Helicopter Transmission Oil Discolouration

Abstract

An increase in the incidence of abnormal discolouration of oil in ADF helicopter tail rotor transmissions has been observed and reported over the last eight years. Aircraft maintainers have initially attributed the discolouration to a range of contamination modes including incorrect fluid addition, hydraulic fluid contamination and degraded fluid. A program of work was conducted at DSTO to identify and characterise the cause of the abnormal discolouration. This report details the identification of a coloured metal quinizarate salt which forms in the aircraft transmissions under normal operating conditions and describes the mechanism of formation and some characteristics of the quinizarate salt to assist in developing maintenance programs to manage the coloured salt when observed in service conditions.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 2012
Accession Number
ADA561942

Entities

People

  • Andrew Becker
  • Paul Rawson

Organizations

  • Defence Science and Technology Group

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Additives (Chemicals)
  • Aircrafts
  • Chemical Analysis
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemistry
  • Fluids
  • Gas Chromatography
  • Hydraulic Fluids
  • Lubricants
  • Mass Spectroscopy
  • Materials
  • Military Aircraft
  • Propulsion Systems
  • Standards
  • Tail Rotors
  • Turbines
  • Vehicles

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Organizational Process Management (OPM).
  • Theoretical Analysis.