Photo By Ashley Sherman | 200720-N-N0216-001 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (July 20, 2020) Jacob Richards, an artisan at...... read more read more
Fleet Readiness Center Southeast streamlines F-5N organic coating intake process
By Ashley Lombardo
Fleet Readiness Center Southeast Public Affairs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Under the care of Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) personnel, the F-5N aircraft, used primarily as an adversary training aircraft, will see its first complete engine air inlet organic coating since its original production. The intake is a 15-foot long, pipe-like part, less than two feet diameter with a primary function of providing smooth airflow into the engine.
"This is a momentous achievement for the F-5 product team and all those who had a hand in developing this in-house coating capability," said Col. Fred Schenk, FRCSE's Commanding Officer. "Being the first to accomplish this feat is quite an honor for us. We are very proud of the team's can-do spirit, resourcefulness and commitment to collaboration."
Only recently becoming the depot source of repair for the F-5 product line, FRCSE welcomed the first aircraft just under a year ago. Since then, a team of experts, ranging from manufacturing employees to artisans and engineers, have developed methods for stripping and painting the intake, which was part of the reason FRCSE earned the F-5 workload. Though it proved challenging, the team conducted its first successful painting in late July.
"With the addition of the F-5 Tiger II, our team had to adapt to changes that presented themselves when shifting to a new aircraft," said Shaquira Kennedy, an FRCSE mechanical engineer. "One of the many challenges of this smaller jet was that we needed to find another way to paint the inside of these 58-year-old intakes without sending an artisan in to do it."
The F-5N has been soaring through the skies for more than 50 years without seeing work of this magnitude, resulting in decades of exposure to environmental elements that cause corrosion, an issue that can significantly degrade the integrity of any aircraft. Yet, despite the process challenges, FRCSE jumped at the opportunity to bring the F-5N’s intake back up to standards.
But before painting could occur, the team had to strip the aircraft, a process completed by blasting the jet with a cornstarch hybrid blend. In fact, the inlet stripping process is another first for the F-5N and was established within a few months of its arrival in 2019.
The team used a 3D Handy Scanner to physically replicate the duct in order to establish the process on a model instead of the actual aircraft. Using the 3D scanner to create a mock inlet, helped the team test the stripping and painting process so that the quality remained consistent with what customers have come to expect from FRCSE. The replica is affectionately referred to as The Dummy.
"We knew our current F/A-18 processes for strip and paint would not be feasible for the inside of this platform's small ducts," said Kennedy. "Urgency was placed on producing a 3D model that matched the geometry inside the F-5 intake. This led to the opportunity to electronically scan the inside by hand to produce a CAD model. The scan had to be completed by a person relatively small in stature, and I was thrilled to be allowed to crawl inside and complete the task."
Once the mock was created and the team was able to conduct the stripping process successfully, they took the next step, focusing their efforts on creating a seamless painting technique, which required quite a bit of thinking outside the box.
"We split the task into two phases, and during each phase, we had to explore various application techniques," said Joe Santa Maria, an FRCSE materials engineer. "We found the ideal methods to be rolling and spraying, but there are hurdles with each. Rolling is easier, but defects and flaws are more likely because additives must be included. Spraying is ideal and is the primary way aerospace coatings are designed to be applied, but having the right equipment and skill is a challenge for this particular aircraft."
A waterborne primer is used during the rolling process, and to apply it without defects, acetone must be added. Including additives to a coating that is otherwise perfectly suited for aerospace flight, caused concerns about its ability to withstand environmental elements, in this case, specifically humidity. Solvents can also break down or swell a roller.
"The primer is a layer of paint that gives corrosion protection, then there's the top coat that protects the primer," said Jack Benfer, an FRCSE materials engineer. "You can imagine after all this time; this aircraft really needs an update to these protective layers of paint. We apply one primer coat and two top coats, but the process differs slightly per technique," he continued.
Spraying the coating is faster, higher quality and requires no modifications. Still, the painter must use a 360-degree rotating nozzle with an extension that is heavy and difficult to stabilize, whereas a roller helps to counterbalance that weight. The curved shape also causes paint to run and collect at the bottom of the intake.
"Though there are obstacles associated with spraying and rolling, but both processes will provide the F-5N with more protective coating than it has seen in years," said Benfer. "As we work diligently on our mocks, we become more proficient and skilled at completing a task that was otherwise obsolete up until this point. We are proud to have broken ground on this endeavor."
To ensure shiny new paint jobs for years to come, the team will continue training artisans so that they may garner the skills required to strip, prime and paint this critical aircraft.
After more than five decades of use, it's abundantly clear that the F-5N has withstood thousands of hours of flight time, but through countless man hours, innovative thinking and endless amounts of collaborative elbow grease, the F-5's intake has been renewed to its former glory thanks to the dedicated professionals at FRCSE.
| Date Taken: | 07.30.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 07.30.2020 07:41 |
| Story ID: | 374867 |
| Location: | JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 82 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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