Kinetic Metallization can be used to repair the damaged surface without exposing the wheel to excess heat like thermal spray would. This avoids thermal aging the aluminum and will extend the life of the wheel.
Category: F-18
Background
Military aircraft are some of the most advanced machines on the planet, built to withstand extreme conditions and deliver outstanding performance in the toughest environments. The F-18 Super Hornet, one of the most widely used military aircraft in the world, is no exception. With a top speed of just under Mach 2, a maximum altitude… Continue reading Background
The Problem
Ultimately the take-off and landing loads are transferred to the Main Landing Gear Wheel Bearings. These parts bear tremendous loads such that their life is limited. In ideal cases the failure does not damage the wheel hub and replacement is a routine operation. But in the most extreme cases the bearing can fail in a… Continue reading The Problem
The Solution
Remove damaged material from otherwise serviceable wheels and replace this material with a specially engineered metal matrix composite. Repair Steps
Flight Wheel
The F-18 wheel as received by Inovati.
Bearing Removed
The bearing is removed on the wheel to ensure that the KM spray does not restrict the application of a bearing on the flight wheel.
Removal of Damaged Material
A lathe is used to remove sufficient hub material to allow for a baseline repair. Generally 0.050″ is removed.
KM Repair of Flight Hardware
The spray setup of the wheel hub is minimal. There is no masking required and the wheel is ready to be sprayed soon after it is loaded into Inovati’s KM-HDR system. Read more about our system here. The hub is sprayed with Inovati’s Al-Trans® 70-52-85. Here is a demo video of our spray process to better understand… Continue reading KM Repair of Flight Hardware
Kinetic Metallization Repair Deposition
Video below illustrates additive repair of wheel. Steps include:
Post Repair Machining
The machining went excellently. Feeds and speeds were recorded for use on flight wheels.