ABOUT OPERATING PROBLEMS OF HELICOPTERS FLYING IN CORROSIVE AND SANDY ENVIRONMENT

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Engineer, Armament Department, Egyptian Air Force.

2 Lecturer, Aeronautical Department, Military Technical College, Cairo, Egypt .

Abstract

The multi-purpose uses of military Helicopters may frequently include operations in dusty and/or corrosive environments which can severly reduce the Helicopter performance, increase maintenance costs and shorten life of many components. In spite of the anti-corrosion treatments and erosion-preventive measures,many technical problems arising during Helicopter operation are still caused by erosion, corrosion or their mutual effect. In the present paper an attempt is made to bring into light some pro-blems of Helicopters operating in severe environments, as Nperienced during service, hoping to stimulate further investigations of effective solutions. Types of corrosion observed in naval Helicopters are described in broad general terms. Some technical problems that occured due to erosion by solid particles are also discussed. This includes problems in engines, main rotor head, rotor blades and other parts of Helicopters.