Needs must and after sampling various appendages on the end of a wet & dry industrial vacum cleaner, things improved alittle. I still believe in experimenting so we shall try lowtox in a pressurised sprayer. I love it, engineering in the rough, or is that raw? No, it's in the dunes!
Thanks again.
ML
Well there are cunning plans and then there are cunning plans. Life would have been so much simpler if this stuff was dry - (the DARA Bedford wind tunnel seemed a likely place to do some reverse engineering!) - however, by the time the airframes had been subjected to our English summer (road move), the rules had changed and it wasn't so much getting back to the drawing board as re-inventing the bl**dy thing.
So as we couldn't find the fat lady, it meant some heavy duty stripping until we did find the low water mark. Needs must and after sampling various appendages on the end of a wet & dry industrial vacum cleaner, things improved alittle. I still believe in experimenting so we shall try lowtox in a pressurised sprayer. I love it, engineering in the rough, or is that raw? No, it's in the dunes!
Thanks again.
ML
