Sometimes you need to think around the box

By thinking “around the box” we were able to solve a long-standing corrosion problem on the C-130.

A recurring problem in C-130s is corrosion of the wing box. When leaks occur, the water cascades down the wing box and spills into blankets where it just pools. As a result, the blankets become saturated, and all that moisture sits up against the wing box.

The moisture trapped in the blankets includes oils, lubricants, and other contaminants, creating what you might call a corrosion cocktail. And it doesn’t help that the nylon straps designed to keep the blankets in place use a salt-based fire retardancy coating, which also causes them to rot.

So, when we set out to redesign the C-130 insulation system we knew we had to tackle the wing box problem – in this case by thinking “around the box.”

The first thing we did was re-orient the blanket panels so that they run fore-to-aft rather than side-to-side. This allows us the keep the blankets tight across the wing box and eliminates the need for any nylon straps.

Next, we built drainage into the blankets at the low point of the wing box. Instead of pooling up behind the blankets, liquids are released through the drain holes.

But this system only works because our patented blanket material is both hydrophobic and oleophobic – all liquids, including water, oils, lubricants, etc., slide off the surface of the material and down into the drain holes. None of the liquids are absorbed.

The new system prevents water build-up and eliminates wet blankets - protecting the wing box from corrosion and solving a problem that flight crews and maintenance crews have just had to live with for decades. 

Preventing wing box corrosion is just one of the many advantages of our completely redesigned C-130 insulation system. To learn about other advantages, visit our website or give us a call. You’ll discover that we didn’t just modernize the C-130 insulation system, we revolutionized it.