At Pacific Magnetic & Penetrant Co., Inc. (PMP), we were recently approached by a Prime Aerospace Contractor to help solve a problem they were having with their missile ordinance fuel cell. They had identified contamination that was located on the interior welds, and needed a solution to rectify the problem. Since the fuel cells where fully assembled, the challenge was to remove the contamination without destroying the integrity of the cells.
For this project, we utilized a NADCAP approved test procedure to help identify the contamination. Test procedure PMP QCM-515 was used along with a borescope with a white light attachment to visually examine the affected area. Once identified, we applied a copper sulfate corrosion test, which allowed us to accurately locate the areas of contamination.
After reviewing the prime contractor’s manufacturing planning, we determined that one of the steps in the planning was causing the contamination.
The client supplied us with coupons of the same material. After they welded the coupons, we ran several trial runs; the first one was using their planning so we could establish our base line. After identifying which step caused the contamination, the planning was re-written, eliminating the steps that ultimately caused the corrosion.
Not only did we show that the process would work on newly manufactured hardware, we showed it could be used to clean the contamination on the existing hardware without any parts being scrapped. The prime was very pleased with the results and awarded us with a contract to use our process on their parts for the next five years.
At Pacific Magnetic & Penetrant Co., we want to become part of your planning, and thus provide you with the advantages of our teamwork, expertise, quality, and on time delivery that have built our reputation as a trusted provider of testing services. Call or contact us anytime for further information.