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| Press Release Number: ECP200302181 | 18-Feb-03 |
Foam machine gives depot capability no one else has |
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| By Gary Rice Sometimes a little goes a long way, and that is certainly the case with the depot's new Foam Pouring Machine. Used in the Prop Shop to dispense liquid foam into the spars of E-2 and C-2 aircraft propeller blades, the machine gives the depot a capability that no one else has, and it saves the government a lot of money. "It's a low pressure dispensing machine that is setup to shoot about 600 grams of foam into the spar," Mechanical Engineering Technician Chuck Wayman said. "The foam, through controlled expansion, fills the spar cavity to predetermined specifications and restores the characteristics that are fundamental to the blade's design." The foam machine is a commercially available 'off-the-shelf' item that was modified based on the depot's requirements to handle the viscous liquid that expands to a dense foam. Wayman wrote the specifications for the machine, and Mechanical Engineering Technician David Daniels had configuration control over the tooling that was used. Industrial Engineering Technician William Cohen provided contractor interface and made sure everything was coordinated and done according to the contract. "With this machine, we are able to repair blades that would otherwise have to be scrapped," Cohen said. "With the extremely short supply of spare blades for the E-2 and C-2 aircraft, our ability to repair these blades will fill all back orders in a short time." Through normal wear and tear, a blade's original spar foam may become contaminated by oil penetrating a seal. In the past, the blade manufacturer performed the foam repair procedure. But since new blades are no longer produced, the manufacturer discontinued the process and is no longer certified to do the work. So, over the years, all of the blades that needed spar foam could not be repaired and were placed in storage. This created a precarious situation for the Navy. "The Navy needed the blades repaired," Wayman said. "To meet that need, we wanted to establish the capability of doing the repairs here at the depot, but we needed to find the right machine." Made by the Cannon Company in Italy, the machine mixes metered quantities of two-part polyurethane foam in its mix head. It has a control panel to set mix ratios and volumes and an onboard chiller and heater to maintain the foam parts at a pre-set temperature, and it is mounted on an electric pallet jack for mobility. Prop blades are hung in a vertical drop-in oven in the Prop Shop, and the machine is moved over to the oven to dispense foam into the spars through its mix head nozzle. "The machine is easy to use," Propeller Mechanic Al Malone said. "The entire process of dispensing a shot load of foam into a blade takes only a few seconds. Once I get everything set up and attached, just a push of a button pours what I need." NAVAIR Depot Cherry Point provides maintenance, engineering, and logistics support on a variety of aircraft, engines, and components for all branches of the U.S. armed forces. Employing almost 4,000 people, the depot is the only source of repair within the continental United States for many jet and rotary wing engines. It is the Navy's center of excellence for rotary wing aircraft, providing engineering and logistics support for all Navy helicopters. The Navy's E-2 and C-2 aircraft are in constant use in the fleet, especially since the war on terror began, and they need replacement blades. New blades are expected to be manufactured in the future, but without the depot's efforts, the stock of usable replacement blades would probably be depleted before the new ones are ready. Since its arrival in August, the foam machine has enabled the depot to repair more than 50 blades and return them to the fleet. "This machine cost about $84,000 and has already paid for itself many times over," Cohen said. "A single blade purchased from the Navy supply system would cost about $22,330. We have 116 blades in house, and if the fleet had to go out and purchase that many blades from a manufacturer, it would cost millions of dollars. As we continue to return these 116 blades to usable condition, the savings to the fleet will be roughly $4.6 million." With the advent of this foam technology at the depot, there are plans to further develop the program and manufacture blades from scratch. The program could be on line in a few months and would reduce costs to the fleet even further. It would also enable the depot to put out a superior quality blade. "Increase quality and decrease costs," Wayman said. "It's just one more way the depot fulfills the fleet's needs." NAVAIR provides advanced warfare technology through the efforts of a seamless, integrated, worldwide network of aviation technology experts. From professional training to carrier launch, sensor data to precision targeting, aircraft and weapons development to successful deployment, and real-time communication to aircraft recovery, NAVAIR provides dominant combat effects and matchless capabilities to the American warfighter. Photo Caption: Propeller Mechanic Al Malone adjusts the Foam Pouring Machine's mix head pressure prior to use in the NAVAIR Depot Cherry Point Propeller Shop. (Photo by Gary Rice) |
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