Airframe Metalwork with Pneumatic Instruments Report (Assessment)

Introduction

I believe that pneumatic instruments are to aircraft technicians what scalpels are to surgeons. Thus, a technician cannot do their job without these essential tools. In terms of discipline, the primary goal of mending an aircraft is to return the damaged parts to their native form. In most cases, substitution is the only way one can do this. Tools used in repair include individual hand tools, workshop cabinets, and avionics tool kits. Therefore, this paper will discuss safety precautions while handling pneumatic tools, their condition, and the materials and tools used for aircraft repair.

The Safety Precautions When a Metal Work Task Requires the Use of Pneumatic Drills and Pneumatic Riveters

Pneumatic tools must be handled with care, and proper safety precautions must be observed. Despite their toughness, as they are designed to withstand harsh conditions, pneumatic tools should not be tossed around like a ball since they may get damaged (Zhao et al., 2020). When working with a drill, it is important to use special glasses that will protect your eyes in case of splinters. The use of riveters requires the permanent installation of a safety brace. Other precautions include going through the manual before handling a pneumatic gadget and the air compressor and knowledge of the trigger in use (Avdieienko, 2020). Carelessly dropping these tools subjects them to shock that misaligns or breaks them down.

The Correct Sheet Metals and Rivet Specification and Procedure to Be Followed

When repairing any part of the aircraft’s body, the main priority is to retain its original strength. Hence, the metal sheet materials used for the repair must be similar to the original. When it is necessary to use materials of weaker alloys than the original, then the patch must be thicker (Saravanan et al., 2022). The repair patch should also be circular or oval to reduce the chances of cracks appearing at the corners. The cross-sectional area of the patch must be equal to or greater than the damaged part, but abrupt changes must be avoided (Thipphavong et al., 2018). The rivet size required for repair can be determined by observing the rivets used by the manufacturer in the next parallel row in the wing.

The Task Compliance to Those Spics and Conditions

The task was compliant with the spics and conditions of the procedure, and the tools used to repair the airframe were appropriate and relevant (Khan et al., 2022). Riveted joints are built of three aluminum sheets aimed at hardness distribution (Janovec & Bugaj, 2019). A chamfer was made to aid in accurately inserting the thread head in the sheet (Zhang et al., 2020). Eventually, the repaired aircraft was as good as new, with its initial strength still intact.

A List of Tools That Were Used to Accomplish the Task

Examples of tools used to achieve the task are a pneumatic hammer, column grill gadgets, and riveted aluminum sheets (Ma and Niu et al., 2020). The pneumatic hammer can cut precisely and produce aluminum alloy end products with increased top integrity (Gruzin & Abramenkov, 2021). The column grill gadget is used to drill holes in rivet gadgets (Sulek and Fisiko et al., 2020). The riveted aluminum sheets are used due to their hardness distribution.

The List of Steps Undertaken to Accomplish the Task

• The procedure involves first checking the rivets to identify any unusual pattern.
• The damaged skin section is removed, ensuring that the radius at the corner is 0.5 inches.
• A doubler is fabricated from the same material, and its size depends on the size of the damaged part, rivets spacing, and edge distance (Rośkowicz and Godzimirski et al., 2021).
• A column grill is used to drill holes into the doubler, the insertion, and the aircraft’s original skin.
• A thin layer of sealant is spread on the doubler, after which it is attached to the aircraft skin.
• The doubler is fastened onto the aircraft and sealed with the insertion.

Conclusion

Aircraft repair is essential for the proper running of aircraft, and it should be done thoroughly so that its original strength is maintained. At the same time, I believe that, first of all, safety is important here since people’s lives depend on its observance. In addition, it is important to pay attention to the proper care of tools in order to successfully perform the necessary work.

Reference List

Avdieienko, D.O., (2020) Improving the efficiency of maintenance of structural elements of the airframe. PhD Thesis. National Aviation University.

Gruzin, A.V. and Abramenkov, D.E., (2021) ‘Experimental studies of a valveless non spool-type pneumatic percussion mechanism of a hammer.’ Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1901(1), pp. 121-126.

Gujarati, P. (2022) ‘Rivet and types of Riveted Joints.’

Khan, H.A., Zafar, N., Hameed, A., Akram, F., Asim, K., Javaid, S. and Khan, A. (2022) ‘Development and characterization of a new riveting process for pre-drilled holes hard-to-access aircraft riveted joints.’ The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 120(9), pp. 13-17.

Ma, Y., Niu, S., Shan, H., Li, Y. and Ma, N., (2020) ‘Impact of stack orientation on self-piercing riveted and friction self-piercing riveted aluminum alloy and magnesium alloy joints.’ Automotive Innovation, 3(3), pp.242-249.

Rośkowicz, M.R., Godzimirski, J.A., Jasztal, M.J. and Gąsior, J., (2021) ‘Improvement of fatigue life of riveted joints in helicopter airframes.’ Eksploatacja i Niezawodność, 23(1), pp. 2-7.

Saravanan, V., Ramachandran, M., & Raja, C. (2022). ‘A Study on Aircraft Structure and Application of Static Force.’ REST Journal on Advances in Mechanical Engineering, 1(1), 1-6.

Sulek, P., Fisico, A., Caswell, R., Nixon, K., Henderson, M., Gordon, L., Lewis, A., Spielman, B., Gerwing, M., McMinn, E. and Hill, A. (2020) ‘Honorary Chairperson.’ Royal Canadian Air force Association.

Thipphavong, D.P., Apaza, R., Barmore, B., Battiste, V., Burian, B., Dao, Q., Feary, M., Go, S., Goodrich, K.H., Homola, J. and Idris, H.R., (2018). ‘Urban air mobility airspace integration concepts and considerations.’ Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations Conference, p. 3676.

Zhang, H., (2020). ‘Influence of riveting sequence/direction on distortion of steel and aluminum sheets.’ Journal of Manufacturing Processes, 53, pp.304-309.

Zhao, H., Xi, J., Zheng, K., Shi, Z., Lin, J., Nikbin, K., Duan, S. and Wang, B., (2020). ‘A review on solid riveting techniques in aircraft assembling.’ Manufacturing Review, 7, p.40.