Adequate Protection Systems for Reduction of Wear on Tornado Aircraft
Abstract
The use in service life of the Tornado aircraft showed several areas subjected to wear. Due to its design some of them include, for example, the attachment for the variable wings, the related components, and the flap tracks; some concern the taileron and the air intake ducts. According to this, the affected interfaces of different materials and the structural components have been protected with appropriate coatings to maintain the operability of the aircraft. Depending on the function of the moveable joints on the structure, coatings with adequate hardness and wear resistance have been adopted. The range of applied anti-wear coatings includes both organic and inorganic compounds, such as polymers, composites, oxides, carbides, etc. Sometimes the adopted protection methods showed good results. In other cases, alternative systems to improve the wear protection have been investigated. This paper describes protection systems proposed and introduced on components in the Tornado aircraft structure subjected to adhesive and erosive wear. Particular attention will be addressed to the flap tracks and to the leading edges of both taileron and air intake ducts.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA442585
Entities
People
- Franco Bagnoli