While were on the subject, I've heard that Titanium has it's own

set of

problems in different environments.
Can't for the life of me think what this might be - any

suggestions in

relation to engine parts ?
George (down under)

Don't clean titanium parts in carbon tetrachloride or you will

regret it.

Marc Wiese

Interesting.  What's the deal?

Bill Freeman
Long EZ builder & pilot
BSME, MSME
EAA Technical Counselor

Well, aside from the environmental and personal heath considerations,
assuming you take the precautions necessary for using it-
If you clean titanium in trichlorethylene (used to be called dry cleaning
fluid, or carbon tet), traces of the fluid can be entrapped within the
metal and can cause corrosion. Common warning when cleaning hot sections
and other parts of turbines having a lot of titanium parts. Some cleaning
solutions can even strip plating from a part or cause a reaction with the
base metal. Recommended methods-
organic solvents, vapor degreasing, steam cleaning, tumbling in grit, acid
or alkali baths, baking soda solutions, and grit blasting, depending on
material to be cleaned.
They even field clean turbine engines by blowing ground up apricot pits and
walnut shells thru them sometimes while the engines are running!
This trivia brought to you by the process of studying for the powerplant
written and practical test........

Marc Wiese

Thanks for the info, altho  don't think carbon tet is readily available anymore,
so not too much of a problem.  We used to clean the very large staionary gas
turbines at Union Carbide by (literally) tying a rope around the waist of a
person who threw a few buckets of ground walnut shells into the inlet stream
(thru a door) and followed by a few buckets of water, all at full power.
The bucket was on a rope, too.  I never did it personally, but was offered the
chance and declined.

Titanium is pretty useful, but expensive and doesn't really act like steel or
aluminum in a lot of ways, wo requires care in the application.

Bill Freeman

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