Maintenance

Progress toward reducing airframe and landing gear noise Canadian researchers are finding ways to reduce landing noise in a facility designed to study the sounds that come from the interaction of certain airplane parts and wind. Read full story

Medical robotics save the day for NASA satellites Leveraging their reputation as experts in medical robotics, Johns Hopkins engineers have turned their attention skyward to help NASA with a space dilemma. Read full story

Boeing researchers develop ‘green’ sol-gel coatings A family of water-based sol-gel coatings from Boeing were developed to replace conventional finishing materials and processes. One formulation, Boegel-EPII, is a nonhazardous coating that can be applied to a range of substrates (aluminum, titanium, nickel, steel) using a variety of methods (dip, immersion, spin, brushing, spraying). Applications beyond adhesion promoter include corrosion control and conductive coatings. Read full story

Advanced materials and processes for better aerospace engines Brazing and investment casting, adapted for use in repairing and manufacturing aerospace engines, make use of ceramics’ extreme heat resistance, in addition to its wear and corrosion resistance, light weight, and electrical- and heat-insulation properties. Read full story

A laser look at turbine engine refurbishing Both land-based and aerospace engine manufacturers are increasingly outsourcing turbine engine repair and refurbishing, a rapidly growing business requiring specialized equipment and experience. Read full story

Putting designs on power supplies Today’s avionics and ground-vehicle electronics designers voice common concerns about power supplies, including the need to reduce weight, improve both efficiency and reliability, and hot-swap ability and load sharing. Read full story

Battelle developing robot to maintain the inside of aircraft fuel tanks Several years ago, U.S. Air Force maintenance technicians at Tinker Air Force Base discovered that an additive designed to remove water from traditional JP8 jet fuel was unexpectedly causing paint to peel off the inside of B-52 fuel tanks. The main concern was that the paint chips could clog the fuel filter and cause an engine flameout. Read full story

Tail docking system safely cuts costs Elaborate rollout ceremonies are expected for new airplanes, but in the world of engineering and manufacturing, a stylish event built up around an engineering support structure is a rarity. This pattern was broken when engineering firm Semmco staged a ceremony to introduce its tail docking system at London’s Heathrow Airport in the maintenance hangar of U.K. operator bmi. Read full story

Process changes unchain depots Multitasking is often considered a good business practice, but some Air Force repair depots in France and the U.S. found that focusing on tasks in what's called a critical chain shortened their turnaround times. Changing business processes brought big benefits, including 30-40% reductions in repair times. Read full story