Analysis and Testing of Fleet Corroded F/A-18C/D Arrestment Shanks
Abstract
The global maritime operating environment of U.S. Naval Aviation assets necessitates their prolonged exposure to severe corrosive environments. The resulting corrosion damage on flight critical structural components has a significant adverse impact on fleet readiness and total ownership costs. To address these issues, NAVAIR has initiated a multiyear research program to investigate and quantify the fatigue life reduction due to corrosion on high-strength steels, and to develop models and metrics to implement actionable maintenance criteria for corrosion damage. The service component selected for analysis and testing was the F/A-18C/D arresting shank (P/N 74A480617). Five arresting shanks that were rejected for depot-level rework due to excessive corrosion damage were shipped by the Boeing Co. in Mesa, Arizona, to NAVAIR for inspection. Of the five, three were selected for fatigue testing due to the severity of the corrosion present and their overall condition. The three arresting shanks that were tested all exhibited a significant degree of fatigue resistance to fleet induced corrosion damage. This would imply that improvements in service life intervals for arresting shanks may be possible if the corrosion-fatigue damage resistance can be adequately characterized. All three shanks that were tested exhibited critical fatigue failures due to fretting at the hook end. As a result, fretting fatigue should be considered the primary fatigue failure mode for service-damaged arresting shanks.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 20, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA489911
Entities
People
- Barna Szabo
- Brent Lancaster
- David T. Rusk
- Jennifer Pierce
- Ricardo Actis
- Wally Hoppe
Organizations
- Naval Air Warfare Center