Effect of Rinsing on Atmospheric Corrosion Environment of KT-1 Aircraft

Abstract

Corrosion is difficult to predict and manage. Thus, understanding the characteristics of the atmospheric corrosion environment inside and outside the aircraft is necessary. A series of corrosion defects were found inside the KT-1 aircraft; hence, an atmospheric corrosion monitoring set was mounted inside the aircraft to measure the effect of external rinsing on the internal corrosion according to location (fuselage and wing). The effect of external rinsing was analyzed through surface analysis of the specimens and corrosion rate estimation using internal environmental parameters. Steel specimens within the monitoring set exhibited complete corrosion, while Ag specimens showed discoloration. External rinsing reduced the rate of chloride build-up inside the wing. Additionally, time of wetness (TOW) tended to increase with external rinsing regardless of location. Estimated and measured corrosion rates were positively correlated with TOW but negatively correlated with chloride accumulation rate. These results indicate the mixed effect of rinsing and require corrosion control for individual aircraft when deciding whether to apply cleaning for corrosion control.